World Space Week 2020 kicks off today (Oct. 4) and will celebrate how satellites have changed humanity with a variety of online events to appeal to space enthusiasts and young students alike.
The international celebration commemorates how space improves "the human condition", according to the World Space Week website. The events stretch from Oct. 4 – the anniversary of first satellite Sputnik's launch in 1957 – to Oct. 10, the anniversary of the signing of the Outer Space Treaty in 1967 that underlies space law.
Here is a rundown of the some events for World Space Week from the U.N. schedule and Space Unites, a program by the Space Foundation. Please check the links for exact times of the live presentations closer to the date of your event. You can also find more events from around the world here.
Related: World Space Week 2020: Join the UN satellite celebration next week
More: What is a satellite?
All Week
Society for Space Education, Research and Development Program
Tune in here.
You can join a free online program from Oct. 4-10 for students of all ages, which will include lectures, workshops, competitions, and hackathons.
World Space Week Portugal
Details here.
Officials are preparing a book of articles by students and companies on space-related issues.
2020 Workshop on Astronomy for Education
Daily from Oct. 6-9
Register for free.
The International Astronomical Union & Shaw Foundation will hold a workshop aimed at space education. You can read the full agenda here.
Monday, Oct. 5
Small Steps, Giant Leap: STEM Adventures for Little Space Explorers
9:00 am - 10:30 am MDT (11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. EDT/1500-1630 GMT).
Register for free.
This event is part of a monthly program designed by the Space Foundation Discovery Center to engage early learners (students up to the age of kindergarten) in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). It will feature a reading of the book "Mousetronaut" (Simon & Schuster, 2012), by astronaut Mark Kelly. Students will also train like an astronaut using worksheets, pencil and a calculator.
Space4Women: Using Satellites to Improve Lives
5 p.m.-6 p.m. EDT (2100-2200 GMT)
Details here.
Space4Women will hold a webinar discussing the role satellites have in our daily lives. The event will be moderated by filmmaker Jan Millsapps and feature presenters discussing topics ranging from satellites and sustainability to space junk.
Tuesday, Oct. 6
Author reading: 'Space Boy' story time by Dian Curtis Regan
12 p.m. MDT (2 p.m. EDT/1800 GMT)
Register for free here.
Author Dian Curtis Regan will rone of her books from her "Space Boy" trilogy, "Space Boy and the Space Pirate" (2016, Boyds Mill Press.)
Author reading: 'Adventures of Sunkmania Galaxy' by James Collier III
12 p.m. MDT (2 p.m. EDT/1800 GMT)
Register for free.
James Collier III will do a reading of one of his anti-bullying comic books from the series "Sunkmania Galaxy," which he created when he was nine years old.
Virtual Family Star Party
7-7:30 p.m. MDT (9-9:30 p.m. EDT/2300-2330 GMT)
Register for free.
The Space Foundation Discovery Center will host a virtual star party to showcase the moon, Jupiter and Saturn in the night sky. They will also show virtual space images using the facility's Northrop Grumman Science Center’s Science On a Sphere.
Discovery Center Special Exhibit: Drone Soccer
All Day
Register for free.
Until Oct. 17, you will have the chance to learn about "drone soccer" – a new full-contact team sport played with flying quadcopters in protective spheres. The exhibit will also showcase drone technology and give participants the chance to fly a drone themselves. On Oct. 17, the last day, exhibition matches and demonstrations from Drone Soccer USA's top pilots will take place.
Wednesday, Oct. 7
Home Study Program: Technology of Satellites
Begins at 12 a.m. MDT (2 a.m. EDT/0600 GMT)
Register for free.
The Home Study Program will focus on the value of satellite technology. It will include activities such as building your own satellite model, opening a virtual Mars Yard to participants, and performing a scavenger hunt.
Audience with an astronaut: Lt. Col. Duane "Digger" Carey
Time TBD
Video link to come here.
Video will be posted on the World Space Week website featuring an interview with Duane 'Digger' Carey. He was the pilot on STS-109, a 2002 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope that upgraded the facility with a new camera, new solar arrays and a new power unit.
Weather Wednesday
7:30 a.m. MDT (9:30 a.m. EDT/1330 GMT)
This event will go live on the Space Foundation Discovery Center Facebook page at 9:30 a.m. Eastern time (1330 GMT), with details to be announced.
Blastoff
12 p.m. MDT (2 p.m. EDT/1800 GMT)
Register for free.
This is a series that talks about connections between the Earth and space, showcasing some of the artifacts in the Discovery Center's collection.
Future Tech Event: Oman's First Virtual Expo and Summit
Register here.
Space Foundation chief operating officer Shelli Brunswick will be the keynote speaker at this two-day event, discussing "smart technology" and its use across several industries and markets. It will also run on Oct. 8.
Thursday, Oct. 8
Space Cafe Webinar: Moriba's Vox Populi
10 a.m. -11:15 am ET (1400-1515 GMT)
Register for free.
SpaceWatch.Global will host a webinar with Dr. Moriba Jah entitled Anthropogenic Space Objects that will discuss the impact of light pollution on Earth, as well as how space commerce can benefit humanity.
Space Technology Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
11:00 am - 12:00 pm MDT (1-2 p.m. EDT/1500-1600 GMT)
Register for free.
This will celebrate the induction of this year's entrants into the Space Technology Hall of Fame, including Audio Conference Bridge Technology, the Apollo 70 Cardiac Care Monitoring System and the Traveling-Wave Tube Amplifier. The ceremony is scheduled for 1 p.m. EDT (1700 GMT).
Space Week Workshop
12:30-1:30 p.m. EDT (1630 GMT)
Register for free
SMART Edu Club will hold a free one-hour session for kids ages 7 and up to discuss space exploration and science.
International Art Contest
Register for free.
Students can submit their artwork about space. The contest is open to students from age 3 to 18 and should showcase artwork around this year's theme: "How Space Technology Helps Improve Life on Earth."
Friday, Oct. 9
Inside 'The Space Report'
12 p.m. MDT (2 p.m. EDT/1800 GMT)
Register for free.
This will be a discussion of the Space Report, a publication of The Space Foundation's research and analysis team that is published four times a year to give updates on the space economy, launches and other sectors ranging from commercial to education to employment.
Space Unites
4-6 p.m. MDT (6-8 p.m. EDT/2200-0000 GMT)
Register for free.
This will be a live virtual event with several space influencers, who will speak about the importance of STEM education.
Space Symposium 365
Details here.
This event will showcase information about Space Symposium's new subscription-based year-round programming with leaders and executives in space, among other presenters.
Saturday, Oct. 10
Space Foundation Discovery Center 8th Birthday Celebration
10:00 am - 4:00 pm MDT (12-6 p.m. EDT/1600-2000 GMT)
Details here.
This is an-in person event only at the Space Foundation's Discovery Center in Colorado Springs, which will include numerous hands-on activities and events such as building an decorating a CubeSat, and an infrared sensing workshop.
Cool Science Carnival Day
All Day
Register for free
This all-day event will have a variety of STEM activities. The full schedule will be released shortly on the website.
Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.
