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Per Aspera Ad Astra*

A brief history of the Austrian Space Forum

Origin and main idea

The idea to found a forum as a communication platform between space enthusiasts, experts and the next generation of space professionals was formed in 1997 as part of the International Astronautically Federation conference in Turin. At that time, Werner Balogh, Norbert Frischauf and Gernot Grömer joined forces to contribute in the Austrian space business.

Motivated by the success of the activities of the Space Generation Forum during the UNISPACE III conference in Vienna in July 1999, the idea was born, with the help of other space enthusiasts (M. Biack, grave J. Hofer, A. Lentsch, G. Lientschnig, G. Weinwurm), to offer an infrastructure to support the individual initiatives to found the Austrian Space Forum as an association.

A key guiding principle was that in spite of increased activities in the space sector, on the one hand an improvement in communication between politics, science and industry was evident, but on the other hand also a gap between established organizations and the young.



The first steps

The activities as an independent organization began with two evening lectures in 1998 and 1999, which were attended by representatives of national and international organizations. The events on the subject "goals, programs, national priorities - the future of the Austrian space activities" and "technology transfer" were appreciated by the Austrian people, who are interested in space and were continued in other topics during the following years. (For example to satellite navigation, to lunar science, or space transportation).

2001 the ASF began to extend its activities from small projects to technical seminars and school talks. An excerpt from the most successful events, see .



Where is the forum today?

Meanwhile, the ASF has got a small but active pool of members in Austria, and also in the Netherlands, who contribute to aerospace - mostly in close cooperation with other space organizations. The team members are recruited from all sectors of the space industry, such as research institutes, space agencies and industry.

The spectrum of activities is ranging from simple keynote speeches in classrooms to 10,000 visitors-events with “future technologies at the mall” as a topic; from course guidance to water rocket- DIY during the Europe’s largest outdoor festival; from the expert accountant's opinion for the Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology to the conversion of space technologies for terrestrial applications.

* = „* "On a rough road to the stars!”, motto of many aerospace organizations. The sentence was said by the Roman philosopher Lucius Annaeus Seneca (4 BC. - 65 AD). Ascribed and probably based on the ancient piece of "The Raging Hercules" (verse 437): "Non est ad astra e terris via mollis. ("The path from earth to the stars is not even.")		 Pierre Brisson
Dr. Pierre Brisson, Head of ESA's Technology Transfer Programme, during the ASF evening lecture on technology transfer, 1999.


Dr. Klaus Pseiner Managing Director, Austrian Research Promotion Agency, during the Opening Statement about the aim of the National Space Programme, 1998.

Bernard Foing
Dr. Bernard Foing ESA's Head of Research Division/ Space Science, during a speech about lunar science, 2000.

John Connolly
Dr. John Connolly Johnson Space Center, NASA during an ASF evening lecture, 2001.
 

PolAres Schedule Update

27. April - 01 May 2012: Field test Austria

After Rio Tinto in April 2011 this will be the first field test after upgrading the Aouda.X space suit simulator. Proposed location: Dachstein cave systems (upper Austria)