Hungarian Astronautical Society

Hungarian Astronautical Society abbreviated as HAS (Magyar Asztronautikai Társaság, abbr. MANT in Hungarian) is a non-profit organization focusing on educational and informative activities on space science, founded in 1986. 
The association considers itself a successor of the Astronautical Committee of the association called Scientific Lyceum (Hun. abbr.: TIT), founded in "1956"; and the Central Astronautical Section of the . 
Members of the Society are space researchers, other professionals concerned in space related fields and others interested in the interdisciplinary and state-of-the-art uses of outer space.
Hungarian Astronautical Society.
Aims.
Main aims of the Society are:
Regular events.
Main regular events of the Society:
Hungarian Space Camp.
History.
The camp was founded by Aunt Magdi, the "Space Granny" in 1994. Her intent was to introduce space research and astronautics to the youth. That time the program of the camp consisted mostly of lectures presented by the best-known Hungarian scientists in the field. Later the camp had a younger leadership, leading to a shift to more active and creative programs. From 2010 the duration of the camp is one week, from Sunday to Saturday. 
The participants are students between the age of 13 and 18, all interested in sciences and space topics. About quarter of the students return next year and every fifth student becomes a regular camper. Some acknowledged space researchers started their "space career" in the Space Camp, like the present (2018-) Secretary General, his predecessor and several Members of Board.
Locations.
1994 – Kecskemét, 1995 – Eger, 1996 – Veszprém, 1997 – Veszprém, 1998 – Győr, 1999 – Kecskemét, 2000 – Sopron, 2001 – Debrecen, 2002 – Székesfehérvár, 2003 – Budapest, 2004 – Kiskunhalas, 2005 – Gyulaháza, 2006 – Szentlélek, 2007 – Hollóstető, 2008 – Szentlélek, 2010 – Gyomaendrőd, 2011 – Sátoraljaújhely, 2012 – Kecskemét, 2013 – Alsómocsolád, 2014 – Felsőtárkány, 2015 – Sopron, 2016 – Debrecen, 2017 – Bakonybél, 2018 - Zalaegerszeg, 2019 - Sátoraljaújhely, 2020 - virtual (3-day online event), 2021 - virtual (4-day online event, planned), 2022 - Székesfehérvár (planned)
Lectures and Activities.
In the camp space researchers and astronautical experts give lectures. Topics cover a wide range, from the basics of astronomy through problems of space debris to deciding the dilemma if Pluto is a planet or not. Other activities include several practical exercises make the camp exciting, e.g. water rocketry, underwater assembly, creating stereo pictures, astronomical observation, excursions, bathing, etc. There is a main topic every year which meets the topic of the Student Competition.
Mentor Program.
Since 2015 private individuals and companies are invited to co-finance the "Hungarian Space Camp" as Mentors. HAS welcomes financial support of participation of needy students from Hungary and from the Hungarian diaspora in the surrounding countries. In the past years about one fifth of the participants was able to join the Camp by favor of a Mentor.
Student competition.
HAS yearly announces a Student Competition for primary and secondary school students, since 1992. The topics announced around October are always different, but focus on a current aspect of space research and exploration. The topic of the Student Competition is going to be the main topic of the Space Camp of that year. E.g. title of the Competition was "Civilians in Space" in 2014, "Beyond Mars" in 2015 and "Cleaning in Space" in 2017.
Categories: writing essay; drawing; preparing project plan; creating video, website, Facebook page or blog. 
Small teams of two or three students are also welcome. Applications are evaluated in two age classes: age between 11–14 and 15–18. The competition is open for visually impaired students as well. Their works are evaluated separately.
Prizes include participation in the Space Camp for free or for a reduced fee; science books and magazines; a visit to a selected space research institute or company; free one-year membership in the society.
Space Academy.
"Hungarian Astronautical Society" in collaboration with the international "Space Generation Advisory Council" initiated a yearly event called Space Academy in 2015 for university students and young professionals of the age between 18–35. . It is a four-day workshop in August where the participants outline a solution for a given task or problem together. 
Space Academy Club.
Space Academy Club is a lecture series organized by the Hungarian Astronautical Society and the Hungarian organizers of Space Generation Advisory Council. It takes place usually in February, April, September and November, during university semesters. It targets primarily university students and young professionals of the age between 18–35. The series is connected with Space Academy in their name and their target groups.
Hungarian Space Studies Annuary (alias Space Brochure, Hun: Űrtan évkönyv).
HAS has been publishing its Astronautical Brochure since 1961, presenting the recent activities of HAS and summarizing the globally most significant affairs of space research. Hungarian researchers working in space research and its interdisciplinary fields present their latest results.
Space Research Day.
Space Research Day is organized yearly. It joins the International Space Week in October. It usually takes place at one of the universities of Budapest. The program consists of lectures on actual space activities and space related results and exchange of views. There are blocks for professionals, interested amateurs and students.
Hungarian Space Research Forum (Ionosphere and Magnetosphere Physics Seminar).
Hungarian Space Research Forum is a traditional biennial conference of researchers of the field, to be held for the 30th time in 2017. Its former title and now subtitle Ionosphere and Magnetosphere Physical Seminar expresses its original specialty which gained a broader horizon in the past decades.
Hungarian physicists, geophysicists, astronomers, meteorologists etc. take part in this seminar by presenting their latest researches through lectures and posters.
School Day.
HAS is willing to provide lectures for schools in various fields related to space activities titled School Day. Every year our members give several lectures in Budapest and around the country in (mainly secondary) schools on fresh and exciting scientific topics like the last results on Mars exploration, development of equipments for spacecraft, planetary discoveries, etc.
Radio Connection between Students and Charles Simonyi on board of ISS [2007].
Dr. Charles Simonyi, the first repeat "space tourist" launched on April 7, 2007 (GMT), on board Soyuz TMA-10 to the International Space Station and returned on April 21, 2007 on his first space flight. The Hungarian-born Simonyi is a licensed amateur radio operator (KE7KDP) and he contacted students of Puskás Tivadar Távközlési Technikum (Puskás Tivadar Telecommunications Polytechnic, Budapest) on April 13. This occasion of radio contact was organized in collaboration with HAS.
Structure.
This structure is used since 2009 (as of April 2020):