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r bulletin 105 — february 2001

ESA’s Evolution as ESA and the European Envisaged by The Union Adopt a Common Three ‘Wise Men’ Space Strategy

As reported in ESA Bulletin No. 103 On 16 November, Ministers representing (August 2000 issue), in March 2000 ESA’s the 15 ESA Member States, gathered in Director General, Antonio Rodotà, asked a Brussels for an Extraordinary Meeting of committee of three ‘Wise Men’ to provide the ESA Council, adopted a Resolution him with an independent assessment of that accompanies a joint ESA/EC the future evolution of the Agency. The document on a European Strategy for committee was made up of Carl Bildt Space (the Wise Men’s Report – see (Chairman), former Swedish Prime Minister previous news item). A parallel Resolution, and UN Envoy to the Balkans, Jean based on the same document, was also Peyrelevade, President of Crédit Lyonnais, endorsed by the European Research In Brief and Lothar Späth, Chief Executive Officer Council in Brussels on the same day. of Jenoptik, together representing a formidable combination of high-level This was the first time that the Councils of political, economic and industrial ESA and the European Union had met on expertise. the same date and in the same place to adopt Resolutions that will constitute a common framework within which all European players involved in space activities will develop their respective plans of action.

From left to right at the Paris Press Conference: The three examined the organisation of Lothar Späth, Jean Peyrelevade, Carl Bildt, the public space sector in Europe and the Antonio Rodotà and Jean-Jacques Dordain role of ESA in that sector, the institutional relationship between ESA and the European Union, and the associated potential for synergies between civil and defence programmes. They also analysed the potential for enlargement of ESA to include more countries, and the market opportunities available to ESA Member States in the space domain.

On 9 November, commensurate with the calendar for the European space strategy being prepared jointly by ESA and the Further information on the content and European Union, the Wise Men presented availability of the Report can be obtained their recommendations at a Press from: Conference at the Agency’s Headquarters ESA Communication Department in Paris, hosted by Antonio Rodotà and Tel: +33 (0) 1 53 69 7155 Jean-Jacques Dordain, ESA’s Director of Fax: + 33 (0) 1 53 69 7690 s Strategy and Technical Assessment.

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“Through these resolutions, European optimisation of the use of the International The two Resolutions adopted on space policy takes a first step into a new Space Station as an infrastructure for 16 November endorse the setting up of phase in which space systems become an European research in all disciplines of a cooperative structure that will bring integral part of the overall political and space science. The third line of action has together the ESA Executive and the economic efforts of European States – the objectives of seizing market European Commission. An interim high- whether members of ESA or the EU – to opportunities and meeting the new level joint Task Force is being set up to promote the interests of European demands of our society. It has a bearing make proposals for the continuing citizens”, said ESA’s Director General, on satellite communications and the development of the European Space Antonio Rodotà. information-technology sector, satellite Strategy and its implementation. navigation and positioning (Galileo), and The European Strategy for Space systems monitoring the Earth for In addition to being a partner in the setting identifies three lines of action: environmental and security purposes. This up of joint programmes responding to a. strengthening the foundations for space is where close cooperation between ESA political initiatives of the European Union, activities and the EC will be most instrumental in ESA will act as the implementing b. enhancing scientific knowledge putting space systems at the service of organisation for the development and c. reaping the benefits for society and European policies responding to citizen’s procurement of the space and ground markets. expectations. segments associated with such initiatives.

The first line encompasses broadening The European Space Strategy also covers The Ministers invited ESA’s Director space technology and guaranteeing industrial aspects and pays specific General to prepare Programme Proposals access to space through a family of attention to Small and Medium-sized on the basis of this strategy and to submit launch vehicles. The second sees Europe Enterprises (SMEs). In the document, them to the ESA Council Meeting at continuing to pursue cutting-edge themes public/private partnerships are seen as a Ministerial Level scheduled for November in space science and space contributions model for committing the public sector, 2001. s to the understanding of our planet’s along with the complete industrial chain, climate. It includes human spaceflight and to an operational project.

Ariane-4 – 100 Launches Anik-F1 telecommunications satellite into V134 Ariane-4 No. 100 and Counting! GTO for Canadian operator Telesat.

