In Summer 2019, two U.S. embassies, the U.S. to International Organizations Mission in Vienna (UNVIE) and the U.S. Embassy - Moscow, announced competitions to highlight the U.S. role in past, present, and future space exploration, as the nation celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Apollo mission and NASA prepared to launch the ARTEMIS mission.
UAH’s winning proposal, “Journey through Space and Time: The Past, Present, and Future of Space Exploration,” mapped out a series of activities covering the history and current state of space exploration; providing an in-depth, hands-on experience in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) activities; and, highlighting future space exploration by expanding on the celebration of Apollo 11’s 50th Anniversary and its historical connections to Huntsville and UAH.
In Fall 2019, UAH received awards for the Youth Space Program and the FLARE Young Astronauts Program, from UNVIE and U.S. Embassy - Moscow, respectively. Planning for national competitions with consular partners in Brazil, India, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, and Senegal, as well as Russia, is underway.
In Spring 2020, finalists for both programs were announced, and planning for the summer events in Huntsville was well underway. In March 2020, planning was put on hold. In May 2020, planning was halted indefinitely, as the world rushed to respond to the rapidly changing conditions created by the spread of Covid-19 on the global stage.
Fall 2020. Wait-and-see continues, with periodic check-ins to determine emerging conditions with our partner agencies and in the finalists’ countries of origin.
Spring 2021. Vaccines begin to roll out and tentative planning for Summer 2021 begins. Global conditions remain unstable, and variables including travel restrictions at the national and local levels impact options for participants in specific countries. Truncated experience planned for UNVIE participants, to attend Advanced Space Academy in September 2021.
Planning shifts to virtual options, and participants join live sessions across the summer months.
Fall 2021
- Virtual Symposium planning begins.
- Surges in Delta variant force postponement of September trip to U.S.
- Participants begin to draft their symposium sessions for February 2022.