From February 16-18, International Space University (ISU) in collaboration with NASA will welcome more than 150 space experts from various space agencies, industries and academia at the occasion of its 14th Annual Symposium entitled “The Public Face of Space” in Strasbourg.

Each academic year, ISU organizes a three-day symposium as an interdisciplinary, international forum to help both the users and the providers of space-related systems to move forward from the discussion of problems to the formulation of innovative solutions.

ISU’s 14th Annual Symposium will address space education and outreach in a very broad way. Education should be seen here as developing the full human potential of the broader population, not just attracting young people into studying mathematics and science for the nation's technical and economic benefit. In the symposium program ISU also include considerations of outreach, public awareness and expectations, as well as workforce development and capacity building, all with the goal of producing recommendations for ways forward towards a sustainable space program. The manner in which we handle the promotion of space activities, and education and public outreach can do much to enhance the ‘sustainability’ of exploration and the long-term investments in space endeavors. Potential economic benefits from space commerce as well as benefits from space environmental studies are therefore important elements that also fit well within this symposium addressing the ‘Public Face of Space’.

During this 3-day event, participants and students of ISU will have the great honor to see for its first reveal at ISU, the Excalibur Almaz Reusable Return Vehicle (Almaz RVV). This vehicle has a remarkable history and pedigree. Developed by Vladimir Chelomei in Soviet-era Russia, the Almaz RVV went through nine flight tests beginning in the mid 1970s. Two capsules were flown to Low Earth Orbit several times, thus demonstrating the important feature of reusability as its title denotes. Designed to carry a crew of up to three or a combination of crew and cargo, the Almaz RVV was also constructed for ground or water landing. The Almaz RVV currently on display at ISU is for educational use through a loan by Excalibur Almaz Limited. The security of the capsule is sponsored by ADT/Tyco.