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David Southwood: “Aebetan ESAko zientzia-zuzendaria David Southwood: “AEBetan ELKARRIZKETA NASA interes nazionalarekin lotzen dute. ESArekin ez da hori gertatzen” Eider Carton Virto Elhuyar Europako Espazio Agentzia (ESA) ez da Estatu Batuetako NASA bezain ezaguna eta indartsua, baina pixkana-pixkana leku garrantzitsua hartu du munduko espazio-agentzien artean. 25 urte badira dagoeneko sortu zela eta hainbat proiektu arrakastatsu gauzatu ditu geroztik: Eguzkia ikertzeko SOHO behatokia eta unibertsoaren mugak zelatatzeko XMM-Newton behatokia, esaterako, edota orain lanean ari den ESA Cluster II misioa. David Southwood doktoreak Europako Espazio Agentziako zientzia- David Southwood 1945eko ekainaren 30ean jaio zen Britainia Handian. Londresko Imperial College-an Matematikan -zuzendariaren kargua estreinatu berri du eta lizentziatu zen lehenik eta Fisikako doktoretza egin zuen gero. agentziaren etorkizunari buruz hitz egin dio Bere karreraren zati gehiena Imperial College-an egin du eta 1997an ESAn sartu zen Lurra Behatzeko Programaren Elhuyarri. estrategia-arduradun gisa. Urteak daramatza espazioko zientzia gizarteratzeko ahaleginetan eta ESAko zuzendari orokorrak adierazi duenez, espazioko zientzian Europak duen aditu garrantzitsuenetakoa da. Magnetosfera ikertzea ohikoa ez zen garaian hura ikertzen ibili zinen. Zer du berezia Lurra eta Eguzkia- ren arteko eskualde horrek? Magnetosfera kanpo-espazioak eta Lurrak bat egiten Magnetosfera ikertzea helburu duen Cluster II misioa duten lekua da eta, han, Eguzkia, Lurra eta Lurraren lanean ari da. Zein da misio horren garrantzia? Zeren atmosferaren arteko elkarrekintzak beha daitezke. bila ari da? Zer espero da misio horretatik? Magnetosfera ikusezina da ia-ia eta hura detektatzeko modu bakarra magnetosfera zeharkatzen ari garela neur- ketak egitea da. Informazioa puntuz puntu jasotzen da eta ondoren zientzialariek irudimena erabili behar dute infor- mazio horrekin espazioan gertatzen denaren hiru dimen- tsioko irudia osatzeko. Cluster II misioak magnetosferaren 14 E LHUYAR. 2001 MAIATZA ELKARRIZKETA hiru dimentsioko irudia egiaztatzeko prestatu den lehen misioa da. Neurketak hiru dimentsiotan egiten ditu, neur- keta puntu batean bakarrik eginez gero, ezin baitaitezke “zientzia-esparru mugitu ahala espazioan eta denboran gertatzen diren askotan aldaketak bereizi. Cluster II denboraren eta espazioaren aurrerapenak ziurgabetasuna saihesteko diseinatu da. ekarriko ditu. [ Dena dela, izarrak ] Esaten duzunez, orain 30 urte ez zenuen imajinatu ere denborarekin aldatu egiten noizbait Baikonur-ko jaurtiketa-gunean egongo zinenik eta, are gutxiago, Cluster II misioaren espa- egiten dira” zioratzea gertatuko zenik. ESAko zientzia-zuzendari izango zinela inoiz pasa al zitzaizun burutik? Mutiko nintzelarik, espazioarekin egiten nuen amets, bai- na ez nuen inoiz imajinatu espazioa ikertzeaz arduratuko dira misioak agertokian, baina geroago iristen dira ager- nintzenik eta are gutxiago Europak espazioa ikertzeko tokiaren erdigunera, zientzia-gaietan berrikuntzak ekar- duen erakunde nagusiaren arduradun izango nintzenik. tzeko gaitasun osoa martxan dutenean, alegia. Une haue- Inork mutiko hari etorkizunean