Professor in Astrophysics and Pro Vice Chancellor Flagship Initiatives at @Swinburne
Melbourne
Joined July 2012
- Tweets22.3K
- Following4.3K
- Followers18K
- Likes10.8K
Pinned Tweet
The world has many challenges in this century that require more science and technology, not less, to address. To make those choices about addressing these challenges, we need a scientifically informed electorate. 1/N
Alan Duffy @astroduff, Professor in Astrophysics and Pro Vice Chancellor Flagship Initiatives at @Swinburne and Professor Steve Chapman, Vice Chancellor @EdithCowanUni discuss all things space at the #UASolutionsSummit.
Alan Duffy retweeted
Have you spotted Roo-ver in the media lately? 👀🌕
Want to know what it takes to get Australia's first lunar rover to the Moon?
Join Roo-ver Round-Up for a build update, lunar wheels and surviving extreme temperatures.
Wed 21 Oct | 1pm AEDT
👉 Register spklr.io/6010EV3Vs
Alan Duffy retweeted
Meet the new model of Roo-ver, Australia's first lunar rover.
Unveiled today, the new model shows Roo-ver's design and scale as teams prepare for its historic journey to the Moon. The countdown to 2030 is on!
🎥 Watch to the end for the reveal. More here spklr.io/6011EpSgB
Alan Duffy retweeted
Achievement unlocked!
Reward: More years of fuel!
We have completed Roman's first course correction so accurately that it conserved years of fuel for the mission!
Learn more: go.nasa.gov/46qdvRj
Alan Duffy retweeted
Projects in Motion ▶️ Lunaria One
Later this year, Melbourne-based consortium Lunaria One is set to launch its ALEPH-1 plant growth experiment to the Moon with Intuitive Machines.
Alan Duffy retweeted
National Science Week is here with over 2,500 events across Australia.
Aussie astronaut and 2026 Australian of the Year, Katherine Bennell-Pegg shares why science matters, and how curiosity can open the door to extraordinary opportunities. Find events here spklr.io/6017ERXaJ
Alan Duffy retweeted
"Year after year, our sector continues to deliver. Turning ambition into action. Translating capability into outcomes. And demonstrating that Australia is a serious and respected player in the global space economy." Enrico Palermo, Head of the Australian Space Agency
Alan Duffy retweeted
That pale blue dot you see…
is our first glimpse of ElaraSat MMS-1 in orbit. 🇦🇺🛰️
Thanks to @StarfishSpace for capturing our first baby pic, and congratulations on another milestone!
Getting closer... 🤞👀
We see you! Otter Pup 2 has acquired @GilmourSpace's ElaraSat.
Acquisition is the moment Otter Pup 2 first detects and begins tracking its client spacecraft using its onboard cameras and computer vision, rather than relying on navigation inputs from the ground.
Here's the view from approximately 6.5 km away, captured during our ongoing relative navigation operations.
This is the first time an Otter Pup mission has reached this milestone and marks a major step forward in our docking mission.
Alan Duffy retweeted
I hear Australia is a nice place to launch from. 😃
It’s no secret that we intend to launch Starship a lot, targeting thousands of flights per year. That cadence will require the ability to launch from many different locations, so we are constantly exploring to find viable sites to expand Starship operations in the future, both domestically and internationally
We are living in the era of the polycrisis in which unexpected events impact and reinforce each other - for organisations to better prepare and weather such a period requires greater creativity in forecasting such futures and greater flexibility in preparing for these scenarios
At Swinburne, we established the Futures Catalyst to help our uni prepare for a range of potential scenarios and explore opportunities arising from these challenges in the polycrisis. It was a delight to share this with @Forbes for others to explore too forbes.com/sites/melissawhee…
Alan Duffy retweeted
My favorite image so far. Orion, built by human hands in just a few years, set against a moment billions of years in the making.
The eclipse from Orion.
