The 59th International Astronautical Congress took place between 29 September and 3 October 2008 in Glasgow, Scotland.

 

IAC 2008 was organised by the British Interplanetary Society (BIS), which was founded in 1933 and is the world's longest-established organisation devoted solely to supporting and promoting the exploration of space and astronautics.

 

The venue for the IAC 2008 was the state-of-the-art Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre and the Crowne Plaza Hotel, situated on the banks of the River Clyde.

 

Immediately preceeded by the UN/IAF Workshop, IAC 2008 provided an international focus for the global space industry, academic researchers and students worldwide through the presentation of the latest ideas, current activities and future ambitions across a diverse range of space-related topics.

 

The theme for the 2008 IAC congress was: "From imagination to reality."

 

 

 

• Full Calendar of Meetings

 

 

 

 

Plenaries

Starting with the Heads of Agency Plenary , the Plenary programme was extremely rich and diverse in 2008.

Click the link for the relevant Plenary to see reports and videos.

 

 

• Heads of Agency Plenary
• Plenary When industry meets agencies
• Plenary Real Space, Real Law, Real Progress
• Plenary Monitoring climate change - a European space contribution
• Plenary Space technology supporting management of natural hazards
• Plenary Space-based contributions to GEOSS
• Plenary The ISS - benefiting exploration and research
• Plenary Lunar and planetary missions - science and exploration
• Plenary The Moon and Mars - the next destination for humans

• Open Plenary Space Travel and Science Fiction

 

 

Highlight Lectures

Highlight Lectures feature subjects of interest to the space community as a whole.

Click the link for the relevant Highlight Lecture to see reports and videos.

 

• Highlight Lecture Celebrating the tenth anniversary of the ISS
• Highlight Lecture Small Satellites; Low cost access to space
• Highlight Lecture The dynamics of climate change
• Highlight Lecture Space exploration beyond the vision

• Highlight Lecture Fusion, antimatter & the space drive - charting a path to the stars

 

Late Breaking News

On the mornings of Tuesday, Thursday and Friday speakers delivered short 25 minute presentations on recent developments of broad interest to the space community.

 

 

Late Breaking News Tuesday Virgin Galactic

Late Breaking News Thursday Chinese manned missions

Late Breaking News Friday Phoenix

 

 

Technical Activities

"From the Imagination to Reality". This theme of the 59th IAC congress in Glasgow reflected an important goal for today's activities in space.

Read more...

 

 

Exhibition

Our exhibition allowed space industry to network, meet new clients and show off new products.

 

 

 

Calendar of meetings

The full schedule, outlined above, is available as a spreadsheet.

 

The second announcement is available as a PDF

 

Other events

Alongside the IAC there is Academy Day, the Young Professionals programme and student programmes, the UN/IAF Workshop, the 17th Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition and Less Remote, an arts and humanities symposium.

 

Practical and further information

 

• IAC 2008 dedicated site
• IAC Media Centre
• Young Professionals Programme

 

 

Ian Pearson, UK Science and Innovation Minister, offers a message of support for IAC 2008. Click on the video to hear...

 

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Images: Sam Maynard and IAF