Upon completion of the course series, the attendee should:
Understand the complexity of cislunar space, both on a technical level and regulatory level
Be able to identify the current gaps in technology and policy
Gain an appreciation of a collaborative and cooperative approach to solving the challenges of cislunar
Understand the complexity of geodesy and geophysics to accurately map the Moon
Perceive the significance of space weather on Earth and how it extends to lunar and cislunar missions.
Understand the complex legal framework surrounding space, and in particular, the cislunar region.
AUDIENCE
This course is intended for students and professionals seeking to understand select challenges of the new space era and what the return to the Moon truly entails. The course is particularly suited to those in the broader aerospace community having limited familiarity with cislunar space and the new commercial space sector.

MATERIALS: All course slides will be available for immediate download. Stream the 10 hours of video recordings anytime, 24/7. No part of these materials may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted, unless for course participants. All rights reserved.

CERTIFICATE: Receive an AIAA Course Completion Certificate upon viewing all course recordings. Please contact Lisa Le for a certificate.
COURSE FEES (Sign-In To Register)
- AIAA Member Price: $695 USD
- Non-Member Price: $895 USD
- AIAA Student Member Price: $395 USD
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OUTLINE
1 & 2. Cislunar Challenges Overview (Dr. Gabrielle Hedrick)
Introduction and Definitions
Launching to the Moon
Launch Constraints
Launch Window Opportunities
Orbital Debris and Risk/Consequence to Missions
Launch Collision Avoidance Analysis
Traffic in Cislunar Space
Introduction
Cislunar Space Sensing Challenges
Current Efforts
At the Moon: Lunar Resources
Scientific Context
The Artemis Plan
Recommendations
Other Challenges (high-level overview)
Space Weather
Space Health
Law Enforcement
Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center/AIAA
3. Mapping the Moon for Improved Lunar Navigation: A Geodesy and Geophysics Perspective (Joseph Durkin)
How measurements are influenced by the Moon Interior
Active Geophysical and Surface Processes
4. Space Weather and the Missions to the Moon (Michael Cook)
Intro to Space Weather
Where are we in Solar Cycle 25?
Space Weather Impacts
Moon
Artemis
Mars
NASA Moon to Mars office
5. Legal Considerations in Cislunar Space (Christopher Johnson)
Sources of space law
Logic of law (permissions, obligations, licenses, and prohibitions)
Permissions on the Moon
Obligations on the Moon
Licenses on the Moon
Prohibitions on the Moon
Scenario 1 – Commercial and scientific activity
Scenario 2 – Security and enforcement on the Moon
Future of lunar governance (international and national norm building)

INSTRUCTORS

Dr. Gabrielle Hedrick is an Aerospace Engineer at the MITRE Corporation where she focuses her research on space exploration, to include cislunar space and human space flight. She has a master’s degree in mining engineering, for which she spent a year mining gold in the Amazon Rainforest, a master’s degree in Planetary Sciences, focused on long-term planning for the NASA Mars rover Opportunity, and a PhD in Aerospace Engineering with a dissertation centered around terrain-aware path planning for the NASA Mars Sample Return rover. She is also an Emergency Medical Technician, Hazardous Material Operator, and Firefighter in the state of West Virginia.

W. Joseph Durkin IV is a solid Earth geophysicist with a background in remote sensing and applied geodesy. During his PhD at Cornell University 2015-2019, his research focused on using optical and SAR satellite imagery to track the kinematic and mass changes of Arctic glaciers and icefields and on using load-induced ground deformation to study the properties of the Earth’s upper mantle. Joe was awarded a Byrd Postdoctoral Fellow at Ohio State University between 2019-2021, where he researched the use of the Earth's deformation field measured with GNSS to track the mass changes of Antarctica’s glaciers and centers of major ice loss. Joe has worked at MITRE since 2021 where his research focuses on applied geodesy within the Position Navigation and Timing division.


Michael Cook is currently a Space Weather Lead at MITRE. His career started as a Lead Space Weather Forecaster for the DoD Space Weather Operations Center at Offutt AFB. Before joining MITRE, he was a Research Scientist with the Space Radiation Analysis Group at NASA Johnson Space Center. He is passionate about communicating Space Weather and why it is relevant in our modern society.

Mr. Christopher Johnson is the Director of Legal Affairs and Space Law at the Secure World Foundation, and an Adjunct Professor of Law at the Georgetown University Law Center, where he co-teaches the Space Law Seminar. Mr. Johnson is also a Field Editor at the Journal of Space Safety Engineering, on the Board of Editors of the journal Air and Space Law, and serves on the US Board of Directors of the Space Generation Advisory Council. He has just begun a PhD program at Leiden University’s International Institute of Air and Space Law, writing a monograph on the international legal order for the Moon. Mr. Johnson has written widely on space law and policy issues, and represents the Secure World Foundation at the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).

CLASSROOM HOURS / CEUs: 10 classroom hours / 1.0 CEU/PDH

CONTACT: Please contact Lisa Le or Customer Service if you have any questions about the course or discount for groups of 5+.
Frequently Asked Questions