number 156 | November 2013 bulletin → space for europe European Space Agency The European Space Agency was formed out of, and took over the rights and The ESA headquarters are in Paris. obligations of, the two earlier European space organisations – the European Space Research Organisation (ESRO) and the European Launcher Development The major establishments of ESA are: Organisation (ELDO). The Member States are Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands. Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Canada is a Cooperating State. ESOC, Darmstadt, Germany. In the words of its Convention: the purpose of the Agency shall be to provide for ESRIN, Frascati, Italy. and to promote, for exclusively peaceful purposes, cooperation among European States in space research and technology and their space applications, with a view ESAC, Madrid, Spain. to their being used for scientific purposes and for operational space applications systems: EAC, Cologne, Germany. → by elaborating and implementing a long-term European space policy, by ECSAT, Harwell, United Kingdom. recommending space objectives to the Member States, and by concerting the policies of the Member States with respect to other national and international ESA Redu, Belgium. organisations and institutions; → by elaborating and implementing activities and programmes in the space field; → by coordinating the European space programme and national programmes, and by integrating the latter progressively and as completely as possible into the European Chairman of the Council: space programme, in particular as regards the development of applications Johann-Dietrich Wörner satellites; → by elaborating and implementing the industrial policy appropriate to its programme Vice-Chairs: and by recommending a coherent industrial policy to the Member States. Enrico Saggese and David Parker The Agency is directed by a Council composed of representatives of the Member Director General: States. The Director General is the chief executive of the Agency and its legal Jean-Jacques Dordain representative. ← On cover: Swarm is ESA’s first Earth observation constellation of satellites, launched on 22 November from Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia. The three Swarm satellites will help us to unravel one of the most mysterious aspects of our planet: its magnetic field (ESA/P. Carril) → contents 12 number 156 | November 2013 02 18 The ESA Bulletin is an ESA Communications production. Published by: ESA Communication Department ESTEC, PO Box 299 2200 AG Noordwijk The Netherlands Tel: +31 71 565 3408 Email: [email protected] Editor 28 34 46 Carl Walker THE FIRST: SPACELAB AND ULF MERBOLD Design Emiliana Colucci A history of US/European cooperation in space Giada Gasperoni (Taua) Carl Walker → 02 Organisation FIFTEEN YEARS IN ORBIT www.esa.int/credits ISS anniversaries celebrated Carl Walker → 12 The ESA Bulletin is published by the European Space Agency. Individual articles may be reprinted provided WAKING ROSETTA the credit line reads ‘Reprinted from On the eve of one of ESA’s most ambitious missions ESA Bulletin’, plus date of issue. Fred Jansen et al → 18 Reprinted signed articles must bear the authors’ names. ESA’S LATEST BRIGHT STAR Developments in the Vega launcher programme ESA and the ESA logo are trademarks Renato Lafranconi & Miguel Lopez → 28 of the European Space Agency. Images copyright ESA unless stated GALILEO’S EARTH otherwise. Permission to reproduce The Galileo ground segment or distribute material identified as copyright of a third party must be Sean Blair → 34 obtained from the copyright owner concerned. THE MAKING OF A PILLOWNAUT European bedrest studies Julien Harrod → 46 Copyright © 2013 NEWS IN BRIEF → 54 European Space Agency PROGRAMMES IN PROGRESS → 60 ISSN 0376-4265 | e-ISSN 1608-4713 PUBLICATIONS → 84 communications → THE FIRST: SPACELAB AND ULF MERBOLD A history of US/European cooperation in space Carl Walker Communication Department, ESTEC, Noordwijk, the Netherlands 2 www.esa.int spacelab → ESA’s Spacelab-1 in orbit in the payload bay of Shuttle Columbia (NASA) European Space Agency | Bulletin 156 | November 2013 3 Thirty years ago, in November 1983, the first orbit. Not only have Spacelab experiments made a major European-built Spacelab was launched on board contribution to space science research, but also the knowledge communications Space Shuttle Columbia. Also on board was ESA’s and expertise gained by both ESA and NASA during the first astronaut, marking ESA’s entry into human Spacelab missions has made a significant contribution to spaceflight activities. today’s International Space Station programme. On what was only the ninth Shuttle mission STS-9, Spacelab-1 The beginning: 1969-73 was launched on 28 November 1983 at 11:00 local time from Kennedy Space Center, Florida. As well as the maiden flight of NASA had reached the Moon, with Apollo proving that the Spacelab, this was a landmark flight in other ways: one of the boldest goals could be achieved. However, to conduct post- crew