During the Space Age, the United States sent astronauts to the lunar surface six times, exploring a tiny fraction of its equatorial regions. Before and since that time, a handful of robotic explorers have expanded these investigations incrementally. Lunar orbiters have mapped the entirety of the lunar surface in the past few decades … yet this closest of Earth’s neighbors remains just out of reach for habitation and exploitation. But this situation is at a crossroads, with the spacefaring powers of Earth, and many private companies in the U.S. and abroad, poised to reach the Moon within the decade. How will we best explore, prospect, and settle our natural satellite? The Moon session at ISDC will bring together some of our finest thinkers to explore the subject in depth.
Moon Symposium
Session Chair Info
Madhu Thangavelu
Dept of Astronautical Engineering, Viterbi School
Madhu Thangavelu conducts the ASTE527 graduate Space Exploration Architectures Concept Synthesis Studio in the Department of Astronautical Engineering within the Viterbi School of Engineering, and he is also a graduate thesis adviser in the School of Architecture at USC. He holds degrees in both engineering and architecture and has contributed extensively to concepts in space architecture, especially dealing with extraterrestrial development. He is the author or co-author of over 70 Read More
Zaheer Ali
Space Paladin, Director of the Space MBA Program, University of Central Florida
Zaheer Ali is a physicist, technologist, and educator working at the intersection of AI, quantum, and space systems. He is Space Paladin, Director of the Space MBA program at the University of Central Florida. In addition, he is a partner at Space Outcomes LLC, NewSpace Finance, and co-founder of Positon Inc., he has held leadership roles at NASA, the U.S. Department of Energy, Hewlett Packard, and multiple startups. He has Read More
Moon Symposium
Session Speakers Info
Caitlin Ahrens
Assistant Research Scientist, NASA GSFC/UMD
Dr. Caitlin Ahrens is an assistant research scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and the University of Maryland. She is a member of the Diviner Science Team with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and the American Society of Civil Engineers Aerospace Division working on lunar architecture and construction. She serves as a technical support scientist to assist in risk assessments of lunar surface activity. Dr. Ahrens is PI on lunar Read More
Nick Kanas
Professor Emeritus (Psychiatry), University of California, San Francisco
Nick Kanas is a Professor Emeritus at the University of California, San Francisco. Since 1969, he has conducted research, taught, and written about psychological and interpersonal issues affecting people working in space. For over 15 years, he was an NSBRI- and NASA-funded Principal Investigator doing psychological research with astronauts and cosmonauts on the Mir and International Space Stations and during several space simulation missions. He received the 1999 Aerospace Medical Read More
Ajay Kothari
President, Astrox Corp
Dr. Ajay Kothari is President and Founder of Astrox Corporation, an Aerospace R&D company located in suburban Washington DC. His PhD and MS in Aerospace Engineering are from University of Maryland and BSc and Jr MSc in physics from Bombay University. He has been Principal Investigator on more than 30 contracts from DOD, DARPA and NASA, focused on rocket and hypersonic vehicle designs which have led to an innovative hypersonic Read More
Ayse Oren
Architect, DesignArt
Ayşe Ören is an architect and space architecture researcher focused on lunar habitats, human-centered design, and in-situ resource utilization systems. She is the creator of the MoonArch project, a modular regolith-based habitat concept for sustainable lunar settlement. Her work explores the integration of engineering constraints with cultural and psychological aspects of long-duration space living. Read More
John Parks
Founder & Ecologist, ExoScientific
John Emory Parks is the Founder and Ecologist of ExoScientific LLC, developing biologically integrated “bioware” systems and closed-loop ecological solutions to enable sustainable human settlement on the Moon and Mars. With more than 30 years of experience in marine science, coral reef ecology, and international development in remote environments, his current work focuses on coral reef propagation as foundational technology for oxygen production, supplemental nutrition, adaptive radiation shielding, and future Read More
Luis Torres
Founder & CEO, Torres Orbital Mining Inc
Luis Torres is the Founder and CEO of Torres Orbital Mining Inc. He brings more than a decade of experience in terrestrial mining, with work spanning heavy metals and aggregates across international operations. His background includes field execution, equipment deployment, and project development in dust-intensive, safety-critical mining environments. He has been recognized by the Moon Village Association as Lunar Game Changer for contributions to sustainable lunar surface systems and serves Read More