gertatuko zitzaiona iraga- tan, esaterako, ikaragarrizkoak iruditzen zaizkigu duela rri izan balio, zur eta lur utziko zukeen. Izan ere, zientzian bost urte espazioratutako SOHO behatokiak Eguzkiari egin nituen lehen urratsak zorizkoak izan ziren hein han- buruz erakutsitakoak. Batetik, Eguzkiaren azalean gerta- di batean, nahiz eta azken urteetan ESAko zientzia- tzen diren gertakari bortitzak zehaztasunez ikertzeko auke- -zuzendari izatea posible zirudien. ra eman du SOHOk, eta, bestetik, helioseismologiaz balia- tuz, Eguzkiaren bihotza behatu ahal izan da, haren barne- ESAk misio-programa zabal eta mamitsua du hurren- -egitura ezagutzeko. Cluster II misioak ere potentzial osoa go urteetarako. Zein dira izarrak? laster erakutsiko duela espero dut. Bestalde, duela urte- Europa hain da handia, ezen zientzia-sektore guztiak lan- bete jaurtitako XMM-Newton behatokia X izpiak erabil- du behar badira ere, guztiak aldi berean egitea ezinezkoa tzen ari da unibertsoaren mugetan gertatzen direnak era- den. Horregatik, programa oso zabala da eta 10 urteko kusteko. epean, demagun, zientzia-esparru askotan aurrerapenak ekarriko ditu. Dena dela, izarrak denborarekin aldatu egi- ten dira. Aktoreek bezala, espazioratzen direnean sartzen ESA XMM-Newton behatokia. X izpien bidez, unibertsoaren mugetan gertatzen dena ikusten du. E LHUYAR. 165. ZK. 15 marekin, Estatu Batuetako militarren esku dago erabat. “zientziak egungo Europak independente izateko martxan jarritako sistema gizarte garatu propioak, hortaz, erabaki politikoa izan behar du nahitaez. modernoen Hain zuzen, duela hilabete batzuk “Europako Bata- [ oinarrietan dauden ] sunarentzat Espazio Agentziarantz” txostena plaza- sormenari eta ratu zen. Bertan, ESAren jarduera zientifikoaren eta osasunari eusten dio” Europako interes politiko, estrategiko eta ekonomi- koaren arteko lotura sendotu beharra azpimarratu ELKARRIZKETA zuten. Zer deritzozu horri? Erabat ados nago txostenean esandakoekin. Europako Besteak beste, Galileo proiektua martxan jarriko nazioak, batera jardunda, askoz indartsuagoak dira bakoi- duzue, Estatu Batuetako GPS sarearen pareko sare tza bere aldetik arituta baino. Zientziak egungo gizarte europarra. Estatu Batuekiko mendekotasuna gaindi- garatu modernoen oinarrietan dauden sormenari eta osa- tzea omen da helburua. Ez al da erabaki zientifikoa sunari eusten dio. baino gehiago erabaki politikoa? Egia esan proiektu hori ez dago nire ardurapean, Claudio ESAri Europako interes politiko eta ekonomikoekin Mastracci ESAko aplikazioetarako zuzendariaren esku bai- gehiago engaiatzea eskatzen zaio, baina, Europako zik. Eta hark kudeatutako guztiak bezala, Galileo ez da edu- herrialdeak behar adina engaiatzen al dira ESAren ki zientifiko handiko proiektua, aplikazio praktikoetara bide- proiektuetan? ratutako proiektua da, eta halabeharrezkoa du osagai poli- Bai. Nazionalismoak osasuntsuak eta naturalak dira hein tikoa. Une hauetan, satelite bidezko nabigazioa, GPS siste- batean, baina Europako programekiko konpromisoa nahi- ESAren proiektu nagusiak SOHO espazioko behatokia: 1995ean teak Lurraren magnetosfera ikertzen ari Mars Express: 2003ko ekainean abiatu- espazioratu zuten eta Eguzkia ikertzen dira. ko da Marterantz, 2003ko abenduan