was German ESA astronaut Ulf Merbold, the first non- Apollo programmes within reasonable budget limits, a new American astronaut to fly on the Space Shuttle. vehicle was needed to carry astronauts and cargo into space, without throwing away hundreds of million dollars per flight. The six-member crew was also the largest of any manned space mission at the time. They were: John W. Young, Europe, then represented by the European Launcher commander, a veteran Apollo astronaut with five previous Development Organisation (ELDO) and European Space flights; Brewster Shaw, pilot; Owen Garriott and Robert Research Organisation (ESRO), the precursors of today’s ESA, Parker, both mission specialists; and Byron Lichtenberg was invited to take part in early studies in 1969. ELDO began and Ulf Merbold. Lichtenberg was a researcher at the developing a concept for a reusable ‘space tug’ to ferry cargo Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Working in two from low to geostationary orbits and beyond, but NASA teams of three, this crew worked 12-hour shifts, allowing for eventually turned to US expendable ‘kick stages’ for this role. 24-hour operations for the first time on a Shuttle flight. By January 1972, the US President had approved NASA’s next After completing 166 orbits of the Earth, in just over 10 days, space programme, the pillar of which would be the first Columbia landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California reusable launch system: the Space Transportation System on 8 December. During Spacelab-1, over 70 scientific (STS) – otherwise known as the ‘Space Shuttle’. However, the experiments were conducted in a variety of fields including Space Station was delayed for an undetermined period, and astronomy, solar physics, space plasma physics, Earth offers of collaboration with Europe were restricted as well, observation, material science, technology and life sciences. with the European space tug’s future also uncertain. Still, ESRO continued to work on a ‘sortie module’ to be flown in Between 1983 and 1998, Spacelab modules flew on the Space the Shuttle’s cargo bay, intended to help in performing space Shuttle a total of 22 times, representing some 244 days in science, applications and technology activities. ← The STS-9/Spacelab-1 crew: Owen Garriott, Byron Lichtenberg, Brewster Shaw, John Young, Ulf Merbold and Bob Parker (NASA) 4 www.esa.int spacelab → ↑ Concept for the Shuttle and the European ‘sortie laboratory’ (NASA) Even though everyone agreed that this space laboratory It was agreed that the laboratory was an essential part of could be built in Europe, this choice reflected some of the the US Space Transportation System but NASA was adamant concerns of NASA in cooperation with other countries: the that its construction would not guarantee any preferential laboratory had to be self-funded, separable from the Shuttle, treatment in the use of the Shuttle; countries participating and even though it was an integral part of the post-Apollo in the development of the laboratory would only have a programme, it should not require the transfer of highly priority right to use it but would be entitled to appoint crew advanced technical information. members for its flights. But in Europe, the choice whether to accept the American NASA would retain overall responsibility for the total invitation had a much wider significance. Spacelab, as it programme and the last word in such vital areas as would be called in Europe from 1973, would begin a new Shuttle/laboratory interfaces, quality control and safety. approach to the utilisation of space, whose underlying In particular, NASA wanted to be able to assess the principle was to support life in space for a long periods. ESRO’s efficiency of the management plan proposed by ESRO Director General, Alexander Hocker, said, “Spacelab was the for the Spacelab and stressed the necessity for a ‘unitary indispensable element to transform the Shuttle into a first- management agency’ on the European side. generation Space Station.” Meanwhile, in Europe… Soon after the decision to focus on a sortie laboratory, a NASA technical team visited ESTEC in Noordwijk in June 1972 to share The approval of a cooperative Spacelab programme was the information acquired through previous NASA studies. This last stage of long and complex negotiations on European would help ESA to assess what financial and technical resources participation in the US post-Apollo programme. At the time would be required for Europe to develop the laboratory. In the though, Spacelab was only one of several major concerns meantime, diplomatic contacts began to plan the cooperation. of European Member States, these being the future organisational nature of Europe in space, in particular the In August 1972, a meeting between the European Space impending liquidation of ELDO, as well as uncertainties Conference Secretariat and NASA was held in Washington about a new launcher capable of meeting all European DC to discuss the content of agreements on the laboratory.