Highlights from Space Group activities, Ecsite 2022

ESA and the Ecsite Space Group organised a one day pre-conferecne under the theme " Space for Today's challenges" on the 1 June.

On 1 June, ESA and the Ecsite Space Group held a one-day pre-conference titled ‘Space for today’s challenges’. The workshop took place in Heilbronn across two locations - the Bildungscampus of the Dieter Schwarz Foundation and the Science Dome of experimenta, Germany’s largest science centre.
The pre-conference was opened by Catherine Franche, Ecsite Executive Director, who welcomed the participants together with the Space Group co-chairs Maria Menendez,Head of ESA’s Outreach Coordination Office, Christophe Chaffardon (Education, Science and Culture Director at Cité de l’espace, Toulouse, France), Ana Noronha (Executive Director of Ciência Viva, Lisbon, Portugal) Tobias Wolff (Universum Bremen, Germany) and Miriam Atienza (Ciudad de las Artes I las Ciencias, Valencia, Spain).
The event began with a showcase of the latest developments in the space sector coming from ESA and DLR (the German Space Agency). The session also featured presentations on ESA’s top achievements and activities, ranging from the latest ESA communication and education resources to the new ESA merchandising policy.

“From Data to Reality”: how to turn Earth observations data into projects for museums

The session continued with a workshop titled ‘From Data to Reality’. With the support of data and printed satellite images provided by ESA and DLR, the participants divided into groups to share their ideas on how to benefit from Earth Observations data and turn them into activities and projects for science centres and museums.
Participants and European museums shared their questions and thoughts on the subjects that were presented along the day to be better prepared in the activity with the public.
The event continued with the visit and presentation of ESA latest achievements in the impressive Dome of Experimenta science centre.

Conference session: “When art meets space”

On 2 June, the Space Group held a session on the theme ‘When art meets space’. The meeting was opened by the co-chairs of the Space Group Ana Noronha (Executive Director of Ciência Viva, Portugal) and Maria Menendez (Head of ESA’s Outreach Coordination Office).

The three main speakers were: Miriam Atienza (Content manager, Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències ‐ Museu de les Ciències Príncep Felipe); Camilla Rossi‐Linnemann (Development ‐ International Partnership Coordinator, Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia 'Leonardo da Vinci'); Pedro Russo (University Professor Astronomy & Society / Member of the Board of Directors of Ciência Viva, Leiden University & Ciência Viva). The meeting explored how to connect space and the public by creating bridges between space science, art and culture. The discussion focussed on another key challenge for the Ecsite Space Group: how to reach audiences who are not usually interested in science and space topics. Participants from science centres and museums were invited to share their personal experiences and stories related to art, culture, and sciences.

Space Group at the Business Bistro

During the Ecsite Annual Conference, ESA and the Ecsite Space Group also had a stand at the Business Bistro. The booth provided a meeting point to exchange knowledge and resources on ESA and the Ecsite Space Group activities.

What’s next?

The Ecsite Space Group will hold the annual meeting on 30 November -1 December 2022 at Cite’ de l’espace in Toulouse, France. Participants will receive updates on ESA programme and achievements, on the activity of the French space agency CNES (Centre National Étudies Spatiales), and plans made for the Ecsite Annual Conference 2023 in Malta.

For more information about the ECSITE Space Group, please click here.

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