Not so much an anniversary, more a The next Ariane-4 launch (V137), originally consecration. On 29 October Ariane-4 scheduled to lift the Eurasiasat-1 telecom- carried the Europe*Star-1 communications munications satellite for Turkey into orbit satellite safely into Geostationary Transfer on 8 December, was subsequently Orbit (GTO) with the precision that has postponed until the new year. become Ariane’s hallmark. So much so in fact that the lift-off could have gone The 138th Ariane launch (V138) took place almost unnoticed, but for the fact that this successfully on 20 December. This time, was the 100th launch of the Ariane-4 another Ariane-5 launcher (V508) placed generation of vehicles. For this particular the Astra-2D and GE-8/Aurora-III launch (V134), the Ariane-44LP was telecommunications satellites safely into equipped with two solid-propellant and orbit for GE Americom (USA), along with two liquid-propellant strap-on boosters. the LDREX experimental payload belonging to the Japanese Space Agency Just two weeks later, on 15 November, (NASDA). Ariane was at work again, lifting off from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, Ariane-4 was in action again on French Guiana, to put the PAS-1R 8 February (V139). This time an Ariane-44L telecommunications satellite into GTO, equipped with four liquid strap-on together with a radio-amateur satellite, boosters lifted-off from Kourou to launch AMSAT P-3D, and two technology two European military communications microsatellites. On this flight (V135), spacecraft into GTO – Sicral for Italy and however, it was an Ariane-5 launcher Skynet-4F for the UK. providing the ride. The next Ariane launch, an Ariane-5, is The 136th Ariane launch (V136) took currently scheduled for Friday 2 March, place successfully less than a week later carrying two more telecommunications on 22 November 2000. This time another satellites, Eurobird and BSAT-2A. s Ariane-4 – a 44L fitted with four liquid- propellant strap-on boosters – put the

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r bulletin 105 — february 2001

Portugal Officially Fifteenth ESA Member State

On 14 November 2000, Portugal deposited its instrument of accession to the ESA Convention with the French Government, thereby completing the legal formalities making it the fifteenth Member State of the European Space Agency.

Memorial Symposium de Hulst’s central role in the setting up of Agreement Signed with ESRO and ESA as the theme. Prof. Harm Greece in Honour of Habing from Leiden University gave the Prof. Henk van de Hulst opening talk on ‘The Self-evident On 17 January, ESA’s Director General, Importance of Quality: Some Remarks on Antonio Rodotà, signed a framework Professor Henk van de Hulst, who died on the Life of Henk van de Hulst’. In 1958, Cooperation Agreement with the Greek 21 July 2000 at the age of 81, was not Prof. van de Hulst became the first Minister for Development, Mr Nikos only one the greatest Dutch astronomers President of COSPAR, then a new Christodoulakis, in Athens. The areas of the last 150 years, but also one of the international organisation for the peaceful considered as offering potential for future founding fathers of ESA – and indeed in exploration of the Universe, out of which cooperation include: space science, no small way responsible for ESTEC being came the European Space Research Earth-observation research and situated in Noordwijk (NL). To mark his Organisation (ESRO), and later ESA. This applications, telecommunications, satellite contribution to ESA and ESTEC, the ESA was reflected in the talk given by Prof. navigation, microgravity research, and Science Directorate organised a Memorial Reimar Lüst on ‘Henk van de Hulst and ground-segment engineering and Symposium in his honour at ESTEC on the Build-up of European Co-operation in utilisation. In the next phase, projects of 6 November, which was attended by Space Research’. Prof. Sir Hermann mutual interest will be identified and they many eminent Dutch and international Bondi spoke on the ‘Changes in will be defined in specific implementing scientists, as well as Prof. van de Hulst’s Governmental Attitudes to Space’ during arrangements once the Cooperation widow and family. this period. Agreement enters into force. s

