Pedro Duque, Ulrich Walter, Paolo Nespoli and André Kuipers have at least two things in common: they are astronauts and members of the Association of Space Explorers (ASE). But these are just four of the 13 astronauts who will be in Portugal this coming weekend. The reason for their visit is the general assembly of the ASE’s European division, an international professional association that brings together space explorers from around the world.
The meeting, being held in Portugal for the first time, will bring together some of the most prominent European astronauts in space exploration and is scheduled to take place on Saturday, 31 May, in Lisbon. While the assembly itself is closed to the general public, the Portuguese Space Agency, in collaboration with ASE, organised several public events open to all.
“Hosting the ASE-Europe assembly is an opportunity to promote space among younger generations and to bring space exploration activities — a field now gaining momentum in Portugal — to the wider public,” says Hugo Costa, Executive Director of the Portuguese Space Agency.
The visit of the European astronauts to Portugal coincides with the 50th anniversary of the European Space Agency (ESA), which will be marked on Friday, 30 May. On that morning, ASE astronauts will take part in sessions with pupils from schools in Castelo Branco, Constância, Lisbon, Santiago do Cacém, Seixal, Sintra and Oeiras. The programme also includes afternoon visits to companies and institutions in the space sector.
Pedro Duque, Spanish astronaut and President of ASE-Europe, will be in Castelo Branco. In Santiago do Cacém, pupils from Frei André de Veiga Basic School will be able to learn more about life in space with Helen Sharman (UK) and Andy Turnage (USA). The Constância Ciência Viva Centre will welcome Dutch astronaut André Kuipers and Alper Gezeravci, the first Turkish astronaut.
In Seixal, students at Amora Secondary School will have the opportunity to speak with German astronaut Reinhold Ewald and Austrian Franz Viehböck. In Lisbon, Padre António Vieira Secondary School will host Norwegian Jannicke Mickelsen and German Gerhard Thiele. Meanwhile in Sintra, D. Carlos I Basic School will welcome Thomas Reiter (Germany) and Christer Fuglesang (Sweden). In Oeiras, there will be two sessions: one at Sebastião e Silva Secondary School with Romanian Dumitru-Dorin Prunariu, and another at Quinta do Marquês Secondary School with German Ulrich Walter.
The following day, Sunday, 1 June, from 11:00 to 12:30, astronauts from ASE will take part in the session “From Space to the Pavilion of Knowledge” at the Pavilion of Knowledge in Lisbon. The event, organised by Ciência Viva with the support of the Portuguese Space Agency, is part of the Children’s Day programme.
“With these sessions, we’re bringing space into schools and giving Portuguese students the opportunity to meet explorers whose stories are sure to inspire the young people attending,” says the Executive Director of the Portuguese Space Agency.
