CTAE is proud to co-host the 7th International Planetary Probe Workshop
Published June 16, 2010
Over 200 participants from 15 countries are in Barcelona this week exploring the technological challenges and scientific opportunities associated with entry, descent, landing and flight in planetary atmospheres. The 7th International Planetary Probe Workshop (IPPW-7) and the associated Short Course are being held from 12 to 18 June in Barcelona.
On the opening day, NASA’s Chief Technologist Robert Braun presented the opportunities offered by the Agency’s new policy, which benefits from a larger budget and is clearly open to international collaborations. Dr. Braun met in Barcelona with a number of his former colleagues, as he has worked for many years in NASA’s robotic missions to Mars.
ESA’s Huygens Project Scientist Jean-Pierre Lebreton said “At ESA, we are particularly pleased to see the multidisciplinary mix of participants in this workshop, which includes scientists, technologists, engineers, mission designers, policy-makers and students interested in the exploration of solar system bodies”.
Besides ESA and NASA as main sponsors, a number of local hosts including the City of Barcelona and the Barcelona Aeronautics and Space Association are providing generous support to IPPW-7 under the coordination of Ed Chester, CTAE’s Head of R&D, who said “This year we also hosted a highly topical and successful Short Course, which gathered 37 participants at Cosmocaixa over the weekend on the topic of Planetary Protection, and was coached by the NASA and ESA planetary protection officers: it was a great success, as was the night visit to Observatori Fabra to look at Saturn and Titan in the same arrangement they were in 1907 when Titan's atmosphere was discovered using the same facility and equipment.”
A number of UPC and CTAE specialists in planetary science, aerodynamics, autonomy and robotics, are attending the workshop. Spanish industry is also present with companies such as Deimos and GMV. Rodrigo Haya, Head of the Flight Mechanics Division at Deimos Space, said “As regular participants at IPPW, we appreciate the opportunity of discussing future collaborations with our North American partners, as well as learning from colleagues from around the world.”
More details on IPPW-7 can be found at http://www.planetaryprobe.eu/