The afternoon began with the planting of a The emphasis then moved to Prof. van de chestnut tree just outside the ESCAPE Hulst’s scientific work with ESRO and ESA building by Mrs van de Hulst. Henk Olthof – Prof. Livio Scarsi (Palermo) explained the Programmes, gave the After-Dinner (ESA) explained that once the roots of the pivotal role played by Henk van de Hulst in Speech, reflecting on how Prof. van de tree are firmly settled, a bench will be built the Cos-B project, and Prof. Malcolm Hulst’s work has paved the way for a around it so that the staff at ESTEC can Longair (Cambridge) discussed Prof. van number of the Science Directorate’s future enjoy its shade – something Henk van de de Hulst’s work on the Hubble Space programmes. s Hulst himself would certainly have Telescope. approved of. Mrs van de Hulst planting the chestnut tree outside ESCAPE The day was rounded off with a dinner in The Symposium proper was held in the the ESTEC Restaurant, where Prof. Roger Prof. Reimar Lüst addressing the family and ESTEC Conference Centre with Prof. van Bonnet, ESA Director of Scientific assembled guests

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Green Light for Small ESA Satellite Supports Launcher and Advanced Rescue Efforts in Solid Booster El Salvador

The Vega Small-Launcher Development Responding quickly to support rescue Programme and the P80 Advanced Solid efforts converging on El Salvador, member Propulsion Stage Demonstrator Programme space agencies of the International were formally approved on 15 December by the Charter on Space and Major Disasters Participating States. Belgium, Italy, the dispatched their Earth-observation Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland decided satellites to capture images of the (with Spain’s decision still pending) to proceed devastation caused by the mid-January with full development of the Vega small launcher. earthquake. The satellites involved were ESA’s ERS-2 radar satellite, Canada’s Developed and manufactured by European Radarsat-1 satellite, and France’s SPOT industry, Vega will complete the range of optical series, and together they provided European launch services by offering on the the emergency rescue crews with support international market a competitive vehicle for based on images captured day and night small payloads of up to 1500 kg (primarily polar and in all weather conditions after the Earth-orbiting missions at around 700 km quake. Up-to-date maps and information altitude). obtained from these specially acquired images and existing archived images were Belgium, France, Italy and the Netherlands also decided to finance the P80 Advanced forwarded to the rescue authorities as Solid Propulsion Stage demonstrator. This development programme is designed to: soon as they were available. Satellite – demonstrate most of the technologies required to improve Ariane-5 solid- positioning and operation and image propellant booster performance and competitiveness capture were coordinated by the – develop and ground-qualify an advanced-technology first stage for the Vega International Charter partners. launcher. ERS-2 circles the Earth at a height of The development milestones for the P80 are consistent with the schedule for developing 800 km and completes an orbit every Vega, whose maiden flight is planned for end-2005. s 100 minutes, crossing both poles and covering the entire globe in just three days. It will be followed this year by ESA’s new-generation environmental Envisat Nearing satellite, Envisat, due to be Launch launched in July.

A Media Information Day at The International Charter on ESTEC in Noordwijk (NL) on Space and Major Disasters is 1 February provided the last the expression of a collective opportunity for the press and resolve to put space technology media to take a look at the at the service of rescue impressive 10 metre-tall Envisat authorities in the event of major Earth-observation spacecraft disasters. Its current signatories before launch. All ten are ESA, the French space instruments were installed on agency (CNES) and the the spacecraft and the large Canadian Space Agency (CSA). Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar The Charter, set up in the context of the (ASAR) antenna was deployed. Envisat, the largest and the most United Nations UNISPACE III Conference sophisticated European Earth-observation in 1999 and in force since 1 November The leading international scientists satellite ever built, will complete its final 2000, remains open for signature by other involved in the design of Envisat’s test sequences at the ESTEC Test Centre space agencies and satellite operators instruments, top managers from the over the coming weeks before being anywhere in the world. Astrium industrial consortium that has built shipped to Kourou in French Guiana for the spacecraft, and the ESA Project Team the three-month campaign leading up to Further information can be obtained from: that has managed the satellite’s design its planned Ariane-5 launch in the second Simonetta Cheli and construction, gave comprehensive half of July. ESA-ESRIN background briefings on the mission Tel.: + 39 06 94180350 objectives for this unique spacecraft, its The next issue of the ESA Bulletin – No. Fax: + 39 06 94180302 sophisticated instruments, and the work 106, May 2001 issue – will be dedicated [email protected] s scheduled between now and the start of to the Envisat mission. s its operational life in polar orbit.

