III. Metallurgy: The proposed French metallurgy programme for Spacelab

1978 ◽  
Vol 361 (1705) ◽  
pp. 165-174 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Crystal Growth ◽  
Preliminary Analysis ◽  
European Space Agency ◽  
Government Agencies ◽  
Zero Gravity ◽  
Industrial Community ◽  
Space Agency ◽  
Space Experiments ◽  
The Government ◽  
High Level

The call for ideas for the first Spacelab payload issued from the European Space Agency (E.S.A.) obtained in France a fairly high level of success from the government agencies but almost no answers from the industrial community. This situation, which arose despite knowledge of some early but very promising results of the first space experiments, seems to be correlated with the absence of any guarantee about the future Law of Space, and consequently has orientated the French metallurgy experiments to more academic and less applied speculations. We shall describe the actions of the French Space Agency (C.N.E.S.) to decide which experiments would be officially supported by C.N.E.S. if accepted by E.S.A. In the particular field of metallurgy, six proposals were so selected which have been proposed to E.S.A. for the first Spacelab payload. We shall present the arguments which defended those proposals and as a function of the preliminary analysis of some similar U.S. experiments we shall try to detect some of the possible difficulties in performing them and to foresee the main results which we expect. Special emphasis will be laid on the thermodiffusion and nucleation experiments, the study of which is basic for many crystal growth or metallurgy experiments in a zero-gravity environment.

Benefits of Using Innovative Tools for Diagnostics and Planning in ESA Mission Operations

2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (8) ◽  
pp. 1159-1166
Author(s):  
Alessandro Donati ◽  
◽  
Jose Antonio Martinez-Heras ◽  
Nicola Policella
Keyword(s):  
European Space Agency ◽  
Mission Planning ◽  
Huge Amount ◽  
Planning And Scheduling ◽  
Space Operations ◽  
Space Agency ◽  
Level Information ◽  
High Level ◽  
Mission Operations ◽  
Operational Impact

Future European Space Agency (ESA) space missions are demanding and driving new operations concepts for increased on-board autonomy, for flexible and robust planning and scheduling services, and for ground capabilities to agglomerate and process a huge amount of downlinked data (e.g., tens of thousands of telemetry parameters) to extract high-level information and knowledge. Mission control will have to cope with maintaining and programming challenging missions such as interplanetary probes, complex scientific missions, and a constellation of earth-observation missions. The process of innovation in these areas is already progressing at the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) of the ESA, and this paper highlights specific achievements and trends in the area of spacecraft diagnosis and mission planning and scheduling by making use of a variety of technologies and techniques. The discussion then focuses on the tools’ operational impact and on the expected trends in the future.

scholarly journals Gaia: Surveying Heavens

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-23
Author(s):  
Nidhi Sabu ◽  
Thomaskutty Francis ◽  
Arun Roy ◽  
Sreeja S Kartha
Keyword(s):  
Preliminary Analysis ◽  
European Space Agency ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Be Stars ◽  
Distance Measurements ◽  
Gaia Dr1 ◽  
Space Agency ◽  
Data Release

In this paper we attempt to study an ongoing astrometry mission of the European Space Agency (ESA), named Gaia, whose aim is to make the largest and most precise three-dimensional map of our Galaxy. We present the scientific goals of Gaia and give a brief description of the spacecraft. We also present a preliminary analysis of comparing distance estimates of Be stars from the first Gaia data release, Gaia DR1, and Hipparcos mission. From our analysis, we confirm that Gaia stands out as a promising mission in terms of the distance measurements when compared to Hipparcos, particularly for distances greater than 1 kpc.

scholarly journals Portable Haptic Arm Exoskeleton

Robotics ◽  
2013 ◽  
pp. 559-581
Author(s):  
Pierre Letier ◽  
André Preumont
Keyword(s):  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
European Space Agency ◽  
Space Station ◽  
Zero Gravity ◽  
Robotic Arms ◽  
Contact Points ◽  
Space Agency ◽  
Human Arm ◽  
Internal Forces ◽  
Master Device

This chapter describes a seven degree of freedom force-reflective device able to produce haptic rendering on the human arm, either as master for teleoperation of a slave robot, or in interaction with a virtual reality. This project was conducted on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA) as a prototype of the master device used for teleoperation of future anthropomorphic space robotic arms on the International Space Station (ISS). The motivation is to decrease the number of extravehicular activities of the astronauts, even for complex situations. The structure of portable anthropomorphic exoskeleton of 7 degrees of freedom has been selected by ESA because it allows a more intuitive control of anthropomorphic slave arms; it also allows multiple contact points, offers a larger workspace (comparable to the human arm). Besides, being attached on the astronaut, the system involves only internal forces (it is self-equilibrated) and can be used in zero-gravity.

