Hi. I’m Ben Smith and this is a summary of my International Space Development Conference (ISDC) 2019 experience.
Sunday, June 9
Morning Plenary
Keynote Speaker: “Space 2.0: Into a New Space Age”
- Panelists:
- Greg Autry (Vice President for Space Development, National Space Society)
- Bruce Pittman (Senior Vice President and Senior Operating Officer, National Space Society)
- Dr. Allison Zuniga (NASA Ames Research Center).
- Moderator: Rod Pyle, Space Author, Journalist, Historian and Editor-in-Chief, Ad Astra Magazine, National Space Society
- Good panel but I didn’t take notes.
Morning Track – Moon
- Moon Village Association Progress Report – Projects and Programs Update. John C. Mankins (Moon Village Association)
- NSS is the North American representative of MVA.
- They sound impressive but I joined and I can’t find any recent activity besides presenting at conferences.
- The Economic Value of Lunar Settlement and Construction. Daniel Inocente (Skidmore Owings Merrill) and Brad Blair (NewSpace Analytics)
- Their base design is interesting but impractical (in my opinion).
- Seemed more like marketing for their architectural firm.
- Establishing a Roadmap for the International Lunar Decade. Jim Crisafulli (National Space Society)
- No notes. May have been skipped.
- Man on the Moon: Health and Physiology in Partial Gravity. Dr. Joan Vernikos (Third Age LLC) and Dr. Adarsh Deepak (Taksha Institute)
- People age faster is micro-gravity.
- x10 faster (that doesn’t sound right)
- Less stimulation of cells.
- No signs of adaptation to micro-gravity in 6-12 months.
- Exercise is not sufficient.
- We don’t know the results of micro-gravity without constant exercise over time.
- All studies so far have included significant exercising.
- Circadian rhythms are also a problem.
- Lunar dust is the biggest threat.
- Human-powered centrifuge might be a solution.
- People age faster is micro-gravity.
- Lunar Space Elevator Michael Laine (Liftport Group)
- No notes. I think it was skipped.
- The Remnant Project: Building a Self-Sustainable Habitat for Long-Term Human Missions to Moon. Roberto Rodriguez (InstarZ LLC)
- Skipped.
- NSS Student Space Settlement Contest Presentation
- No notes.
- Space Architecture: Options for Moon Settlements. Ayse Oren (Architect)
- No notes.
- Moon Village Association Working Discussion: MVA Catalyst Role for 2024 Return to the Moon – Establishing a Roadmap for the International Lunar Decade. John C. Mankins (Moon Village Association), Madhu Thangavelu (University of Southern California), Jim Crisafulli (National Space Society), Al Anzaldua (National Space Society)
- No notes.
Morning tracks not attended
- Many Roads to Space
- Space Settlement
Lunch
Lunch again with Keith and Dana. It was great meeting you both!
Afternoon Track – Earth Independence
- Artificial Gravity & Producing Habitats. Art Harman (Coalition to Save Manned Space Exploration)
- Gravitron – horizontal centrifuge for long duration Lunar settlements
- How Food Will be Grown? Bryce Meyer (St. Louis Space Frontier)
- 8-person colony
- Hydroponic gardens
- 1 year stand up time
- Bioreactor/photo-bioreactor/algae reactor/yeast reactor
- Hydroponics with substrates are more efficient than without
- Movement of gas/liquids are the #1 energy consumer
- Unusable cellulose = trapped CO2
- Fish/shrimp/bugs are efficient protein (feed to growth ratio)
- Chickens for eggs is good also
- Potatoes / squash = high efficiency
- Potatoes / barley / wheat = high calorie density
- Potatoes / radishes / wheat = efficient carbs
- Inedible plant mass > worms/insects >chicken, fish, human food
- Food production ≈ 10-100 kw and 45 m2 per person
- Meat, Nutritional Needs, & Culinary Arts. Chris Wolfe (The Space Development Network)
- Some of the note above probably belong here.
- ISRU Production of Power Systems & Electronics. Dr. Alex Ignatiev (Lunar Resources, Inc.)
- Working on using regolith to print thin film solar cells.
- Scalable
- Deliver to multiple locations
- Redundant systems
- Low weight / low cost
- Working on using regolith to print thin film solar cells.
- Children, Families, & Population Growth. Dr. Alexander Layendecker (The Space Development Network)
- Mixed gender crews perform better (NASA study)
- The Moon-Mars Analogue Base. Christian Meza (Tucson L5 Space Society)
- No notes.
- ROUNDTABLE – How Can We Make Progress? Dr. Doug Plata (The Space Development Network
- I had to leave so I didn’t catch much of this.
Afternoon tracks not attended
- Many Roads to Space
- Moon (sorry Peter!)
Evening
Left to visit with my parents for a few days before heading home. The movie (that I skipped) was “Searching for Skylab”.
Final thoughts
ISDC 2019 was educational and fun. I’m glad I went. I’m not sure I would go back unless I was speaking.
Random photos
These photos were taken by Dana Carson at ISDC 2019.