The International Space Development Conference (ISDC) is coming to Los Angeles May 23-26. The conference, organized by the National Space Society, aims to bring together professionals, students and people who are just interested in learning more about space.

Madhu Thangavelu, a space architect and lecturer at the Viterbi School of Engineering at USC, will be the session chair for a session on May 26 about the Moon. As a space architect, he is focused on technological advancements that could further space exploration in the future.

“We bring together systems that help humans be safe and productive in the space or extra-terrestrial [spaces],” Thangavelu says. “In the long run, we expect to populate humans in extra-terrestrial places like Mars, the satellites of Jupiter and so on. So that is what I do.”

Other sessions at the conference will cover interplanetary infrastructure, living in space, investments in space ventures, Mars, and new ideas about space infrastructure and exploration. Featured speakers will include former NASA astronauts as well as CEOs and other leaders in the space industry. The conference is also designed to maximize interactions and networking so space aficionados can get to know each other and what is happening in the industry.

The diversity of the topics that will be covered will make the conference appealing to many people passionate about the subject, from the technical to the non-technical side of space conversation.

“Many of us are trained in numbers,” Thangavelu says. “But there is a part of the space community who think beyond numbers and they think about the feelings associated with going into space and doing things — not just for the highly-trained, but for the people who really enjoy the thrill and the excitement.”

The day before the ISDC, another conference called the Space Tourism Conference will take place in Los Angeles. This conference intends to bring various industries, from design to marketing and entertainment, together to discuss space tourism. Thangavelu says that this conference will serve as a great precursor to the ISDC.

“The International Space Development Conference is more about the culture and mystique that surrounds space activities, with humans in the middle of it,” he says.

Thangavelu hopes that the ISDC will bring together scientists, artists, craftsmen and other space enthusiasts intrigued by the idea of what humans could accomplish in outer space. He points to the recent eclipse as an example of how space can bring people together. The ISDC will be yet another opportunity to get people excited about the potential that lies in outer space.

“It’s a place to really get immersed in the space culture,” Thangavelu says.

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