-
An Undergraduate and Graduate Research Project
Thu, Sep 12, 2024 @ 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM
Astronautical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. James Wertz, Adjunct Professor
Talk Title: Creating an International Lunar University and Living and Working on the Moon in the Near Term
Abstract: The NASA RASC-AL (Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts – Academic Linkage) student competitionhas a topic this year in “Sustained Lunar Evolution” that fits very well with the spring, 2025 ASTE 523course in “Near-Term Lunar Colonies.” The competition is open to a university group with undergraduateand graduate students. Unfortunately, there is no monetary award, but we will use the project as asubstitute for the course final exam. (You don’t have to take the course to join the competition group.) Recent research suggests that we should be able to create a profitable, income-generating lunarsettlement and an international lunar university that would allow graduate students, faculty,entrepreneurs, and tourists to live, work, and vacation on the Moon in the next 5 to 10 years at moderatecost. There is a catch, however. This needs to be a commercial activity – selling products, vacations, realestate, sponsored research, and other commercial elements and activities and making a rather largeprofit. Of course, that profit comes in part from advertising on the Earth for the product or informationthat you are developing on the Moon. Unfortunately, traditional astronautics professionals know zero (orless) about marketing and commercial activity. We’re offering this seminar (and introduction to the spring semester course at USC) for undergraduateand graduate students and faculty in any area (even astronautics) to get your input, ideas, and wisdom onhow to do this and to see if you would be interested in working on USC’s NASA RASC-AL StudentCompetition for Sustained Lunar Colonization. It will take a range of skills to achieve this – marketing, business, legal, science, architecture, engineeringand quite a few more. Come join us to discuss how this could work for your students, your colleagues, oryou. There is literally a new world available to us. Any questions? Send them to jwertz@smad.com.
Biography: Dr. Wertz is an Adjunct Professor at USC and the President of Microcosm. Hisexpertise ranges from topics such as space mission engineering, low-cost spaceand launch systems, autonomous navigation and orbit control, satellite orbit andattitude systems, and low-cost lunar missions.
Host: Dr. James Wertz
Webcast: https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/usc.zoom.us/j/95576853605?pwd=kYw0tmdC73IaHlqWz4aaZkk1vfC4rD.1__;!!LIr3w8kk_Xxm!p47bYWU0GvqWj_jVloaECYBw-5nM45NiS3hO97qdHfGQ9P4wLvCtAGxEzlAp6FZdvJwqfU8N-RezPA$More Information: USC Lunar Seminar V4 9-12-24.pdf
Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 306
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Shanya Olivares
