News ESA reveals winning name for six-month mission   ISS viewed from Endeavour following undocking on 28 November 2008     5 February 2009   After sifting through entries from all of its Member States, ESA has announced the winner of the competition to find a name for Frank De Winne's six-month mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The mission, which starts in May 2009, will be called OasISS. The winning name was proposed by Jan Puylaert from Ghent in Belgium, who received a framed copy of the mission logo signed by European astronauts.   Puylaert gave four reasons for his suggestion: It refers to the exploring of deserts on Earth by European expeditions, and also to the deserts we find on planets like Mars. Maybe, one day, we will find a real oasis on another planet. We've already found some ice on Mars - that's a good start! The finding of water (in an oasis) gives us the possibility to go further, in deserts and in space. It also refers to the International Space Station itself, a real oasis for the astronauts and cosmonauts in space. It refers to water in the oasis, as we hope to keep enough of it on Earth for all the people. Finding an oasis also looks like a real challenge to me. And isn't that what exploring space is all about?         Frank De Winne trains with his crew in the Soyuz simulator in Star City   "During my flight several events will draw public attention to the availability and cleanliness of water which is critically important for human life," said De Winne. "Water is a scarce resource on board the ISS; responsible use and recycling in space can help develop efficient water processing on Earth, particularly in developing countries."     Related news  •  Name ESA’s next long-term mission (http://www.esa.int/esaKIDSen/SEMYHPQ4KKF_LifeinSpace_0.html) Space stations  •  Columbus (http://www.esa.int/esaKIDSen/SEMV8JWJD1E_LifeinSpace_0.html)  •  ESA's supply ship (http://www.esa.int/esaKIDSen/SEMX9JWJD1E_LifeinSpace_0.html)  •  European elements (http://www.esa.int/esaKIDSen/SEMIKJWJD1E_LifeinSpace_0.html)  •  The International Space Station (http://www.esa.int/esaKIDSen/SEMZXJWJD1E_LifeinSpace_0.html)