ASTRA-CON 2024 takes place Sept. 19-21
Morehead State University will again bring together students, educators, leaders, and innovators in space science to eastern Kentucky.
The second annual Appalachian Space Technology & Research Advancement (ASTRA) Conference, also known as ASTRA-CON, is Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 19-21, at MSU's Space Science Center.
The three-day conference features academic presentations from academic and industry leaders, undergraduate and graduate students, panels, exhibitor booths and more to highlight innovations in aerospace technology and research throughout the region.
"Building on last year's successful conference, we hope to bring another wonderful conference full of talks, exhibits and opportunities to Morehead," said Christo Smith (Class of 2020), ASTRA-CON's co-organizer and an MSU aerospace engineer. "Focusing on the region helps make sure people know two key things: that important and exciting work is happening a lot closer than they think, and, secondly, that a world-class education and opportunity to be a part of it is right here in Appalachia."
Each day of ASTRA-CON will include a keynote address from some of the most impactful figures in the aerospace industry. These include:
- Dr. Randy Lillard (Class of 1998), Orbital Reef program manager for Blue Origin
- Dr. James Kenyon, director of the NASA Glenn Research Center
- Dr. Pete Worden, chairman of the Breakthrough Prize Foundation and former director of NASA Ames Research Center
In addition to exhibits, technical talk sessions and a Moon to Mars Panel, this year's ASTRA-CON will feature a LunarCube Workshop. Here, participants will revisit an idea developed a decade ago called "Moon Shot Moon Bots," a lunar exploration concept based on multi-platform flyover/multi-encounter/rover mobility with commercial off-the-shelf cell phone 'payload' technology of the time. The workshop will include many discussions in small and large groups (depending on the number of participants), looking at proposed solutions and challenges incorporating today's technology.
"This year's ASTRA-CON will have an interesting focus on autonomous deep space operations, a topic that is relevant to the work being performed at NASA and in the private sector toward the return to the Moon and toward our vision for Mars," said Dr. Ben Malphrus, executive director of the Space Science Center. "ASTRA-CON will once again expose our students to our favorite partners in government (NASA), the private aerospace industry (Blue Origin, Intuitive Machines, Rajant and others) and partner universities (West Virginia University's Center for Space Sciences). We are excited about ASTRA-Con 2024."
Learn more about ASTRA-CON by emailing astracon@moreheadstate.edu or calling 606-783-2224.
For more information about Morehead State's Department of Engineering Sciences, contact Interim Chair Dr. Nilesh Joshi at n.joshi@moreheadstate.edu or 606-783-2417.
