[Lunex Press Release - 23.10.2008]
The Lunar Explorers Society (Lunex) and ILEWG are organizing this year’s Young Lunar Explorers (YLE) event together with the department of Physics & Space Sciences at Florida Institute of Technology (FIT), which will be held in conjunction with the LEAG-ICEUM-SRR conference at Cape Canaveral.

On Sunday October 26th at 10 pm in the FIT observatory there will be a night sky viewing. The observatory boasts the largest telescope in Florida, and there will be an opportunity to look at both the Moon and other objects of interest in the sky. Everyone is welcome.

On Monday October 27th at 10 am we invite you to attend lectures from both world renowned lunar experts and students who successfully are carving their own path towards the Moon. The lectures will cover topics such as private and governmental lunar exploration, the Google Lunar X PRIZE, and commercial opportunities related to the Moon. Graduate students currently working on lunar projects will discuss opportunities for the next generation of space professionals. The speakers and other lunar experts will be available for group discussion and to answer individual questions. The outcome of the discussions will be included in the YLE part of the LEAG-ICEUM-SRR conference declaration.

A RSVP for both events would be appreciated (but is not required). Please contact events@lunarexplorers.net.

Venue:
Olin Physical Sciences Building, Department of Physics & Space Sciences, Florida Institute of Technology
Sunday’s event: FIT Observatory, 10 pm
Monday’s event: 4th floor classroom, 10 am

Address:
FIT, Olin Physical Sciences building
University Boulevard
Melbourne, FL 32901

Directions:
http://cos.fit.edu/pss/overview.html

Speakers:

Bernard Foing is chief scientist at the European Space Agency (ESA) and the “father” of SMART-1, the highly successful European moon exploration spacecraft. Bernard is the Executive Director of the International Lunar Exploration Working Group (ILEWG) and is a founding member of the Lunar Explorers Society. Bernard is one of the driving forces in European lunar exploration.

Bob Richards is the Founder and CEO of Odyssey Moon Limited. He is also the Director of Space Technology at Optech Incorporated of Canada. A Founder of the International Space University, SEDS, and the Space Generation Foundation, Bob is a strong advocate of the NewSpace movement. In 2005 Bob received a Doctorate of Space Achievement (honoris causa) from the International Space University.

Marianne Mader is a PhD student at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. She has two Master’s degrees, from the International Space University in Strasbourg, France and from Memorial University in Newfoundland, Canada. She is co-organizing the Canadian Space Summit this year, and is also actively involved in the annual Yuri’s Night event.

Robert Kelso is the Manager of Lunar Commercial Space Development in the Commercial Crew & Cargo Program at the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA - Johnson Space Center. Before that he served as a flight controller for 21 years, starting with STS-1. He participated in 25 shuttle missions, 7 as lead flight director.

Arthur Guest is a PhD student at MIT and part of the winning team of the RASC-AL competition in 2008. Arthur also holds a Masters degree from the International Space University. He was a crew member at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in 2008.

Philip Marcus Cunio has recently received his SM in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT, and is continuing his studies in the same field. He also holds bachelor's degrees in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, and German from the University of Florida, from which he graduated in 2006. He was a crew member at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in 2008.

Will Pomerantz is the director of space projects at the X Prize, and senior director of the Google Lunar X Prize. He holds a Masters degree from the International Space University, and a MA from Harvard. Will is also the co-founder of the spacealumni.com website.

Trond Krovel is working as an AOCS engineer at EADS Astrium in Germany and is part if the executive committee of the Lunar Explorers Society. He has two Master’s degrees, from the International Space University in Strasbourg, France, and NTNU, Trondheim, Norway. He was the President of the Student Space Exploration and Technology Initiative (SSETI) association and a member of the European Student Moon Orbiter team.

YLE Event Organizing Committee:

Michael Vergalla (FIT)
Marianne Mader (Carleton)
Trond Krovel (Lunex)
Anna Grinberg (Lunex)
Bernard Foing (ESA, ILEWG)
Stephane Vennes (FIT)
Terry Oswalt (FIT)