2025 Seminar Series
Throughout 2025, the NASA History Office is presenting a seminar series on the topic of Aerospace Latin America. This series will explore the origins, evolution, and historical context of aerospace in the region since the dawn of the Space Age, touching on a broad range of topics including aerospace infrastructure development, space policy and law, Earth science applications, and much more.
This seminar series is part of a collaborative effort to gather insights and research that will conclude in an anthology of essays to be published as a NASA History Special Publication. Individual presentations are being held virtually bi-weekly or monthly.
Upcoming Presentations
“Unpacking Latin America as an ‘Emerging’ Space Region”
Laura Delgado Lopez
Thursday, June 5 at 2:00 pm EDT / 1:00 pm CDT / 11:00 am PDT
Beyond the academic debate about how to categorize the different levels of space activity across the world, the term “emerging” tends to lead to assumptions about space as a very limited or recent development in a region like Latin America. As this presentation will highlight, there is incredible diversity and breadth of activity in Latin America – in key areas that include not just technology and programs, but also governance, institutional frameworks, and international cooperation and coordination. This presentation will discuss these developments and the context shaping Latin American space activities to date.
“NASA in the Most Remote Area: The Laser Station and the Landing Strip on Easter Island during the 1980s””
Pedro Alonso (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile)
Thursday, July 10 at 2:00 pm EDT / 1:00 pm CDT / 11:00 am PDT
In 1985 a group of architecture students from the University of Chile made up two scale papier-mâché models of a Moai—the emblematic and monolithic human figures carved on volcanic stone by the Rapa Nui people of Easter Island—to create a barricade in demonstration against General Augusto Pinochet’s intentions to allow the installation of a U.S. NASA base on the island. A mixture of art, activism and politics, their performance defied the dictatorial regime by ultimately burning the figures. In fact, during that period, several episodes of technological exchange between Chile and the United States took place when tracking stations and other facilities were installed all along the country. By discussing a wide array of objects and visual materials, this talk will explore how science and technology were imagined, designed, and built alongside the politics, as well as the associated artistic and visual cultures attached to the reception and adaptation of those technological artifacts intended for one of the most remote areas of the planet.
“China–Latin America Space Cooperation: A Brief History”
Julie Klinger (Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna and University of Delaware)
Thursday, July 24 at 2:00 pm EDT / 1:00 pm CDT / 11:00 am PDT
Neither the evolution of global space politics, nor the evolving nature of China-Latin America relations can be understood without considering the roles played by Latin America’s and China’s space programs in national, bilateral, and multilateral engagements. This talk provides a brief historical overview of bilateral outer space cooperation between China and Latin American countries. Multilateral engagements by all parties shaped the dawn of the space age in the 1960s, while bilateral engagements date back to 1984.
How to Attend
These presentations will be held via Microsoft Teams. For details on how to attend the meetings, join the NASA History mailing list to receive updates. Just send a blank email to history-join@lists.hq.nasa.gov to join. Alternatively, send us an email to receive a link for the next meeting.