Plenary 2 : Host Plenary: Evolving Apollo: The Next 50 Years in Human Spaceflight

Monday 21 October 2019, 18:15 – 19:30
Location: The Walter E. Washington Convention Center – Grand Ballroom ABC

In the 50 years since Neil and Buzz walked on the Moon, humans have put aside the Cold War competition that sent them there to establish a permanent (so far) presence in space. The International Space Station is arguably the crowning political and engineering achievement of the post-Apollo age. It is feeding forward to the systems – and politics – that will be needed to continue mankind’s expansion into the Solar System. Today it seems likely humans will return to the lunar surface to stay, and to prepare for the next steps to Mars and beyond. A few governments got us this far, but there are a host of new international players with disparate capabilities eager to take a role. Our host plenary will examine the prospects for the next 50 years of human spaceflight, offering state-of-the-art commentary on the international cooperative roles of public and private players, what they may be able to achieve for society, and the pitfalls and STEM challenges that lie ahead.