From 8th June to 3rd August 2024, Houston (USA) the Space City, will welcome more than 120 space professionals from 30 different nationalities with mixed backgrounds, to attend an extensive eight-week program dedicated to space. The International Space University’s Space Studies Program (SSP) will gather graduate students and professionals on the campus of RICE, and visit aerospace, medical and technology development centers in Houston, including NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
Through NASA’s partnership with Rice, SSP participants will visit NASA Johnson, the hub of NASA’s human spaceflight activities pioneering the future in space exploration, scientific discovery, and aeronautics research. SSP24 attendees will have the privilege of engaging with NASA experts, touring mission control centers, and gaining insights into current and future space missions.
ISU President, Prof Nicolas Peter, says:
“The Space Studies Program has been a unique professional development program for 36 years. It brings together more than 400 space professionals from around the world between participants, lecturers and experts. It allows us to learn about the latest developments in the space sector and strengthen space networks. We are happy to go back to Houston for a second SSP with the last one being held there in 1997. The collaboration with RICE University will allow us to have an unprecedented educational experience for the SSP24 participants.”
David Alexander, director of the Rice Space Institute and a professor of physics and astronomy says:
“We can’t forget that ‘Houston’ was the first word to be broadcast from the surface of the moon, and that Rice was where President John F. Kennedy delivered his famous speech urging us to reach for ‘the unknown and the unanswered and the unfinished’ beyond our planet’s familiar orbit,” Alexander said. “Hosting this important International Space University program at Rice will enhance global space exploration efforts by fostering collaboration and forging new partnerships.”
Few places on Earth symbolize both the history of human space flight and the exciting transition to new missions such as Houston, Texas. ISU is thrilled to collaborate with RICE University to help a new generation of space pioneers with the voyage ahead.
Participants will learn from world-class experts, go on field trips including guided tours of NASA facilities, collaborate on group projects that tackle real-world space challenges through team projects, and have extensive networking opportunities, and cultural exchanges with the global space community.
SSP24 will certainly be memorable both for its location and for the quality of the academic experience!
More info about ISU’s SSP
ISU provides an interdisciplinary education in the context of an intercultural and international environment to support the development of future leaders in the world space community. The SSP offers since 1988 its participants a unique and comprehensive education covering all aspects of space programs and enterprises including space physical sciences, space systems engineering, policy and law, business and management, space and society, satellite applications, and space life sciences and human spaceflight.
SSP24 website – ssp24.isunet.edu
RICE website – www.rice.edu
ISU website – www.isunet.edu
