I didn’t know yet about the space conference called “SpaceUp” until a few weeks ago. And how I have been missing out!
I saw a notification for a virtual version of SpaceUp’s usual physical event on Eventbrite, a website and app for discovering events that match your interests.
Apparently, I’ve been living under a (moon) rock, because the first SpaceUp conference was held a the San Diego Air & Space Museum in 2010. And it’s been a great success ever since.
After several events in the United States, they organized their first European event in 2012.
This year, things took a different turn, but that meant that I was able to finally attend my first ever Space Event – LIVE from my own home.
Today, I’d like to share everything I know about this amazing conference for space geeks and later I will share more in-depth session notes of the most interesting talks.
SPACEUP VIRTUAL SPACE CONFERENCE
WHAT IS SPACEUP CONFERENCE?
The set-up is simple, but so clever: participants of this ‘unconference‘ decide the topics, schedule, and structure of this space-themed event themselves.
Everyone attending is encouraged to either give a short “T-5 Talk” (5 minute presentations with 20 slides that rotate every 15 seconds), do a demonstration, moderate or participate in a panel or start a discussion.
All suggestions for talks are gathered on post-its in the “Session Grid“, where the usual hallway conversations are turned into full-fledged topics.
Can’t attend, but still want to contribute? Then the “60 Seconds to Land” option is for you! Simply record a one-minute video and send it in to play for the audience!
WHAT IS SPACEUPLIVE?
Of course with the current global situation, nobody travels to conferences at the moment, but since we’ve all become ZOOM-masters over the past weeks, this turned out to be no problem.
Over 15 experts and space enthusiasts shared their wisdom with people watching (and sending in live questions) from all over the world.
One of the presenters was Remco Timmermans, a fellow Dutch Space and Social Media expert and the CEO of the SpaceUp Conference.
I’ve met him a few times in the past at travel blogging events and around the time I left London to live in Amsterdam, he left the Netherlands to live in Oxford, what a coincidence! I didn’t even know he was part of this event, my bad!
Hopefully we get to meet at a future SpaceUp event when we can all travel again.
LEARN HOW TO BECOME AN ASTRONAUT
MasterClass is an online classroom where you can follow workshops by the world’s greatest minds in their own specialties. With this course, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield teaches you what it takes to explore space and what the future holds for humans in the final frontier.
Learn all about the science of space travel, life as an astronaut, and how flying in space will forever change the way you think about living on Earth.
1st SPACE UP LIVE
The first SpaceUpLive event was held at the 29th of April 2020.
Topics included: Earth Observation, The Mars Initiative, Astrostays, Space Project Management, Space Comic Books, Cartoons, Games and Animation, Space for Equality and Inclusion, Analog Astronaut Training, ISS-Above and a panel session on the impact of COVID-19 on the space industry.
See the complete list of topics and speakers here >>
Here are my notes on the following sessions:
- Miles to Mars: Funding Humanity’s Future by Chris Bellant, Mars Initiative
- Astrostays: community centric Astro-tourism for livelihood creation by Ramasamy Venugopal, IAU Office of Astronomy for Development
- Analog Astronaut Training by Adam Crellin, Austrian Space Forum
See the entire conference here:
TRAIN YOUR ASTRONAUT SKILLS
Did you think that the skills astronauts have are just applicable in space? Think again!
You might not realise it, but we can all benefit from the skills astronauts have trained so long and hard to develop – to use them in our lives on earth every single day. Wondering how? CLICK to read more about all the different skills all astronauts (and regular humans) should develop.
2nd SPACE UP LIVE
The second SpaceUpLive event was held at the 24th of June 2020.
Topics included: The Future of Space Exploration, the Space Ecosystem in Africa, Decoding Satellite Signals, Space Greenhouses and a panel session on the topic of #SpaceFromHome.
See the complete list of topics and speakers here >>
Soon I will publish my session notes.
Stay tuned!
See the entire conference here:
TOP 100 SPACE EXPERIENCES
I’ve set myself the goal to find – and complete – 100 of the world’s top space experiences.
Ranging from activities that help train your astronaut skills, to visiting amazing space centers, observatories and planetariums, but also discovering moon landscapes and visiting the best archaeo-astronomical and stargazing sites and events.
3rd SPACE UP LIVE
The third SpaceUpLive event was held at the 7th of October 2020.
Topics included: World Space Week, Space for Everyone, Alien Linguistics, Asteroids, In-Space Transportation, Monitoring the Human Brain in Space and a panel talk on a World Without Satellites.
See the complete list of topics and speakers here >>
Soon I will publish my session notes.
Stay tuned!
See the entire conference here:
PRACTICAL INFO SPACEUP SPACE CONFERENCE
The SpaceUp LIVE event was organised by R&R Space and presented by Ryan Laird (@rjmlaird), Ryan Bradley-Evans (@astro_ryanbe) and Remco Timmermans (@timmermansr).
R&R Space develops exciting concept events and training to inspire a new wave of entrepreneurs and space explorers by unlocking their potential and linking them with new skills to build the future of space.
Their events include SpaceUp Leicester and Build4Space.
Sponsor of SpaceUp LIVE was Spacebit (@SpacebitOne) – a privately held UK company that is working on space data analytics tools and robotic concepts of space exploration that include AI and advanced micro-robotics.
For the full list of speakers and their contact details, please visit: spaceup.org/live
DISCOVER UNIQUE SPACE GIFTS
Shopping for your geek friends or family members can be hard if you don’t know much about space, science or tech yourself. That is why The Space Tester has compiled the ultimate list of gift ideas for you.
Expect everything about space travel, astronomy, NASA/ESA/SpaceX, our solar system and other space-themed gifts, toys, clothing, costumes, gadgets, home decor, posters, jewelry, books, magazines and apps.
BOOKMARK ON PINTEREST:
