Gaia Science : Unlocking the Milky Way
Date: Mon, Dec 16, 2013 | 07:30 - 07:45 GMT | 08:30 - 08:45 CET
Replay: Mon, Dec 16, 2013 | 16:00 - 16:15 GMT | 17:00 - 17:15 CET
Type: ESA TV Exchange
Format: 16:9
ESA’s billion-star surveyor, Gaia, is set to embark on a five-year mission to map the stars with unprecedented precision.
Gaia is currently scheduled for launch on board the legendary Soyuz rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana at 09:12 GMT on Thursday 19th December 2013.
Gaia is a dedicated Astrometry satellite that will map a billion stars of our Milky Way, unlocking the structure and history of our galaxy.
Gaia will have 3 instruments on-board that will allow it to map the sky in unprecedented detail. An astrometric instrument will measure the position of stars, while a photometer will deduce the temperature and chemical composition of celestial objects by analysing their colour spectrum. And finally, a spectrometer will measure the speed at which objects are moving towards or away from us. It’s the combination of all three measurements that will enable scientists to get better understanding of the evolution of the Milky Way.
Gaia’s data harvest will be of an almost inconceivable size and is expected to contain the discovery of thousands of new celestial objects including; asteroids, comets, and exoplanets, as well as stars of all ages.
This video explains what the scientific community expects from Gaia. It includes interviews with Giuseppe Sarri, ESA Gaia Project Manager (in English and French), Timo Prusti, ESA Gaia Project Scientist (in English, Dutch and Finnish) and Carmen Jordi, Astronomer, University of Barcelona (in English).
More information at: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Gaia
Preview and download:
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos/2013/11/Gaia_Science_-_unlocking_the_Milky_Way
Script:
EbS94257.docx
Satellite Parameters: Eutelsat 9A at 9 degrees E, transponder 59, downlink frequency 11900.1 horizontally polarised, symbol rate 27,500 FEC 2/3.