iri- ari da geroztik. NASArekin batera egin- tsiko da eta Beagle 2 robota utziko du Rossetta: 2003an jaurtiko dute espazio- dako proiektua da. Harri esker, Eguzkiari -ontzi hau eta Jupiter inguruan dagoen Marten. Gero, Marteren inguruan orbi- buruz inoiz baino gehiago jakin da. 46P/Wirtanen kometa ikertuko du. 2011n tatuko du. XMM-Newton espazioko behatokia: egingo du topo kometarekin eta bi urtez BepiColombo: Merkurio planeta ikertu- 1999an espazioratu zuten. Espazioko X ikertuko du. ko du espazio-ontzi honek eta 2009an izpien iturriak ikertzen ditu eta zulo bel- jaurtiko dute. Japoniarekin batera egin- Herschel-First espazioko behatokia: tzen eta galaxien arteko materiari buruz go da proiektua. 2007an espazioratuko da. Unibertsoan argibide asko lortu ditu. sortu ziren lehen galaxiek utzitako zabo- GAIA espazioko behatokia: 2012an es- Cluster II: 2000n espazioratu zituzten rrak behatzeko gai izango da, orain ezi- pazioratuko da eta gure galaxiaren kon- Tango, Sanba, Rumba eta Salsa sateli- nezkoa dena. posizioa, eraketa eta eboluzioa ikertuko ditu. LISA espazioko behatokia: Grabitazio- -uhinak aztertuko dituen lehen behato- kia izango da. NASArekin batera presta- tu da proiektua eta oraindik ez da jaur- tiketa-data zehaztu. NGST, hurrengo belaunaldiko espazio- -teleskopioa: 2009an jaurtiko da. Hubble- -ren ordezkoa izango da eta FIRSTekin batera unibertsoko galaxiarik zaharre- nak ikertuko ditu. NASArekin lankidetzan egingo da. Solar Orbiter: SOHOren ordezkoa izango da eta Eguzkia ikertzen segituko du. Jaur- ESA tiketa-data ez da zehaztu. Cluster II misioko bi satelite. 16 E LHUYAR. 2001 MAIATZA ELKARRIZKETA taezkoa da Europako Espazio Agentzian parte hartzen Herschel-First espazioko duten guztien aldetik. Banakortasunaren eta taldearen behatokia 2007an arteko oreka behar-beharrezkoa da. jaurtiko da. Bestalde, ESAz hitz egiten den bakoitzean, ezinbes- tean alderatzen da NASArekin. Zer behar du ESAk NASAren mamua uxatzeko? Uxatzea beharrezkoa izatekotan. Zein dira bien arteko berdintasunak eta desberdintasunak? Desberdintasun handienetako bat aurrekontua da. Kalku- latzeko moduaren arabera, hainbat konparaketa egin dai- tezke, baina analisi guztietan ondorioztatzen da Estatu Batuek Europak baino 5-7 bider gehiago gastatzen dute- la espazioan. Eta hori datu objektiboa da. Hala ere, badi- ra beste desberdintasun batzuk. Estatubatuarrek NASA interes nazionalarekin identifikatzen dute ezbairik gabe. ESArekin, ordea, ez da hori gertatzen. Nahiz eta Europa- ESA ko herriek elkarrekin nola lan egin dezaketen erakusten duen adibide bikaina izan eta nazioek eurek bakarrik lor ezin ditzaketen helburuak batera lortu ditzaketela berres- Martera joatea eta Ilargira itzultzea kontrajarriak al ten duen, Europako hiritarrak ez dira oraindik Europarekin daude? identifikatzen eta, beraz, ezta ESArekin ere. Ez, ez daude kontrajarriak. Orduan, zergatik ahaztu dugu Ilargia? Robotikaren ikuspuntutik Marte oso helburu garrantzitsua delako pizten du hainbeste interes. Hala ere, Ilargira itzul- “Martera bidaia tzea merezi du. Epe luzera garatu nahi den bidaia tripula- tripulatu bat egiteko tuen estrategiari begira, Martera bidaia tripulatu bat egi- erdibideko
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