From: freed@nss.org (Bev Freed)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: European students design satellite
Date: 12 Sep 92 20:51:39 GMT
Organization: The NSS BBS, Pittsburgh PA (412) 366-5208


European Space Agency

31 August 1992

           EUROPEAN STUDENTS DESIGN SATELLITE AT ESTEC

Twenty European technical students from 10 countries - ranging 
from Portugal to Poland -- recently met for a two-week workshop 
to learn how a satellite is designed and built, as a course of 
intensive practical training to supplement their university 
studies.  The workshop took place at ESTEC, the European Space 
Agency's Space Research and Technology Centre, located in 
Noordwijk in The Netherlands, from 3 to 14 August.  

This educational project was initiated and organised by EUROAVIA, 
the European Association of Aerospace Students, with the support 
of ESA and leading aerospace companies throughout Europe.  

The workshop was centered on designing a scientific satellite, 
named ECOWATCHER, which could accomplish a parallel mission 
complementing ESA's future Polar Orbiting Earth Mission (POEM-1) 
in the field of observation of the Earth and its environment.  

Through its main instrument, a SCanning Imaging Absorption 
spectroMeter for Atmospheric CartograpHY, SCIAMACHY for short, 
ECOWATCHER would monitor certain processes in the Earth's 
atmosphere from a 41 degree inclination orbit.  Data collected by 
this instrument on trace gases in the lower layers of the 
atmosphere (the troposphere and stratosphere), will help 
scientists to better understand atmospheric chemistry in the sub- 
and tropical regions of the Earth which are the main drivers of 
the climate of our planet.  

A preliminary design was reached by the end of the workshop.  The 
heavy demands and stringent specifications put forward by the 
scientific community provided a real challenge for all the 
students.  Senior specialists from ESA/ESTEC and aerospace 
companies advised and monitored the 20 very enthusiastic and 
highly motivated students during the two-week seminar.  

Once again ESTEC, ESA's largest establishment with a population 
of 1750 staff from 15 different countries, has served as a focal 
point for the successful integration of people from many 
different cultural and educational backgrounds, and for 
stimulating the young to take up space-related careers in an 
international work environment.  

The workshop was preceded by the EUROAVIA Design Contest, a 
competition open to all European technical students.  The 
participants wrote essays to demonstrate their interest in space 
technology, on topics that ranged from proposals for a scientific 
mini-satellite to studies on extraterrestrial life forms and 
space law matters.  A jury of experts selected the 20 best, and 
their authors were then invited to take part in the workshop.  

The EUROAVIA Design Contest & Workshop 1992 was sponsored by 
ESA/ESTEC, Fokker Space & Systems (NL), DARA (D), Kayser-Threde 
(D), MAN Technologie (D), Dassault Aviation (F), Matra Marconi 
Space (F-GB), the Delft University of Technology (NL), the 
Polytechnic of Haarlem (NL), and the Dutch Space Research 
Organisation SRON (NL).  

EUROAVIA was founded in 1959 and now has 24 local groups in 13 
European countries.  The association is run exclusively by 
aerospace students; its goals are to promote and develop European 
cooperation in the aerospace domain.  
        



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