The Air and Space Academy, supported by AIDAA and SGAC, organised this international conference on Space Exploration at Politecnico di Torino on May 10-12, 2023. Chaired by Jean-Jacques Dordain, the conference attracted an audience of 340 and allowed 75 speakers to express themselves on scientific, technical and societal matters, distributed in 7 sessions respectively focused on human motivations for exploring, lunar environment, flying machines, how to go faster, search for water, human and robots… and also some insights into “dream missions” that the young, and less young, generations wish to carry out. Keynote speeches were delivered by ESA DG and by the astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti. A debate opposed two astrophysicists (Jean-Pierre Bibring and Nathalie Cabrol) about the probability of the existence of extra-terrestrial life.
These proceedings include speakers’ biographies, abstracts, slides and video recordings of all presentations (except, in a very small number of cases, when they are not available for technical reasons).
Separately, a few pre-conference documents (about cultural motivations, ethics and lunar exploration) are also available
Introduction | Keynote 1 | Session 1 | Session 2 | Debate | Session 3 | Session 4 | Keynote 2 | Session 5 | Session 6 | Session 7 | Panel | Wrap-up of the 7 themes | Closing speeches | Conference documents | Sponsors
Introductory speeches
Mr Jean-Jacques Dordain, AAE member and President of the Programme Committee, former Director General ESA
Mr Michel Wachenheim, President of AAE
Pr Erasmo Carrera, President of AIDAA, Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics, PoliTo
Back to the Moon for Mars
Dr Francis Rocard, Astrophysicist, CNES
Space exploration: from underlying motivations to the first human steps
Keynote 1: ESA’s Next Steps in Space Exploration
Dr Josef Aschbacher, Director General ESA
Session 1: Philosophy and cultural motivations of space exploration
Introduction: What drives us to explore? A report from an AAE working group
Mr Eric Dautriat, Vice president of AAE
The cultural roots of space exploration across the world
Dr Xavier Pasco, Director of the Fondation pour la recherche stratégique
The future impact of space age on human civilisation
Pr. Wu Ji , President of Chinese Society of Space Research, Former Director-General and Professor at National Space Science Center (NSSC)
Panel: Ideals, knowledge and imagination
Moderator: Mr Michel Praet, Head of ESA Relations with the EU
Discussion with panelists:
Mr Piero Bianucci, Journalist, scientific writer, novelist
Pr. Jean-Pierre Bibring, AAE member, Astrophysicist, Institute of Space Astrophysics
Pr. Giancarlo Genta, Emeritus professor in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Polito
Dr. Julie Patarin-Jossec, Sociologist, professional diver and photographer
3 minutes on: Cosmic footprint: dealing with space ethics at large scales
Adrien Normier, Founder of Space Ethics
Session 2: Dream missions, a selection by Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC)
Introduction to SGAC and to the session
Mr Bram de Winter, SGAC Space Exploration Project Co-lead
Dr Antonino Salmeri, Director of Lunar Policy Platform, Co-Chair of SGAC
Send a crewed mission to Titan with a return ticket
Mr Gueorguy Serafimov, SGAC AAE Dream Scholarship Winner
Europa Oceanic Sample Return Mission
Mr Luca Kiewiet, SGAC AAE Dream Scholarship Winner
IOSO: a vision towards global cooperation
Ms Athena Vourgos, SGAC AAE Dream Scholarship Winner
Space Sleep: Legal Implications with Cryogenics
Mr Charles Horikami, SGAC AAE Dream Scholarship Winner
Message for the future
Dr Roger-Maurice Bonnet, AAE member, Former Director of ESA Science Programme
Panel: How far did your dream bring you?
Moderator: Ms Tania Gres, System engineer, SGAC National Point of Contact for France
Participants:
Dr Roger-Maurice Bonnet, AAE member, Former Director of ESA Science Programme
Ms Donya Divsalar, Co-founder and CEO, Caidin
Mr Pierre Faucoup, Chief Space and Defense Business Officer, The Exploration Company
Conclusions the session
Mr Bram de Winter, SGAC Space Exploration Project Co-lead
Life in the universe: rule or exception?