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r bulletin 105 — february 2001

ESA Takes Further Steps – WALES – water-vapour lidar experiment thickness of floating sea ice. Its data will in Caring for the Earth in space be used to study the mass balances of – WATS – water vapour and wind in the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets, to At the end of November, the Agency took atmospheric troposphere and investigate the influence of the cryosphere further steps to enhance Europe’s stratosphere on global sea-level rise and to provide capacity to predict the evolution of the – W_WISE – atmospheric windows and important observations of sea ice Earth’s environment, under the influence of clouds, water vapour, ozone, carbon thickness for use in Arctic and global both natural variability and man’s activities: dioxide, infrared spectral radiation climate studies. Cryosat is scheduled for it selected five new candidate Earth- explorer. launch in 2003. SMOS is intended to observation space missions to undergo demonstrate the observation of two key preliminary feasibility studies. This move The ten proposals were evaluated by the Earth-system variables, namely soil reflects the importance of Earth Earth Sciences Advisory Committee, who moisture over land and salinity over observation from space in providing the assessed them and selected five for oceans, to advance the development of globally coherent data that are the preliminary studies, but also made specific climatological, meteorological and essential complement to ground-based, recommendations to ESA for furthering all hydrological models. It should also provide airborne and shipborne measurements. ten missions. The five proposals retained new insights into snow and ice structure, were (in alphabetical order): ACE, so helping to advance our understanding To be at the forefront of these activities, EarthCARE, SPECTRA, WALES and of the cryosphere. s in 1999 ESA launched the Living Planet WATS. Programme, which funds many of the Agency’s Earth-observation activities, On 20 November 2000, ESA accepted the Compatibility Testing of including the Earth Explorer missions. recommendations of the Earth Sciences These are research/demonstration Advisory Committee and work has now ATV Transponders missions intended to advance our started on all five missions in anticipation Successfully Achieved understanding of the Earth’s environment, of a Workshop to be held in Granada (E) which can also be used to demonstrate in October 2001. During that meeting all An important milestone in the new observing techniques. There are two five missions will be presented to the user development of the communications complementary types of Earth Explorer community for comment and reaction as a system for ESA’s Automated Transfer Mission: prelude to their further assessment, to Vehicle (ATV) was achieved at the end of – Earth Explorer Core Missions, which are decide which should go forward for further 1999 with the successful compatibility large ESA-led research/demonstration studies and implementation. testing of the Vehicle’s S-band missions transponders by Alcatel Espacio (E). The – Earth Explorer Opportunity Missions, These proposals follow four other studies objective of this test, performed with the which are smaller research/ that were completed in late 1999 and participation of ESA, NASA and Astrium demonstration missions that are not led to the selection of the first two Earth SAS representatives, was to verify the necessarily ESA-led. Explorer Core Missions to be transponder’s ability to communicate with implemented: the Gravity Field and the Ground Control Station via the TDRSS In June 2000, ESA issued a Call for Ideas Steady-State Ocean Circulation Mission, data-relay satellite network. for the next Earth Explorer Core Missions. which will help to advance knowledge of Ten proposals were received, spanning the Earth’s interior structure and provide a The test involved sending data and the interests of the whole Earth-science much better reference for oceanographic ranging information from the TDRSS community and involving some 180 and climate studies, and the Atmospheric transponder located at Alcatel Espacio’s scientists from ESA Member States and Dynamics Mission, which will provide the laboratory in Madrid, via the TDRSS Canada, plus countries such as Japan first direct observations on a global scale satellites, to the Ground Control Station and the USA. The ten missions proposed of atmospheric wind profiles over the located in White Sands (USA), and were: depth of the atmosphere. vice-versa. All of the tests were made – ACE – atmospheric chemistry explorer simulating normal operational modes, – CARBOSAT – a mission dedicated to In parallel with its work on the Earth making it possible to check and confirm monitoring the carbon cycle Explorer Core Missions, ESA has also that the TDRSS transponder receives and – CLOUDS – a cloud, aerosol, radiation initiated considerable activity on the Earth demodulates the signals as required, as and precipitation explorer Explorer Opportunity Missions front. A Call well as that the signals sent by it are – EarthCARE – Earth clouds aerosol and for Proposals in July 1998 resulted in 27 properly received at the Control Station. radiation explorer proposals, which were subjected to peer – GeoSCIA++ – a passive remote-sensing review by the Earth Sciences Advisory The work performed under ESA contract experiment assessing the impact of Committee and consideration by the Earth by Alcatel Espacio in the design, regional tropospheric pollution on global Observation Programme Board. development, manufacture and testing of change this new equipment has positioned the – LICODY – laser interferometry experiment The first Earth Explorer Opportunity company as the sole European supplier for core and ocean dynamics Mission selected for launch is Cryosat in for TDRSS S-band-compatible – SPECTRA – surface processes and 2003, to be followed by SMOS 2005. transponders. s ecosystem changes through response Cryosat will measure the variations in the analysis thickness of the polar ice sheets and the

