For the first time, the arts and humanities have been officially invited into the professional space explorers global meeting place: The International Astronautical Congress in Glasgow.

At the congress, The Arts Catalyst, Leonardo/OLATS and I-DAT at the University of Plymouth will host "Less Remote: The Futures of Space Exploration," September 30-October 1, 2008, an arts-and-humanities symposium "in the context of our current understanding of social, economic and technological imperatives." Artists, thinkers and writers will contribute to debates about going back to the moon and on to Mars, living in space, art in zero gravity, the future of the International Space Station and the search for life and human origins in scientific missions. "Less Remote" features presentations by artists who have worked either with space agencies or in the space context recently.

Text supplied by Community Arts network