Association of Space Explorers
The Association of Space Explorers is a non-profit organization with a membership composed of people who have completed at least one Earth orbit in space (above Template:Convert, as defined by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. It was founded in 1985, and had over 400 members from 38 countries as of 2023.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The organization provides a forum for the promotion of space exploration, as well as space science and engineering and environmental awareness.
Inspired by his friendship with author Michael Murphy and involvement in the Esalen Institute's Soviet-American Exchange Program, NASA astronaut Rusty Schweickart established the Association along with cosmonauts Alexei Leonov, Vitaly Sevastyanov, and Georgi Grechko.<ref name="NASA-bio Rusty Schweickart">Template:Cite web</ref> The first Polish cosmonaut Mirosław Hermaszewski was one of the ASE's founding members.<ref name="biography">Template:Cite web</ref>
Universal Astronaut Insignia and the Registry of Space Travelers
In 2021, the Association of Space Explorers announced the creation of the Universal Astronaut Insignia.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> The pin is offered to space travelers in orbital and suborbital variants, so that all space travelers are eligible to wear it. "Andy [Turnage] and I noted that even though many nations have flown citizens in space, only NASA astronauts have a specially-designed insignia for that relatively small community. We wondered if the time had come to create a common insignia for all space travelers, from all nations — and indeed it has," said Michael Lopez-Alegria.<ref name=":0" />
Simultaneously, the association also created a Registry of Space Travelers that assigns a flight order number for each recipient of the Universal Astronaut Insignia, thus establishing a master record for spaceflight history.<ref name=":0" />
Planetary Congress
The Planetary Congress of the Association of Space Explorers is an annual forum for ASE members.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It is held in a different host country every year.
- 35th Congress: Noordwijk/Amsterdam, the Netherlands (2024)
- 34th Congress: Bursa, Turkey (2023)
- 33rd Congress: Budapest, Hungary (2021)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- 32nd Congress: Houston, Texas, USA (2019)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- 31st Congress: Minsk, Belarus (2018)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- 30th Congress: Toulouse, France (2017)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- 29th Congress: Vienna, Austria (2016)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- 28th Congress: Stockholm, Sweden (2015)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- 27th Congress: Beijing, China (2014)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- 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)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- 21st Congress: Seattle, Washington, USA (2008)
- 20th Congress: Edinburgh, Scotland (2007)
- 19th Congress: Salt Lake City, Utah, USA (2005)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- 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)