Stephen Fleming presents "The Life, Death and Afterlife of the International Space Station." The International Space Station (ISS) has been continuously inhabited since November 2000. Fifteen nations contributed to constructing the $100 billion platform. The aging modules and cost of maintenance have led NASA to plan the station’s retirement in 2030. What will happen to it, and are there any alternatives? And with Artemis returning to the Moon and Elon Musk going to Mars, what comes next for space stations in low Earth orbit?

Guest of Honor Brunch Banquet / Guest of Honor Speeches

Interstellar Research Group (IRG) (Formerly TVIW) will provide a discussion of their past activities and upcoming symposia in Texas and Luxembourg during their yearly update. Stephen Euin Cobb moderates.

Come out for a cup of coffee with the pros!

Stephen Fleming presents "The Case for (Human) Life on Mars." Robert Zubrin has been promoting Mars colonization for decades.  In his latest book, he updates the technologies involved, but also goes deep into the cultural and political impacts that Mars colonies would have on Earth. This presentation summarizes Zubrin’s ideas about manifest destiny on the Red Planet, followed by audience discussion.