Portable Haptic Arm Exoskeleton

2012 ◽  
pp. 122-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Letier ◽  
André Preumont
Keyword(s):  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
European Space Agency ◽  
Space Station ◽  
Zero Gravity ◽  
Robotic Arms ◽  
Contact Points ◽  
Space Agency ◽  
Human Arm ◽  
Internal Forces ◽  
Master Device

This chapter describes a seven degree of freedom force-reflective device able to produce haptic rendering on the human arm, either as master for teleoperation of a slave robot, or in interaction with a virtual reality. This project was conducted on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA) as a prototype of the master device used for teleoperation of future anthropomorphic space robotic arms on the International Space Station (ISS). The motivation is to decrease the number of extravehicular activities of the astronauts, even for complex situations. The structure of portable anthropomorphic exoskeleton of 7 degrees of freedom has been selected by ESA because it allows a more intuitive control of anthropomorphic slave arms; it also allows multiple contact points, offers a larger workspace (comparable to the human arm). Besides, being attached on the astronaut, the system involves only internal forces (it is self-equilibrated) and can be used in zero-gravity.

scholarly journals Gravitational Experimental Platform for Animal Models, a New Platform at ESA’s Terrestrial Facilities to Study the Effects of Micro- and Hypergravity on Aquatic and Rodent Animal Models

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 2961
Author(s):  
Julie Bonnefoy ◽  
Stéphanie Ghislin ◽  
Jérôme Beyrend ◽  
Florence Coste ◽  
Gaetano Calcagno ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Models ◽  
European Space Agency ◽  
Hindlimb Unloading ◽  
Aquatic Animal ◽  
Altered Gravity ◽  
Cellular Mechanisms ◽  
Experimental Platform ◽  
Space Agency ◽  
Space Experiments ◽  
Specific Pathogen

Using rotors to expose animals to different levels of hypergravity is an efficient means of understanding how altered gravity affects physiological functions, interactions between physiological systems and animal development. Furthermore, rotors can be used to prepare space experiments, e.g., conducting hypergravity experiments to demonstrate the feasibility of a study before its implementation and to complement inflight experiments by comparing the effects of micro- and hypergravity. In this paper, we present a new platform called the Gravitational Experimental Platform for Animal Models (GEPAM), which has been part of European Space Agency (ESA)’s portfolio of ground-based facilities since 2020, to study the effects of altered gravity on aquatic animal models (amphibian embryos/tadpoles) and mice. This platform comprises rotors for hypergravity exposure (three aquatic rotors and one rodent rotor) and models to simulate microgravity (cages for mouse hindlimb unloading and a random positioning machine (RPM)). Four species of amphibians can be used at present. All murine strains can be used and are maintained in a specific pathogen-free area. This platform is surrounded by numerous facilities for sample preparation and analysis using state-of-the-art techniques. Finally, we illustrate how GEPAM can contribute to the understanding of molecular and cellular mechanisms and the identification of countermeasures.

Harry Elliot CBE. 28 June 1920 — 5 July 2009

2011 ◽  
Vol 57 ◽  
pp. 97-127
Author(s):  
David Southwood
Keyword(s):  
Cosmic Rays ◽  
European Space Agency ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Space Science ◽  
Space Research ◽  
Royal Air Force ◽  
International Geophysical Year ◽  
Space Agency ◽  
The Uk ◽  
High Level

Harry Elliot, a pioneer of British space science and known worldwide for his work on cosmic rays, passed away in July 2009. Coming from a farming family in the Anglo-Scottish borders, he entered Manchester University at the outbreak of war. After service in the Coastal Command of the Royal Air Force, he returned to Manchester to work with Patrick Blackett on the origin of primary cosmic rays, a scientific pursuit he followed for the rest of his career. In 1954 he moved with Blackett to Imperial College. After playing an important part in the International Geophysical Year, the dawn of the space age gave him the opportunity to be the originator of one of the major British space research groups. Subsequently, through his long-standing service at high level in the UK Science Research Council, the European Space Research Organisation and the European Space Agency, he played an important part in steering the development of British astronomical facilities as well as the evolution of European space science.

