News Mails - 2011
ASIA-PACIFIC REGIONAL SPACE AGENCY FORUM (APRSAF)
News Mail -No. 083 July/06/2011
http://www.aprsaf.org
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**CONTENTS
1. Theme for APRSAF-18 announced
2. Workshop on GIS Tool Kit for Schools held on May 24 and 25
3. 3rd SAFE workshop held on June 16 and 17
4. Space Seed returns to the earth
5. Regional news
- Japanese astronaut Furukawa starts ISS expedition mission
- ASRP Round 4 announced
- GISTDA signs MOU with EIAST
6. The 2nd CanSat Leader Training Program to be conducted in Japan from Nov to Dec 2011
7. Event Calendar
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1. Theme for APRSAF-18 announced
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As informed, the 18th session of the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF-18) will be held from December 6 to 9, 2011, in Singapore. We, the APRSAF Secretariat, are pleased to inform you that the theme for APRSAF-18 has been set: "A regional collaboration for tomorrow's environment".
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2. Workshop on GIS Tool Kit for Schools held on May 24 and 25
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On May 24 and 25, 2011, a workshop on GIS Tool Kit for Schools was conducted in Bangkok, Thailand. This workshop was organized by the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) of Thailand within the framework of the APRSAF Space Education and Awareness Working Group (SEAWG). A report from GISTDA will be included in APRSAF Newsletter No. 9 (July issue).
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3. 3rd SAFE workshop held on June 16 and 17
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The 3rd Space Applications For Environment (SAFE) workshop was held on June 16 and 17, 2011, in Vientiane, Lao PDR. The completion of two SAFE ongoing prototypes (Lao PDR/Forest monitoring and management and Cambodia/Water Cycle and Agriculture) and excellent progress of the other six prototypes were confirmed. Some suggestions for further improvement were provided.
The workshop resulted in the following recommendations:
- Encourage information exchange between ODA agencies and space agencies through SAFE activities, especially the SAFE workshop, and - Be important to have the stakeholder meeting before completion of SAFE prototyping.
In addition, SAFE participants recognize the requirements for L-Band SAR and optical sensors continuity for SAFE prototyping and expect the early launch of ALOS-2 and ALOS-3.
A roundup of the workshop, including conclusions, points of each prototype report, and presentations, is available at the SAFE portal:
http://www.eorc.jaxa.jp/SAFE/index.html
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4. Space Seed returns to the earth
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The space seeds sent to the ISS as one of the APRSAF Space Environment Utilization Working Group (SEUWG)'s missions, Space Seed for Asian Future (SSAF) 2010–2011, have been retrieved. The seeds are delivered to each participating country, i.e., Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam, and utilized for various local programs. Updates on this program will be provided through the APRSAF website, Newsletter, and News Mail.
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5. Regional news
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- Japanese astronaut Furukawa starts ISS expedition mission
On June 8, 2011, the Soyuz TMA-02M spacecraft was launched with Japanese astronaut Satoshi Furukawa onboard. He started his long-term stay (about five and a half months) in the International Space Station (ISS) on June 10, 2011. Various scientific experiments, including experiments by Asian countries (one by Bangladesh and two by Malaysia) selected through JAXA's "Try Zero G" program, are scheduled to be carried out in the Japanese Experiment Module, Kibo, during Furukawa's ISS expedition mission.
With the increasing interest in space environment utilization among Asian countries, the utilization of Kibo by Asian countries is increasing. For example, "KIBO Hi-Vision EarthView," an educational system providing "live" high-definition television images from Kibo, is under development. This system is meant mainly for students in the Asia-Pacific region.
References:
Try Zero G
http://www.aprsaf.org/data/aprsaf17_data/Day1-sea_9b_Hirohama.pdf
Earth View
http://www.aprsaf.org/data/aprsaf17_data/DAY1-seu_1400_Susumu_Yoshitom.pdf
- ASRP Round 4 announced
The Australian Space Research Program (ASRP) provides AUD 40 million over four years through a competitive merit-based grants program to support space-related research, education, and innovation activities. On June 17, 2011, the names of successful applicants under Round 4 of ASRP were announced by the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator the Hon Kim Carr.
Reference:
Senator Carr's press release:
http://minister.innovation.gov.au/Carr/MediaReleases/Pages/61MILLIONINVESTMENTINSPACERESEARCHANDEDUCATION.aspx
- GISTDA signs MOU with EIAST
The Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) of Thailand has signed an MOU with the Emirates Institution for Advanced Science & Technology (EIAST) to strengthen cooperation in the fields of space technology and application, including implementation of joint research and development activities, exchange of related data, participation in production, development and launch of satellites, training of scientific specialists, preparation of joint conferences, exchange of scientists, and formation of technical collaborative projects.
Full text of the article:
http://www.gistda.or.th/gistda_n/en/index.php?option=com_jevents&task=icalrepeat.detail&evid=541&Itemid=50&year=2011&month=05&day=09&uid=05dffce5ac85d652290419c5955f0a3d
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6. The 2nd CanSat Leader Training Program to be conducted in Japan from Nov to Dec 2011
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The 2nd CanSat Leader Training Program (CLTP2) will be held from November 14 to December 14, 2011, at the Department of Aerospace Engineering, Nihon University, Chiba, Japan. (From December 10 to 14, the venue will be Kitakyushu International Conference Center, Japan.) This program is organized by Nihon University and the University Space Engineering Consortium (UNISEC).
The deadline for applications to the program is July 11, 2011. No tuition fee is required to participate in the program. Further, limited funding is available for participation, including funding for local accommodation, local transportation, and round-trip air tickets (most economical, direct flight route) between your home country and Japan. For further information, including the application form, program contents, and eligibility, please visit the following UNISEC website:
http://www.unisec.jp/cltp/en/2nd.html
The first CLTP was successfully held in February–March 2011 in Wakayama University, targeting researchers and educators, with 12 participants from 10 countries, namely, Algeria, Australia, Egypt, Guatemala, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and Vietnam.
http://www.wakayama-u.ac.jp/ifes/cltp/
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7. Event Calendar
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- 2011 International Conference on Space Science and Communication (IconSpace2011)
(12-13 July 2011, Pahang, Malaysia)
http://pkukmweb.ukm.my/ispace/
- 2011 IEEE International Symposium on Geoscience and Remote Sensing (IGARSS 2011)
(25-29 July 2011, Vancouver, Canada)
http://igarss11.org/
- Conference on Remote Sensing, Natural Hazards and Environmental Change
(28-29 July 2011, Singapore)
http://www.crisp.nus.edu.sg/conferences/RSNHEC/index.html
- International workshop on GNSS Remote Sensing for Future Missions and Sciences
(7-11 August 2011, Shanghai, China)
http://202.127.29.4/gnss/
- 11th Australian Space Science Conference
(26-29 Sep 2011, Canberra, Australia)
http://www.nssa.com.au/ocs/index.php?cf=13
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Copyright 2011 The APRSAF Secretariat
APRSAF News Mails are distributed to update the readers on recent developments in space-related activities in the Asia-Pacific region.
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