SMART-1 gains media spotlight
The press conference held at the European Space Agency's Control Centre (ESOC) on 16 November to announce Europe's arrival at the Moon gained attention worldwide. Within 24 hours, over 180 stories covering SMART-1's entry into lunar orbit had hit the Web and other press channels in multiple countries, indicating an unusually high level of media interest in Europe's first Moon mission.
The press event, organised by the communication team at ESOC in Darmstadt with support from communications staff at other ESA locations, ran from 08:00-10:30, Tuesday 16 November, to formally announce SMART-1's arrival at the Moon, which ocurred at 18:48 CET, Monday, 15 November.
Some two dozen journalists and writers from European and North American media and scientific organizations attended, including representatives from Agence France Presse (AFP), DDP Nachrichtenagentur, Deutsche Presseagentur (DPA), Frankfurter Rundschau, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) and the Associated Press (AP).
Television media included Hessisches Fernsehen (HR), ZDF, RTL Hessen and Infotel TV (Belgium).
Within just a few hours, stories and articles covering the announcement started appearing on the Web and in early issues of print media. By Wednesday afternoon, approximately 24 hours after the event, there were over 180 references relating to SMART-1 in Google News under the search term "SMART-1 + ESA." By late today, there were over 336 references in Google News.
The significant media attention reflected a high level of interest in SMART-1 as Europe's first Moon mission, due at least in part to SMART-1's use of an innovative new electric propulsion system.
