ESA exhibition at IAC 2010, Prague, Czech Republic

The IAC is organised by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) and its associates, the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) and the International Institute of Space Law (IISL). This year the local organiser is the Czech Space Office.

IAC is the world's premier international space gathering, attracting about 3000 high-level delegates and bringing together space agencies, industry, decision makers, business developers, academic researchers and students from all over the world. 1600 papers will be presented within a rich and varied technical programme.

The exhibition will be in a prime location within the Prague Congress Centre near the main sessions. ESA will exhibit on the second floor with an area of 70 m2. Stunning space images, first data and models of upcoming missions will be shown to inform visitors about today’s European space programmes.

The ESA exhibition entitled “Space for Earth”, is organised around the following main themes: Understanding our planet; Global communications; Galileo, Europe’s satellite navigation system; Launchers from Europe’s Spaceport; ISS, science and technology in orbit; Looking deep into the Universe and Exploring the Solar System. This choice is in line with the IAC theme, underlining how access to space brings many benefits, from knowledge of our Solar System, better navigation and telecommunication systems, to satellites and platforms to monitor our environment.

Understanding our planet is an area dedicated to Earth science, its environment and security. Visitors will see the latest results of the Earth Explorers and a model of Cryosat-2 launched in 2010; and they can learn more about the EU-led GMES initiative, Global Monitoring for Environment and Security.

Displays dedicated to Global communications and Galileo, Europe’s satellite navigation system, show how satellites improve the quality of our daily life. Special emphasis is given to the coming launches: Hylas, a communications satellite for broadband services and the first In-orbit Validation satellites for Galileo.

Ariane 5 together with Vega and Soyuz will be a central feature of the exhibition. These three launchers will soon all be launched from Europe’s Spaceport.

Science and Technology in orbit focuses on Europe’s contribution to the International Space Station (ISS), in particular showing experiments in materials science, human physiology, plant biology, solar science and Earth’s observation; and on future European astronaut missions. A model of the second Automated Transfer Vehicle, named Johannes Kepler, will also be exhibited.

Looking deep into the Universe allows visitors to learn more about ESA’s space missions beyond the visible. Herschel and Planck are observing the sky at wavelengths never covered before. Since of their launch in 2009 they are providing unrivalled insights on the origins and evolution the stars, galaxies and the cosmos.

An overview of European missions exploring the Solar System include recent images of Venus and asteroid Lutetia. A simulated Mars terrain will feature scale models of the three European elements of the ESA-NASA ExoMars programme signed in 2009: the Trace Gas Orbiter with the Entry, Descent and Landing Demonstrator Module in 2016; and the first European rover in 2018.

A full programme of plenary sessions and highlight lectures open to the public at IAC 2010 covers activities, from research on the ISS to the Global Positioning System, from the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence to Chandrayaan-1's discovery of water on the Moon.

During the week visitors can meet ESA specialists on the exhibition stand. A detailed programme of dedicated information sessions will be published with the next few days. The exhibition is open to the public on Friday, October 1, from 14.00 to 17.00.

For further information, please contact:

Maria Menendez
Head of Exhibition Office
Communication and Knowledge Department
Tel.: + 33 1 5369 7167
e-mail: Maria.Menendez@esa.int