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Scientists, School are actually flown on a space mission. – Investigation of physiological Teachers and Students parameters of gravitaxis in Euglena The four physical-sciences experiments gracilis, provided by Prof. D-P. Häder Conduct Physical- and were related to fluid physics and (Univ. of Erlangen-Nuremberg, D). Life-Sciences Studies investigated electrostatic effects in boiling – Ultrasonic particle and cell manipulation on ESA Parabolic Flights liquids, particle motion in aerosols, annular in microgravity, provided by Dr. L.G. liquid flows and plasma states: Briarty (Univ. of Nottingham, UK). ESA’s 29th Parabolic-Flight Campaign was – Study of the effect of an imposed conducted from Bordeaux-Mérignac electrostatic field on pool boiling heat Two experiments were proposed by airport in France, from 21 to 23 transfer and fluids management, students and selected after two November, using the specially adapted provided by Prof. W. Grassi and Dr P. international competitions, one in a ‘Zero-g’ Airbus A300. This particular Di Marco (Univ. of Pisa, I). medical field and the other in space campaign included 11 different – Three-dimensional tracking by digital technology: experiments: four in physical sciences, holography of particle motion in non- – Pulse transit time for the non-invasive four in life sciences, two experiments equilibrium aerosols, provided by Prof. determination of arterial wall properties, proposed by students and one serving J.C. Legros and Dr A. Vedernikov (Univ. provided by P.F. Migeotte, T. Dominique educational purposes for the general of Brussels, B) and Prof. F. Prodi (ISAO- and R.C. Sá (Univ. of Brussels, B). public. 30 microgravity-simulating CNR, Bologna, I). – Globular Cooking Facility, provided by parabolas were flown by the A300 on – Annular flow film thickness and pressure S. Podhajsky and G. Grillmayer (Univ. of each of the three days. drop measurements in microgravity, Stuttgart, D). provided by Prof. K. Rezkallah (Univ. of Parabolic flights are practically the only Saskatchewan, CDN) and Dr C. Colin The eleventh experiment was flown for means on Earth of reproducing (Inst. of Fluid Mechanics, Toulouse, F). promotional and educational purposes. weightlessness with human operators on Several secondary-school teachers, board. During a parabolic attached to the Euro flight, the Airbus pilot – Space Centre in Transinne, flying at an altitude of Belgium, conducted approximately 6000 m, simple classroom usually in a specially experiments in physics reserved air-corridor above and chemistry, the Gulf of Gascogne – emphasizing the role of first performs a nose-up gravity’s absence during manoeuvre to put the parabolic flights. These aircraft into a steep climb experiments were (7600 m). This generates recorded and will be an acceleration of 1.8g shown later to the general (1.8 times the acceleration public and schools due to gravity on the attending space classes at ground) for about 20 sec. the Centre to promote Then, the pilot throttles back to inject the – Preliminary tests for the International early awareness of the characteristics and aircraft onto a parabolic flight path. The Microgravity Plasma Facility, provided possibilities of the space and microgravity plane continues to climb until it reaches by Prof. G. Morfill and U. Konopka environment. Springs, yo-yos, gyroscopes, the apex of the parabola (8500 m) and (Max-Planck Institute, Garching, D). magnetic balls, pendulums, and simple then starts descending. This condition foods (sweets, bananas, grapes) in lasts for about 20 sec, during which time In life-sciences, two physiology microgravity will be used to explain their the passengers in the cabin float in the experiments studied the cardiac system different behaviours in weightlessness and weightlessness resulting from the aircraft’s and two biology experiments investigated the difficulties that astronauts encounter in free fall. When the angle below the plant gravitaxis and cell and particle their everyday lives in orbit. horizontal reaches 45°, the pilot opens the motion by ultra-sound: throttles again and pulls the aircraft up to – An assessment of the feasibility and ESA’s next parabolic-flight campaign is return to steady horizontal flight. These effectiveness of a method of performing scheduled for May 2001 and will carry a manoeuvres are repeated 30 times per cardiopulmonary resuscitation during mixed complement of life- and physical- flight. microgravity, provided by S. Evetts sciences experiments, again including (School of Biomedical Sciences, King’s student-proposed experiments. With Europe and its international partners College London, UK) and Prof. now building the International Space T. Russomano (Univ. do Rio Grande do More information on ESA parabolic flights Station, on which research and Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil). can be found at: experiments will be carried out for the next – Acute heart response to weightlessness www.estec.esa.nl/spaceflight/parabolic 15 years, parabolic flights are crucial to conditions during parabolic flights, s the preparation of experiments, equipment provided by Prof. A. Aubert, and astronauts, and allow scientists to Dr. F. Beckers and Dr. D. Ramaekers have their experiments tested before they (Univ. of Leuven, B).

