ESA at Le Bourget 1999

PR 35-2001. ESA and the French space agency CNES are pleased to invite media representatives to the joint pavilion at the 44th Paris Air Show, taking place from 16 to 24 June 2001 at Le Bourget, for the following events.

Sunday 17 June

10:30 -11:30 ESA/CNES press conference, in the pavilion forum. Speakers: Alain Bensoussan (President of the ESA Council and President of CNES), Antonio Rodotà (Director General of ESA) and Gerard Brachet (Director General of CNES). The press conference will be followed by an aperitif at the Pavilion's "Press Pole".

12:30 - 13:30 Ceremony to award prizes to winners of the Envisat contest for young people, "Draw a flag of the Earth".

Monday 18 June

10:00-11:00 ESA/CNES press briefing on Artemis. Status report on launch preparations (launch planned for 12 July).

15:00-18:00 Meet the Directors (interview opportunities) Several ESA and CNES directors and specialists will be available for discussions and interviews on various topics. Jean-Jacques Dordain, Director of Launchers; Hans Kappler, Director of Industrial Matters and Technology Programmes; Claudio Mastracci, Director of Applications; Gaele Winters, Director of Technical and Operational Support (please use attached reply form to book interviews).

Tuesday 19 June

10:00-13:00 Meet the Directors (interview opportunities) Several ESA and CNES directors and specialists will be available for discussions and interviews on various topics, including: Antonio Rodotà, ESA Director General; Jörg Feustel-Büechl, Director of Manned Spaceflight and Microgravity; Daniel Sacotte, Director of Administration; David Southwood, Director of Science (please use attached reply form to book interviews).

14:00-15:00 ESA/EC/CNES Press briefing on Global Monitoring for Environment and Security in the pavilion forum.

Wednesday 20 June

10:00-12:30 Round table: "How to do business with ESA and CNES", in the pavilion forum.

15:00-16:15 Workshop on tele-epidemiology moderated by Sophie Becherel ("France Inter" radio) with CNES, MEDES, Medias and INRA experts.

Thursday 21 June

10:00-18:00 Colloquium on future launchers organised by CNES (in the Auditorium of the Space Museum). Speakers include numerous specialists from CNES, ESA, NASA, Rosaviakosmos and NASDA.

14:00-15:00 Round table "Solar Eclipse" at the Pavilion's Forum. An eclipse will take place in southern Africa at 14:37 on this day. There will be live coverage from Angola, on the big screens inside and outside the Pavilion.

15:00-15:30 Signature of ESA/CNES agreement for the COROT scientific satellite.

Friday 22 June

09:30-12:30 European astronaut corps. Thirteen European astronauts, the international crew of the STS-100 mission to the international space station (ISS) and the Russian/European crew of the "Andromède" mission will give presentations and briefings on their activities and be on hand to talk to visitors. In the pavilion forum.

14:30-15:30 How to become an astronaut ESA astronauts explain to students what it takes to be selected as one of Europe's spacefarers.

Saturday 23 June

12:30-13:30 "Space Lunch" with future astronauts (under 14) and current astronauts.

15:30-16:30 "Mission Andromède": public presentation of the Russian/CNES mission to the ISS, by ESA astronaut Claudie Haigneré (formerly André-Deshays), at the "Musée de l'Air" auditorium.

For further information:

ESA Media Relations
Tel. + 33 1 5369 7155
Fax. + 33 1 5369 7690