Moderator: Pr Erasmo Carrera, AIDAA President, Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics, PoliTo
Participants:
Dr Nathalie Cabrol, Astrobiologist, Head of Carl Sagan Department, SETI Institute
Pr Jean-Pierre Bibring, Institute of Space Astrophysics, CNRS, AAE member
Session 3: The first step: towards an environment-friendly approach to Lunar exploration
Assessing the impact of the new wave of Lunar exploration on lunar resources and the Lunar environment
The present Lunar environment: scientific assets and cultural heritage
Pr Michel Blanc, AAE member, past vice-president for research of Ecole Polytechnique, France, Emeritus professor at IRAP, Toulouse
The development of technological capabilities associated with the new wave of Lunar exploration
Dr Gerald Sanders, In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) System Capability Leadership Team (SCLT) Lead, NASA
Assessing Lunar resources
Dr. T. Dylan Mikesell, Remote Sensing and Geophysics, Norwegian Geotechnical Institute
Panel: The Moon: a unique research laboratory; a “new continent” for a diversity of human activities
Moderator: Pr Bernard Foing, former Senior Scientist at ESA/ESTEC, Professor at Leiden University
Dr Bertrand Baratte, General Secretary EURO2MOON, Space Market Director, Air Liquide
Dr Stefaan De Mey, Senior strategy officer at ESA, ESTEC
Dr Barbara Imhof, Co-founder and co-managing director of LIQUIFER Vienna – Bremen
Mr Gerald Sanders, In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) System Capability Leadership Team (SCLT) Lead, NASA
Pr Wu Ji, President of Chinese Society of Space Research, Former Director-General and Professor at National Space Science Center (NSSC)
Assessing the impact of the new wave of Lunar exploration on lunar resources and the Lunar environment
Management of Lunar orbits
Dr Eric Joffre, System Engineer in the Concurrent Design Facility, ESA
Management of resources and waste on the Lunar surface
Mr Alexis Paillet, Spaceship FR Project manager, CNES
Space law and its possible solutions
Dr Antonino Salmeri, Director of Lunar Policy Platform, Co-Chair of SGAC
Panel: Ways towards an environment-friendly approach to New Space on the Moon
Moderator: Dr Maria Antonietta Perino, AAE member, Director Space Economy Exploration and International Network, Thales Alenia Space
Pr Michel Blanc, Emeritus professor at IRAP, Past Vice-President for research of Ecole Polytechnique, France
Dr Jean Blouvac, Programme manager for Human Spaceflight and Exploration activities, CNES
Wolfgang Dürr, Head of Marketing and Sales Space Exploration, Airbus Defence and Space
Dr Antonino Salmeri, Director of Lunar Policy Platform, Co-Chair of SGAC
Implementation means
Session 4: Flying machines
Active / In development missions
Helicopters for Mars Exploration
Mr Theodore Tzanetos, NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology (To be confirmed)
The Dragonfly New Frontiers mission to Titan
Dr Ralph Lorenz, Dragonfly Mission Architect, Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory
The Future: Ideas, Concepts, Studies
Balloons for Mars, Venus and Titan exploration
Dr James Cutts, NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Kumo: Venus Atmosphere Explorer study
Ms Helena Momoko Powis, Student, University of Delft, The Netherlands
Uranus glider : Mission analysis and navigation design concept study
Ms Emilie Bessette, Young Graduate Trainee at ESA/ESTEC
Questions & answers
Keynote 2: Europe: what future in space exploration?
Ms Samantha Cristoforetti, Astronaut, ESA
Session 5: Going faster (and further)
Transfers to the Outer Solar System
Mr Michael Khan, Mission analyst, ESOC, Darmstadt
How will solar sailing enable deep space exploration ?
Dr Louis De Gouyon Matignon, Co-founder and CEO, Gama Startup, Paris
Electric Solar Wind Sail
Dr Pekka Janhunen, Research manager, Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki
Nuclear energy for space exploration
Dr Eric Proust, Science and Energy Directorate CEA, Paris, President of the European Nuclear Society High Scientific Council
Breakthrough propulsion – Where is the limit ?
