A Touch of Space at the Eiffel Tower
In 2007 ESA is organising and participating in various events to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the space age and the beginnings of a united Europe with the Treaty of Rome in 1957.
An exhibition of space images, open until 31 August, was inaugurated on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower on 15 June within the framework of the festivities of the event 'Paris fête l’Espace'.
The exhibition provides the visitors with a glimpse of the highlights of European space activity, from observing the Earth to exploring Mars, Titan and the Sun, from telecommunications satellites to the European satellite navigation system, Galileo.
Impressive results from Envisat and MetOp and photos of hardware in test conditions are presented alongside real views of Huygens and the soon-to-be launched astronomy mission Herschel.
A special emphasis is given to astronaut activities and the two main European contributions to the International Space Station, the Automated Transfer Vehicle, ATV, and the scientific laboratory Columbus.
'Paris fête l’Espace' was a joint initiative of ESA and CNES organised with the support of the City of Paris on 15 June. The evening began with the inauguration of the exhibition on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower in the presence of Jean-Jacques Dordain, ESA Director General and Yannick d’Escatha, President of CNES. This was followed by a public “space show” at the Trocadéro hosted by ESA astronaut Jean-François Clervoy and TV presenter Jérôme Bonaldi.
Astronauts and scientists shared their passion for space with the public, underlining the main milestones in space exploration over the last 50 years.
The ESA-CNES exhibition aims to transmit the excitement of space to the public and inform them of Europe’s crucial role in the fast-changing world of space activities today.