scholarly journals NASA WorldWind: virtual globe for an open smart city

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria A Brovelli ◽  
Candan E Kilsedar ◽  
Patrick J Hogan ◽  
Gabriele Prestifilippo ◽  
Giorgo Zamboni
Keyword(s):  
Open Source ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
European Space Agency ◽  
Government Agencies ◽  
Interesting Application ◽  
Virtual Globe ◽  
Web Framework ◽  
Space Agency ◽  
Open Source Framework ◽  
The Web

In this paper, we first present the open source framework NASA WorldWind. NASA WorldWind comes with two versions. The Java version is well established in the market and has many customers. There is now a new Web version, Web WorldWind, with many of the same features implemented and is already being used by government agencies, the European Space Agency having standardized on it. We describe here some of the features available in the Web framework. Additionally, we show an interesting application developed with NASA WorldWind and the possibilities it offers in the field of smart cities. Moreover, we illustrate some of the opportunities that this framework provides and the direction the community of people interested in open source for smart cities are following.

scholarly journals The 2020 Italian Spring Lockdown: A Multidisciplinary Analysis over the Milan Urban Area

World ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 391-414
Author(s):  
Maurizio Migliaccio ◽  
Andrea Buono ◽  
Ila Maltese ◽  
Margherita Migliaccio
Keyword(s):  
Human Life ◽  
European Space Agency ◽  
Social Changes ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Sustainable Mobility ◽  
Pollution Levels ◽  
Space Agency ◽  
Multidisciplinary Analysis ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Government

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected human life worldwide and forced the implementation of lockdown periods in order to reduce the physical interactions of people. Italy has been heavily affected by a large number of deaths. The government had to impose a long lockdown period during the spring of 2020. In this paper, we provide a critical analysis of the 2020 Italian spring lockdown (ISL) through observation of the spatiotemporal NOx pattern differences in connection with the social changes imposed by such restrictions. Different freely available sources of information are used: European Space Agency (ESA) TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) measurements, ground-based measurements, and model estimates. The results show high NOx pollution levels, even during the lockdown, that suggest new approaches to sustainable mobility policies.

scholarly journals How Do Astronaut Candidate Profiles Differ From Airline Pilot Profiles?

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Maschke ◽  
Viktor Oubaid ◽  
Yvonne Pecena
Keyword(s):  
Phase 1 ◽  
European Space Agency ◽  
Interpersonal Behavior ◽  
Performance Tests ◽  
Phase 2 ◽  
The Third ◽  
Airline Pilot ◽  
Space Agency ◽  
Scientific Experiments ◽  
High Level

Sixteen years after the second Europe-wide astronaut selection campaign, the European Space Agency started the third campaign by putting out a call for new astronauts in 2008. Due to extreme environmental conditions, expensive scientific experiments, and high public interest, not only are the psychological requirements on a high level, but they are also wide in variety: Besides cognitive and psychomotor requirements, greater importance than in comparable campaigns was put on personality and behavioral aspects, especially regarding interpersonal aspects. The psychological selection was conducted in two steps: Phase 1 concentrated mainly on performance tests and Phase 2 focused on personality and interpersonal behavior. Out of the 902 tested candidates, 46 fulfilled the psychological requirements. Significant differences were found between the astronaut candidates and the general population as well as airline pilot candidates.

Animal experiments: Biological experiments in Spacelab

1977 ◽  
Vol 199 (1137) ◽  
pp. 479-483 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
European Space Agency ◽  
Animal Experiments ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Zero Gravity ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Space Agency ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Cooperative Project

Towards the end of 1980 the first Spacelab will be launched. It represents the culmination of a major cooperative project between the nations subscribing to the European Space Agency and N. A. S. A. The Spacelab module contains a laboratory inside which a wide range of experiments can be carried out in an environment which, apart from the absence of gravity, is not unlike that of a terrestrial laboratory. From the point of view of the life scientist it represents an opportunity to carry out experiments to investigate the effect of zero gravity or modu­lated gravity on biological preparations including man. The first mission will last seven days, but subsequent missions planned for the decade 1980-1990 may last up to thirty days. The purpose of the paper is to introduce participants to the facilities which are available in Spacelab and to explain the procedure by which experiments may be proposed. There is also a discussion of the present funding arrangements in the United Kingdom.

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