The woman who pretty much killed the UK's space program has died.Not many will miss her for reasons more than the above.
"Of those surveyed, 33% were interested in space to 'discover a new planet', and 24% to find life on another planet. When asked to list space exploration organisations 77% listed NASA. Six of those surveyed listed ESA (<0.5%). The data bring starkly to light, despite the Huygens landing on Titan and Mars Express, the lack of awareness of the existence of ESA among a new generation of European school children."
1 Preaching to the converted? An analysis of the UK public for space exploration Entradas, M., Miller, S., Peters, H.P. 2013 Public Understanding of Science 22 (3) , pp. 269-286 0Full Text(opens in a new window) | Show abstract: Subscription required Show abstract | Related documents2 Scientific literacy and attitudes towards American space exploration among college undergraduates Cook, S.B., Druger, M., Ploutz-Snyder, L.L. 2011 Space Policy 27 (1) , pp. 48-52 2Full Text(opens in a new window) | Show abstract: Subscription required Show abstract | Related documents3 Investigating public space exploration support in the UK Entradas, M., Miller, S. 2010 Acta Astronautica 67 (7-8) , pp. 947-953 1Full Text(opens in a new window) | Show abstract: Subscription required Show abstract | Related documents4 Investigating public space exploration interest and support in the UK Entradas, M., Miller, S. 2009 60th International Astronautical Congress 2009, IAC 2009 12 , pp. 9529-9537
"Recommendation 12 proposed that the space industry and the UK Space Agency “should show exemplary and proactive support in championing initiatives aimed at addressing the STEM issues in our schools, colleges, universities and businesses.” The Government accepted this recommendation and the UK Space Agency is now working with industry partners to implement the actions supporting it."
"Several reviews and much anecdotal evidence demonstrate that few subjects have as much impact as space to inspire interest in the young. For example, a 2009 survey3 that 9% of children now want to become an astronaut"
"ensure that support and materials on careers in the space industry are easily accessible, including role models (mainly for younger pupils),"
"Encourage and support the use of space as an inspiring context for learning across all age groups,"
"Develop and implement wider outreach programmes to improve awareness and engagement with the UK’s space programme"
Space exploration is inherently exciting, and as such is an obvious vehicle for inspiring the public in general, and young people in particular, to take an increased interest in science and engineering. This was explicitly recognized in the conclusions of the UK Microgravity Review Panel:"We have also found considerable public interest in activities in space, particularly those that have human involvement.. This is important in addressing the need for future students to study science and technology subjects and in engaging the public in scientific issues..."A similar point was made by the RAS Report, which concluded that:We find compelling evidence that the outreach potential of human space exploration may significantly influence the interests and educational choices of children towards science, engineering and technology.
The Spaceflight Bill will also allow scientists to fly to the edge of space and conduct experiments in zero gravity, which could help develop vaccines and antibiotics, the Department for Transport (DfT) said. Science minister Jo Johnson said the bill would "cement the UK's position as a world leader in this emerging market".The first commercial flight from a UK space port could lift off by 2020 under the powers, the DfT said. Mr Johnson said: "From the launch of Rosetta, the first spacecraft to orbit a comet, to Tim Peake's six months on the International Space Station, the UK's space sector has achieved phenomenal things in orbit and beyond."With this week's Spaceflight Bill launch, we will cement the UK's position as a world leader in this emerging market, giving us an opportunity to build on existing strengths in research and innovation."
The UK has given the clearest statement yet of its desire to stay within the European Union's Copernicus Earth observation programme after Brexit.EU member states are building the most advanced ever satellite system for monitoring the state of the planet - with Britain playing a major role.Business Secretary Greg Clark says he wants that participation to continue.His comments came as Airbus UK debuted the latest satellite for Copernicus known as Sentinel-5 Precursor.
The military is looking for ways to tap into the space boom, said General Sir Chris Deverell, commander of the U.K. Joint Forces Command. The command is responsible for Britain’s military satellite communications.