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r bulletin 105 — february 2001

The ‘Physics on Stage’ participating countries. The national Festival programmes organised by the National Steering Committees played a crucial role A screeching noise emanates from one in the ‘Physics on Stage’ programme. of the 22 stands at the fair: the Irish delegates are demonstrating with a violin Thanks to the enthusiasm and bow, a metal plate and some sand, how commitment of all delegates, the main sound waves propagate through a metal objectives of ‘Physics on Stage’ have plate. New patterns form in the sand been successfully realised: depending on where the bow is struck. – A debate on physics teaching amongst A few metres away, in CERN’s main educators, the media and politicians auditorium, 400 physics teachers and has been catalysed. physics popularisation experts are tossing – The most effective and innovative small wooden blocks into the air to find methods for teaching physics have out about which axis they rotate in a been identified, incorporating stable manner. Two young Germans – demonstrations, lectures, innovative one dressed as a talk-show host, the teaching materials, hands-on-activities, other as a confused scientist – have theatre, video, web applications, etc. captured their audience’s attention with their performance. A few doors down A colourful highlight of the ‘Physics on the hall, a workshop group of some 30 ESA BR-171, February 2001 Stage’ festival was the physics teaching delegates are sitting deep in discussion fair, where all countries had the over how physics should best be taught in programme and it brought together over opportunity to present their methods, secondary schools to motivate the youth 400 experts on physics teaching and ideas, experiments, books, and of today to become the scientists and popularisation, including high-school brochures. It was buzzing with life, sound, engineers tomorrow. physics teachers, university lecturers and conversation and surprises at every turn. It researchers, curriculum developers and was so much of a real fair that there were ‘Physics on Stage’ took place at CERN in scientific and educational journalists. even gingerbread hearts (stamped, of Geneva from 6 to 10 November and was Delegates from 22 European countries course, with E = mc2 !) and heart-shaped a great success. It was the brainchild of presented their ideas and techniques for helium balloons proclaiming ‘Physics is at three international organisations: CERN making physics a fascinating subject for the Heart of Everything’. (European Organisation for Nuclear schoolchildren and the public alike. Research), ESA, and ESO (European The range of ideas was as wide as Southern Observatory). It was a unique it could be – experiments with initiative that had a significant impact on electricity, light, sound, speed, the public understanding of physics and chaos theory, toys, free fall and the on the teaching of physics in Europe’s Big Bang – and the ways in which schools. The European Commission these ideas were presented were supported the project as part of its 5th highly creative and original. Framework Programme. The festival in Geneva was the The five-day festival in Geneva was the culminating event in a year of wide- climax of the year-long ‘Physics on Stage’ ranging activities in each of the

