ESA
ASDC is organising regular online meetings across the next two years to bring together space and astronomy public engagement colleagues to explore the latest space news and share ideas on engaging audiences on the most relevant space topics. These community calls are open to all space engagement practitioners, so please share the details with your networks.
Join us for the second Space Community Call on 17th April 12pm-1.30pm
This call will be all about space sustainability and what methods and policies UK Space sector is implementing, including methods for retrieval.
We will also be looking ahead to the launch of BIOMASS. The Biomass mission is designed to deliver crucial information about the state of our forests and how they are changing, and to further our knowledge of the role forests play in the carbon cycle.
We are excited to welcome expert speakers who will share their insights and updates, followed by Q&A to give you the opportunity to tap into their wealth of knowledge and uncover those new and exciting 'best bits' that engage your audiences.
As part of this session there is also the opportunity to share engaging space demos relating to the topics covered and to discuss upcoming events and initiatives relevant for our space engagement community in 2024.
Please register if you would like to attend and share with your colleagues. Registration will close 12pm 16th April.
Keynote Speakers
Vicki Lonnon, Spacecraft Product Assurance Engineer, Airbus
Vicki is the Product Assurance Manager for the Biomass Spacecraft at Airbus Defence and Space. She has been in the industry for almost 18 years joining as part of the Airbus graduate programme after gaining her degree in Physics and Satellite Technology from the University of Surrey. Her career began in Attitude and Orbit Control Systems - designing the “auto-pilots” for spacecraft and in December 2013 her first major contribution to a space mission flew in space when GAIA the world’s largest and most advanced space based camera was launched. Following this she changed roles and joined the Product /Quality Assurance organisation where she has contributed to many of the recent flagship ESA missions that Airbus Defence and Space in the UK have been part of including being lead Quality Assurance Engineer for the LISA Pathfinder Spacecraft and taking part in the test and launch campaign in 2015. A passionate supporter of STEM outreach she has worked closely with schools and organisations delivering workshops and other activities for students and the general public.
Ray Fielding, Head of space sustainability, UK Space Agency
A materials Engineer by training, Ray has spent over 20 years delivering and leading cutting edge technology projects in defence research and the space sector. Ray is now head of space sustainability at UKSA, a varied role ranging; from developing sustainability standards, to leading the national active debris removal mission.
CanSat Launch
We will also be joined by the team at ESERO who will be zooming in live from their CanSat launches. The CanSat competition provides students with the opportunity to have practical experience working on a small-scale space project. They are tasked with designing and building their own simulation of a real satellite, integrated within the volume and shape of a soft drink can. The challenge for students is to fit all the major subsystems found in a satellite, such as power, sensors and a communication system, into this minimal volume. After building their CanSat teams will be invited to launch events across the UK to launch their CanSats on small rockets, with their CanSats returning to Earth using a parachute designed by the students.
The next Space Community Meetings in 2024 will take place in July, and October. Some topics have already be proposed, but please feel free to suggest areas of interest and we will keep you updated with more information in the coming months.