| | |  | Envisat, artist's impression | |
"The first check-up of the Earth" - Media event at ESA/ESRIN, Frascati, Italy
18 March 2002
ESA PR 13-2002. On Thursday 28 March, the first image produced by Envisat will be released to the media and the general public. The media are invited to attend an event which will take place at ESA's Establishment in Italy, ESRIN (in Frascati, Rome).
During the night of 28 February/1 March, the European Space Agency (ESA) launched its Envisat satellite on an Ariane 5 launcher from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
Envisat, Europe’s most ambitious Earth Observation satellite, follows in the footsteps of ESA’s successful ERS-1 and ERS-2 missions launched in the 1990s, and will improve global and regional monitoring of our planet. It represents a major contribution by ESA to the European GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) initiative. The satellite will support research activities, government programmes and commercial applications in the fields of global change, pollution and disaster monitoring.
Since launch, all operations such as solar array, radar and antenna deployment have taken place nominally, as has activation of the ten instruments on board.
The provisional programme for the day (see below) includes an introduction by J. Achache, ESA Director of Earth Observation Programmes, an update on the status and first results of the mission, and contributions by key European scientists discussing the potential for exploitation of the data in their various fields of expertise.
Members of the media are invited to attend this event which will take place at ESA's Establishment in Italy, ESRIN (in Frascati, Rome), please return the accreditation request.
Provisional programme Envisat first image event
ESA/ ESRIN, 28 March 2002
| 11:30 | Introduction
- Mr José Achache, Director of Earth Observation Programmes |
| Video “Envisat first Earth check-up data” |
| Update on Envisat status and operations since launch
- Mr Jacques Louet, Envisat Programme Manager |
| Envisat data acquisition and ground segment operations
- Mr Stephen Briggs, Head of the Earth Observation Applications Department |
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Envisat first image unveiling
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Intervention by five key scientists (specialists on ASAR and MERIS):
- Dr. R. Doerffer, GKSS Research Centre, Institute for Coastal Research, Germany
- Prof. A. Morel, Laboratoire de Physique & Chimie Marines, France
- Prof. H. Rott, University of Innsbrück, Austria
- Prof. F. Rocca, Politecnico of Milan, Italy
- Prof. D. Wingham, University College, United Kingdom
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| 13:30 | End of the event |
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