Pr Martin Tajmar, Head of Space Systems chair, TU Dresden
Aerocapture as an enabling technology for planetary missions
Dr Soumyo Dutta, Aerospace Engineer, NASA Langley Research Center
AIM/DART/HERA NASA/ESA Collaboration
Dr Patrick Michel, CNRS Director of Research, Côte d’Azur Observatory (OCA), Nice
Joining Forces to Go Faster, Better, Cheaper
Dr Scott Bolton, Assistant Vice president at Southwest Research Institute, Caltech
Questions & answers
Grand Objectives
Session 6: Water: our quest for “oases” in the Solar System
Overview
Pr Enrico Flamini, Former ASI Chief Scientist, IAF
Exomars Science
Dr Jorge Vago, ExoMars Rover Project Scientist at ESA
Water detection under the surface of planets
Pr Wlodek Kofman, Emeritus Research Director, CNRS, Space Research Center PAS, Warsaw, AAE
Chasing a comet with sample return, a way to better understand how life was generated
Pr Jean-Pierre Bibring, Institute of Space Astrophysics, CNRS, PSL University, AAE
JUICE mission – The Ocean moons of Jupiter with many expectations
Dr Athena Coustenis,LESIA, Paris Observatory, CNRS, PSL University
Dr Olivier Witasse, JUICE Project Scientist, ESA
Water Resources on the Moon and Mars. Plans and Implications for NASA ISRU and sustained Human Exploration
Dr Gerald Sanders, Lead ISRU, space technology Mission Directorate, NASA JSC
Questions & answers
Session 7: Human-robots collaboration
From underwater to aeronautics: the essential role of human-machine teaming
Mr. Arnaud Prost, European reserve astronaut
Human vs. artificial intelligence: Operations of science missions at small bodies
Mr Michael Küppers, COMET interceptor and HERA Project Scientist, ESA
Mars: Operating a drill 400M km from home
Mr Alessandro Pilati, Space Robotics System Engineer, Leonardo
Moon: Human-robotic partnerships in the Global Exploration Roadmap lunar surface scenario
Pr Ian Crawford, Professor of Planetary Science and Astrobiology, Birkbeck, University of London
Humans-robots collaboration in delivering clean energy from space to Earth
Dr Giorgio Musso, Program Manager for Advanced Exploration Programs, Thales Alenia Space
Dr Sanjay Vijendran, ESA’s Lead for SOLARIS
Multi-modal telerobotic technology: a synergy in applications in space and on Earth
Dr. Neal Y. Lii, Domain head, Space Robotic Assistance Robotics and Mechatronics Center, German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Questions & answers
About the High-Level Advisory Group report to ESA on Space Exploration
Moderator: H. Ludwig Moeller, Director, European space policy institute (ESPI)
Participants:
Mr Jean-Marc Astorg, Strategy Director, CNES
Mr Walter Cugno, Vice President Exploration and Science Domain, Thales Alenia Space Italia
Mr Wolfgang Dürr, Head of Marketing and Sales Space Exploration, Airbus Defence and Space
Dr Didier Schmitt, Strategy and coordination group leader for robotic and human exploration, ESA
Dr Timo Stuffler,Director of Business Development and Exploration, OHB
Pr Jean-Pierre Bibring, Institute of Space Astrophysics, CNRS, AAE member
Wrap-up of the 7 themes
Moderated by Davide Petrillo, Managing Director, Nanoracks Europe & Former SGAC Executive Director,
and Jean-Jacques Dordain, former Director general of ESA, Conference chairman, AAE
with the participation of the audience
Closing speeches
Intervention of
Pr Guido Saracco, rettore e presidente di Consiglio di Amministrazione, Politecnico di Torino
Mr Jean-Jacques Dordain, AAE member, former Director General ESA
Documents related to the conference:
Conference co- organized by the Air & Space Academy with :
with the sponsorship of :
and the patronage of:
