In’l space conference to be held in Jerusalem next year

Event is being held globally for the 15th year in a row to increase public awareness of space research.

By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
A spiral galaxy known as NGC 1433 is seen in an undated image captured by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope (photo credit: REUTERS)
A spiral galaxy known as NGC 1433 is seen in an undated image captured by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope
(photo credit: REUTERS)
The Israel Space Agency and the Science, Technology and Space Ministry are holding a number of free public events to mark this week’s World Space Week. Lectures on “double stars,” the moon, satellites and the international space station will be offered, as well as sightings in the sky and tours of institutions relating to space.
The event is being held globally for the 15th year in a row to increase public awareness of space research and its contribution to human development and welfare, and will join 1,400 events being held in 80 other countries.
Science, Technology and Space Minister Yaakov Peri said that Israel is a leading and valued country in space research.
“We want to encourage public curiosity and research into new worlds,” he said.
Among the participating sites are the Yarka Planetarium in the North; the Technoda Observatory in Givat Olga, the Space Center in Taiba; the planetarium in Givatayim and the planetarium at Ben-Gurion University in Beersheba.
Meanwhile, 200 senior experts from leading space agencies around the world are attending a space conference in Toronto, a prelude to the International Astronautical Federation’s 66th International Astronautical Congresses scheduled to be held in Jerusalem a year from now. Every year, the IAF selects a different country to host the event.
Some 20 Israeli space experts went to Toronto to represent the space industries and the Israel Space Agency.
Peri held a reception in the Canadian city for US National Aeronautics and Space Administration head Charles Bolden and officials from Canada, France, Germany and other countries.
Thousands of specialists are expected to come to Jerusalem for the 2015 event, which will be held at the Jerusalem International Convention Center and will include 2,000 lectures and 25 symposia.
Two hot subjects being studied at the Toronto event are the return of the Rosetta space vehicle and the MAVEN space vehicle to Mars. The delegates will hold discussions on the possibility of astronauts living for an extended time on other planets.