The French performance

The Physics Fair

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The Dutch presentation The Plenary presentations and special performances were all well-attended

motivation and inspiration for the This crisis will have a major impact on the educational community, as well cultural identity of Europe. A frightening as for the organising team. The trend is underway in terms of the lack of European Commission and the interest in physics among the general European Science Organisations public (particularly young people) and the demonstrated strong political diminishing number of physics teachers in support to the ‘Physics on Europe. Together, these points indicate Workshop group Stage’ Festival and its outcome. that, if action is not taken now, Europe will enter a dark age of knowledge. Other important components of the Throughout the Festival, participants met festival were the Plenary presentations, in small groups to discuss various themes ESA, ESO and CERN had discussions in which were of outstanding quality, and close to the heart of physics education. Geneva with the educational community the special performances, which brought These Workshops, with titles such as regarding what role the three European theatre and physics to the stage hand ‘Mapping the Crisis’, ‘Women in Physics’ organisations could play in the future of in hand, and more than once made the and ‘Curriculum Developments’, provided physics education. audience roar with laughter or go silent a forum for the delegates to suggest with astonishment. actions that could be taken to improve To close the Festival, there was a voting the current state of physics literacy in session involving all participants to establish The visit of the Directors General of ESA, Europe. From a total of 74 priorities in the list of recommendations. ESO and CERN and the active involvement recommendations emanating from The results of this vote represent a good of the European Commissioner for ‘Physics on Stage’, the present crisis in statistical assessment of the will of the Research, Dr. Philippe Busquin, during the the teaching of physics has been clearly European physical teaching community. Festival were an important source of identified: It was a wonderful week: many contacts were established across European frontiers and the ‘Physics on Stage’ participants are eagerly looking forward to putting some of the new ideas into practice.

Clovis de Matos, Helen Wilson, Barbara Warmbein s

For more information about the ‘Physics on Stage’ project, visit the following web sites: www.estec.esa.nl/outreach/pos or www.cern.ch/pos

Entering into the spirit of ‘Physics on Stage’: Dr. Philippe Busquin (centre)

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r bulletin 105 — february 2001

ESA Helping to Develop Development. Funding of 9.8 MEuro over be made available to industry, potential the Next Generation of three years was authorised at the end of partners and research bodies. December and a contract has been the World Wide Web awarded to CERN as project leader. The DataGrid Project will provide scientists With the World Wide Web (WWW) being around the world with flexible access to used by more and more people, its ESA, through its ESRIN establishment in unprecedented levels of computing limitations in dealing with huge amounts of Italy, is one of six partners* in the DataGrid resources, and will therefore usher in a data are becoming ever more apparent. Project and will demonstrate use of the new era of e-science. It will enable next- Its successor, ‘The Grid’, should comprise distributed infrastructure for Earth- generation scientific exploration using computing resources in which super- observation applications. The novel shared databases of up to a petabyte computers, processor farms, disks, major distributed-computing environment, (equivalent to a pile of CD-ROMs standing databases, informatics, collaborative tools specifically designed to analyse and move over a kilometre high), across widely and people are linked by a high-speed vast amounts of data, will be developed distributed scientific communities. network. and deployed using emerging technologies International connectivity will be achieved and ‘open source’ code to create a new through an advanced research networking The DataGrid initiative originated in the worldwide data and computational facility infrastructure, which is the subject of framework of the European Summit in on a scale not previously attempted. another EC initiative. Lisbon, Portugal, in March 2000, when the The resources will be made available idea of a dedicated network for European transparently to a wide community using Further information can be found at: science applications research was put new ‘middleware’ between the computer forward. The objective is to develop and operating systems and applications that The DataGrid website: demonstrate an informatics architecture enables and facilitates collaborative working www.cern.ch/grid geographically distributed throughout in new ways. This ‘middleware’ – to be The DataGrid Earth Observation Science Europe with high-data-rate transmission developed in collaboration with some of Application: links. The project was submitted to the the leading centres in Grid technology, http://tempest.esrin.esa.it/~datagrid European Union in May for funding thereby leveraging practice and through its Fifth Framework Programme experience from existing Grid activities in * The other partners are: CERN (CH), CNRS (F), s for Research and Technological Europe and elsewhere – will subsequently INFN (I), NIKHEF (NL) and PPARC (UK).

