E1.5. Enabling the Future - Developing the Space Workforce Establishing and Sustaining a Young Professional Programme in an International Space Professional Organization

摘要

As the aging space workforce of the Apollo, Shuttle, and MIR era retires, the risk of losing the legacy of those programs increases. Moreover, the international space community has to rely on younger members of their organizations to represent them at conferences and committees. In recognizing the potential gap in membership or conference participation within the younger members of the space sector, various professional organizations in the space sector have strategically introduced young professional programming to incorporate 18-35 year olds in their activities. These programs aim to provide mentorship opportunities to the younger generation, enable them to join these organizations, and contribute to their activities. Such organisations include the International Astronautical Federation's Young Professional Programme, Space Foundation's NewGen activities, and the Space Generation Advisory Council in Support of the United Nations Programme on Space Applications (SGAC). Similarly, the International Committee on Technical Interchange for Space Mission Operations and Ground Data Systems (also referred to as the SpaceOps organization), was formed in 1990 based on the realization that given the large number of people involved in space mission operations, only started recognizing there was a gap in student and young professional participation in 2014. Since then, the SpaceOps Committee has slowly worked with the host agencies of the SpaceOps conference to establish the necessary infrastructure to include students and young professionals in their bi-annual conference planning in 2014, 2016, and now 2018, ensuring the next generation of space ops professionals are equipped with the knowledge and leadership to continue the organization in years to come. This paper will review some of the student and young professional focused activities in the space community, providing a rationale for their existence. SpaceOps is used as a case study to showcase a successful example. Furth