The first Skynet was launched in 1969. The current system, the Skynet 5, will need to be replaced in the coming decade. The incumbent contractor is Airbus. The MoD has not yet signed a contract for the future Skynet 6 satellites — an estimated $8 billion project over 20 years. Officials have invited industry representatives to discuss the future of Skynet at a private meeting in London on Friday. Top players in the industry have pushed the MoD to open up the work to new competitors.As the MoD debates its next move on Skynet, “We hope we can exploit the changes in the environment,” said Nick Ayling, head of U.K. MoD space policy. “I think we should be as open as we can to new commercial models and technologies,” he said. “It’d be surprising to me, if we do that, that it didn’t lead to major capability enhancements.”
HARWELL, United Kingdom — A 99 million pound ($132 million) satellite test facility to be built at the U.K.’s Harwell Campus should bring more business to the space hub here and ensure Britain’s satellite manufacturers can carry on without disruption post-Brexit, according to Chris Mutlow, director of RAL Space, the space division of the U.K. state-run Rutherford Appleton Laboratory.
The UK Space Agency has awarded more than £4 million to Spire Global to demonstrate cutting-edge space technology including ‘parallel super-computing’.Today’s announcement by UK Government ministers Lord Henley and Lord Duncan, gives the green light to missions designed to showcase the technology and put UK companies into orbit faster and at a lower cost. The UK is the largest funder of the European Space Agency’s Advanced Research in Telecommunications Satellites (ARTES) programme, which transforms research into successful commercial projects.The funding from the UK Space Agency was announced by Lord Henley, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, on a visit to the satellite powered data company’s UK base in Glasgow, where Spire intends to create new jobs to add to its existing workforce.Business Minister, the Rt. Hon. Lord Henley, said:“Thanks to this new funding, Spire will be able to cement its activities in the UK, develop new technologies and use space data to provide new services to consumers that will allow businesses to access space quicker and at a lower cost – offering an exciting opportunity for the UK to thrive in the commercial space age.“Through the government’s Industrial Strategy, we are encouraging other high-tech British businesses to pursue more commercial opportunities with the aim of growing the UK’s share of the global space market to 10% by 2030.”UK Government Minister for Scotland Lord Duncan said:“Spire Global is at the cutting edge of technology, using satellite data to track ships, planes and weather in some of the world’s most remote regions. They’re also an important employer in Glasgow, investing in the area and recognising the talent of Scotland’s world class engineers and scientists. We know that the space industry is important to Scotland’s economy and this UK Government funding will help companies like Spire stay at the forefront of this field.”The ARTES Pioneer programme is designed to support industry by funding the demonstration of advanced technologies, systems, services and applications in a representative space environment. Part of this is to support one or more Space Mission Providers, which could provide commercial services to private companies or public bodies.“Spire’s infrastructure, capabilities, and competencies all support our submission to this program. For the launch of our 50+ satellite constellation, we quickly became our own best customer,” said Theresa Condor, Spire’s EVP of Corporate Development. “We’re looking forward to demonstrating our end-to-end service and infrastructure on this series of validation missions. ‘Space as a Service’ means going from mission technical architecture to customer data/service verification, along with the ongoing development of critical enabling technologies.”One validation mission will develop parallel super-computing in space – a core component for future computationally intensive missions. A second, exploitation of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) for weather applications, will leverage Galileo signals for GNSS Radio Occultation. Radio occultation is a key data input for the improvement of weather forecasts. Upon completion, the GNSS-RO technology can be immediately commercialized.The UK Space Agency is also supporting a space incubation centre in Glasgow and has provided support over several years to the Scottish Centre of Excellence in Satellite Applications, based at the University of Strathclyde and working across the whole of Scotland. The Centre’s role is to raise awareness of the potential of satellite services and data to be used in new and improved products and services in other “space enabled” markets – including, for example, offshore renewable energy and aquaculture.
An £8.4 million space communication base to track missions to the Moon and Mars will be created in Cornwall.Goonhilly Earth Station, in the Lizard peninsula, will upgrade one of its satellite antenna in the project.The European Space Agency (ESA) say this will make it a "key player" in the "exciting future" of space exploration.The agency says more deep-space communication facilities, used for missions such as Gaia and ExoMars, are needed.