The Association of Space Explorers is a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

with a membership composed of people who have completed at least one

Earth orbit Earth orbits the Sun at an average distance of 149.60 million km (92.96 million mi) in a counterclockwise direction as viewed from above the Northern Hemisphere. One complete orbit takes days (1 sidereal year), during which time E ...

in space (above , as defined by the

Fédération Aéronautique Internationale The (; FAI; en, World Air Sports Federation) is the world governing body for air sports, and also stewards definitions regarding human spaceflight. It was founded on 14 October 1905, and is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. It maintain ...

. It was founded in 1985, and its current membership stands at over 400 from 37 different countries. The organization provides a forum for the promotion of

space exploration Space exploration is the use of astronomy and space technology to explore outer space. While the exploration of space is carried out mainly by astronomers with telescopes, its physical exploration though is conducted both by uncrewed robo ...

, as well as space science and engineering and environmental awareness. Inspired by his friendship with author Michael Murphy and involvement in the

Esalen Institute The Esalen Institute, commonly called Esalen, is a non-profit American retreat center and intentional community in Big Sur, California, which focuses on humanistic alternative education. The institute played a key role in the Human Potenti ...

's Soviet-American Exchange Program, NASA astronaut Rusty Schweickart established the Association along with

cosmonaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...

Alexei Leonov Alexei Arkhipovich Leonov. (30 May 1934 – 11 October 2019) was a Soviet and Russian cosmonaut, Air Force major general, writer, and artist. On 18 March 1965, he became the first person to conduct a spacewalk, exiting the capsule during t ...

, Vitaly Sevastyanov, and Georgi Grechko.

Planetary Congress

The Planetary Congress of the Association of Space Explorers is an annual forum for ASE members. It is held in a different host country every year. * 34th Congress: Bursa, Turkey (2023) * 33rd Congress: Budapest, Hungary (2021) * 32nd Congress: Houston, Texas, USA (2019) * 31st Congress: Minsk, Belarus (2018) * 30th Congress: Toulouse, France (2017) * 29th Congress: Vienna, Austria (2016) * 28th Congress: Stockholm, Sweden (2015) * 27th Congress: Beijing, China (2014) * 26th Congress: Cologne, Germany (2013) * 25th Congress: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (2012) * 24th Congress: Moscow, Russia (2011) * 23rd Congress: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (2010) * 22nd Congress: Prague, Czech Republic (2009) * 21st Congress: Seattle, Washington, USA (2008) * 20th Congress: Edinburgh, Scotland (2007) * 19th Congress: Salt Lake City, Utah, USA (2005) * 18th Congress: Tokyo, Japan (2003) * 17th Congress: Almaty, Kazakhstan (2001) * 16th Congress: Madrid, Spain (2000) * 15th Congress: Bucharest, Romania (1999) * 14th Congress: Brussels, Belgium (1998) * 13th Congress: San Jose, Costa Rica (1997) * 12th Congress: Montreal, Canada (1996) * 11th Congress: Warsaw, Poland (1995) * 10th Congress: Moscow/Lake Baikal, Russia (1994) * 9th Congress: Vienna, Austria (1993) * 8th Congress: Washington, DC, USA (1992) * 7th Congress: Berlin, Germany (1991) * 6th Congress: Groningen, The Netherlands (1990) * 5th Congress: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (1989) * 4th Congress: Sofia, Bulgaria (1988) * 3rd Congress: Mexico City, Mexico (1987) * 2nd Congress: Budapest, Hungary (1986) * 1st Congress: Cernay, France (1985)

References

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External links

Association of Space Explorers web site
Space organizations Scientific organizations established in 1985 Alexei Leonov Rusty Schweickart