Opening Event of ESA Division. Children 10 -12 ‘Mars City Competition’ years old will use the Space Kwispel in their search for Ex-astronaut Wubbo Ockels arrived at his information to help them old primary school in Brielle, Holland, in a design and build a Mars City school milk truck with the very first ‘Mars from school milk cartons. City Competition’ package on Friday 2 February. The children in Meester Eewoutschool in Brielle built Over 2000 of these packages have been an enormous, glittering and delivered to Dutch primary schools with inventive Mars City from the their Melkunie school milk. The packages school milk cartons that they contain a Space Kwispel game, developed had been collecting. The by ESA’s Education & Outreach Office in model, which they had just collaboration with the Dutch toy company two hours to complete, ‘King International’ and ESA Publications included a meteorite gun for protection, oxygen see satellites and astronauts first hand generators, a greenhouse, a and to show off their design work to real burger and pizza café, and space scientists and engineers. The even a soccer pitch for the competition ends on 16 March. future soccer team, the ‘Mars Maniacs’. For more information, visit: www.estec.esa.nl/outreach/kwispel Other classes from schools around Holland will submit or contact: photographs of their ‘Mars Julia Birch City’, along with design Tel. +31 71 565 3110 data, in order to enter the Fax. +31 71 565 5590 competition. The winning [email protected] s team will be treated to space-related prizes and a ‘Space Day’ at ESTEC to

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in brief

Our Galaxy – In Three the passages of stars whose space build on the results of Hipparcos to map motions brought them close to the Sun the three-dimensional structure of more Dimensions ! in the geologically recent past. Other than one billion stars extending Measuring the distances to the stars sequences illustrated the new insight that throughout our Galaxy. s accurately is one of the great challenges the Hipparcos data are giving into the that continues to face experimental details of our Milky Way astronomy. Hipparcos was an original and Galaxy, for example its age, highly successful scientific mission, three-dimensional structure, conducted by ESA in collaboration with and its possible formation European space scientists between 1981 process. and 1997. Its goal was to create a map of the stars with unprecedented precision. The GAIA Cornerstone science mission, recently New techniques allow the projection of the accepted by ESA for launch sky in three-dimensions, precisely as a decade from now, will measured by Hipparcos. On 8 February, Michael Perryman of ESA’s Space Science Department showed some of the 3D results to a packed audience in the Newton Conference Auditorium at ESTEC in Noordwijk (NL). Using an elaborate projection system based on polarised-light Dr. Michael Perryman images, the audience was able to view a number of 3D movies using polarising glasses. They could see how stars travel through the Galaxy over intervals of millions of years, observe the space The ESTEC audience distribution of some of the recently in their 3D polarising discovered extra-solar planets, and follow glasses

SARSCENE 2001 SARSCÈNE

12-16 September / 12 au 16 septembre Whitehorse, Yukon

SAR North of 60˚ / R & S au delà du 60˚ parallèle!

SCARSCENE 2001 SCARSCéNE 2001

12-16 September 12-au 16 septembre Mount MacIntyre Recreation Centre Whitehorse, Yukon Centre sportif de Mount MacIntyre Whitehorse, Yukon Including the SARSCENE Games and theannual trade show. Comprenant les Jeux de SARSCENE et le salon commercial annuel.

For more information contact: Pour plus de renseignements:

National Search and Rescue Secretariat Secrétariat national, Recherche et sauvetage Tel.: 1 800 727-9414 or (613) 992-8215 Tél.: 1 800 727-9414 ou (613) 992-8215 Fax: (613) 996-3746 Téléc: (613) 996-3746 E-mail: [email protected] C. électronique: [email protected] Westmark Whitehorse Hotel Hôtel Westmark Whitehorse 2nd and Wood Streets 2nd and Wood Streets Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 3T3 Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 3T3

Reservations: Réservations: Local: (867) 393-9700 Localement: (867) 393-9700 Fax: (867) 668-2789 Téléc: (867) 668-2789 Central (Canada/U.S.): 1 800 544-0970 Central (Canada et É.-U.): 1 800 544-0970 www.westmarkhotels.com www.westmarkhotels.com

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