The Outer Space Institute at UBC to Hold its First Conference

The Outer Space Institute (OSI) at the University of British Columbia (UBC) will hold its first conference, Outer Space 2018: Science, Law, and Policy, on November 16.

The co-directors of the Institute are Aaron Boley, Canada Research Chair in Planetary Astronomy, an expert in planet formation and dynamics, and Michael Byers, Canada Research Chair in Global Politics, who studies the interplay of international law and international relations.

The conference will take place on the UBC campus in the newly renovated Sage building. Registration is free and ongoing.

The conference schedule is available and covers several themes that the Institute intends to build on. They are Space Debris, Space Mining, Space Colonization and Canadian Space Policy.

In looking over the speaker list it’s safe to say the Institute is off to a good start inviting prominent people within the community.

Conference schedule

11:00 AM – 12:15 AM. Space Debris
- Moderator:
  - David Kendall (former Chair of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space)
- Discussants:
  Moriba K. Jah (University of Texas, Austin)
  James Clay Moltz (US Naval Graduate School)
  Jennifer Busler (MDA/Maxar)
12:15 PM – 1:00 PM: Lunch
1:00 PM – 2:15 PM: Space Mining
- Moderator:
  - Aaron Boley (UBC)
- Discussants:
  Sara Russell (Natural History Museum, London, UK — by Skype)
  Timiebi Aganaba-Jeanty (Arizona State University)
  Catherine Johnson (UBC)
2:15 PM – 3:30 PM: Space Colonization
- Moderator:
  - Michael Byers (UBC)
- Discussants:
  Tanay Harrison (Arizona State University)
  Jeffery C. Chancellor (Texas A&M University)
  David Beers (UBC)
3:30 PM – 3:45 PM: Coffee/Tea
3:45 PM – 5:00 PM: Canadian Space Policy
- Moderator:
  - Ryder McKeown (University of Toronto and the DND)
- Discussants:
  Mac Evans (former President of the Canadian Space Agency)
  Marie Lucy Stojak (Chair of the Space Advisory Board — by Skype)
  Paul Meyer (SFU, former Canadian ambassador for disarmament)