On April 6, external cameras attached to the Orion spacecraft's solar array wings captured the Moon backlit by the Sun during a solar eclipse.
ALT The Moon, backlit by the Sun during a solar eclipse, is photographed by NASA\u2019s Orion spacecraft. Orion is visible in the foreground on the left. Earth is reflecting sunlight at the left edge of the Moon, which is slightly brighter than the rest of the disk. The bright spot visible just below the Moon\u2019s bottom right edge is Saturn. Beyond that, the bright spot at the right edge of the image is Mars. Credit: NASA
Alan Duffy retweeted
Tomorrow, we launch.
At sunset tonight, Artemis II waits on the pad, ready to carry astronauts potentially farther than any humans have traveled in more than half a century.
The next era of exploration begins.
Alan Duffy retweeted
Australia supported us on Apollo and are with us again as we fly astronauts around the moon for the first time in over 50 years.
Australia is supporting humanity’s historic return to the Moon.
@NASA’s upcoming Artemis II mission will send four astronauts on a 10-day journey around the Moon – the first crewed lunar mission in more than half a century.
Alan Duffy retweeted
Endeavoring for not just one, but TWO Moon landings in 2028.
Coming weeks: Artemis II around the Moon
Mid-2027: Artemis III rendezvousing with one or both HLS providers, testing space suits in low Earth orbit
Early 2028: Artemis IV lunar landing
Late 2028: Artemis V lunar landing, beginning work on lunar base
This is how we get back to the Moon with urgency, to stay.
🚨Aussie stargazers tonight could be a good one 🚨 Map courtesy of the Aurora Australis FB group, and a request to report your sightings to the @TweetAurora team below..! 🤞
The first CME to the party has rung the doorbell at L1! While we wait for more info on Bz, a quick reminder that if you try to see the aurora over the next few days please make a participatory science report to aurorasaurus.org. Clear skies!✨🦕
ALT Graphic reads: Calling all aurora chasers! If you see the Lights tonight, please make a participatory science report to aurorasaurus.org. By providing ground truth data, you can help scientists answer questions and improve models. If yu try and are not able to see aurora, making a negative no report also helps! Make a participatory science report to Aurorasaurus: let's light up the map!
Hey friends, my company mDetect has been nominated for the People's Choice Award at the 2025 InnovationAus Awards for Excellence - this is a huge honour but to win would be even better 😉
Consider voting for mDetect below:
innovationausawards.awardspl…
Alan Duffy retweeted
Meet NASA leaders past & present, and learn how we’re returning to the Moon at SPACELIVE with @AstroKirsten, Apollo legend Gerry Griffin, @LockheedMartin's Rob Chambers & pioneer JoAnn Morgan. Supported by @Swinburne @astroduff SYD 23 & 24 Oct; CBR 26 Oct; MEL 29 Oct. 🎟 ACT/NSW:
premier.ticketek.com.au/show… VIC monash.edu/performing-arts-c…
Huge if Australia can participate in one of the world’s largest research and innovation programs, turbocharging outcomes for our nation through this access but also for EU and the world by allowing them to collaborate with our world-class Australian researchers!
UA fully supports the government’s move to explore association to Horizon Europe, having long called for a place in the EU’s key funding program for research and innovation.
Horizon Europe is the world’s largest collaborative research funding scheme and could connect our researchers with billions of dollars in funding and world-class facilities not available at home.
@ayrestim
Read the full media release here: ow.ly/S18h50WUkoo
#auspol #highered #ResearchFunding
Alan Duffy retweeted
Thanks Tokuro Furuya CG of Japan, for visiting the 🇫🇷🇦🇺Indo-Pacific center for energy transition (FACET) @Swinburne #Melbourne
@FranceAustralia @astroduff @gchaks15 @ludovic_pouille @elebrundamiens @BridgetVallence @michaelgalea @Nicholas_Reece @AlexisAupied @SarahNCumming
