Andreas Mogensen’s mission name links cosmos and Earth
29 April 2014
Iriss is the name of Andreas Mogensen’s 10-day mission to the ISS next year. Proposed by Filippo Magni from Italy, it was selected from over 700 suggestions received from across Europe.
Iriss combines Iris and ISS. Iris was a Greek goddess, the messenger of the gods of Olympus and the personification of the rainbow. As messenger, she represents the link between humanity and the cosmos, and between the heavens and Earth.
“The figure of Iris the messenger matches the role of the astronauts who have the task of transmitting their special experience in orbit to those who remain here on Earth,” says Filippo.
The name also combines the rainbow – a symbol of peace – with Andreas’ scientific and technology demonstration mission to the Space Station.
“The rainbow is a universal symbol of peace and I like to think of the ISS as a rare and outstanding example of peace and international cooperation.”
The winning name was selected from among many hundreds of excellent submissions in a Europe-wide contest announced by ESA in March. As winner, Filippo will receive a framed mission logo signed by Andreas.
Andreas announced the name of his mission on 27 April in Copenhagen at the Science Forum, part of the Danish national science fair.
He talked about his mission before an audience of almost 1100, and announced a new Danish national competition to design his mission logo.
“Science has been a bridge between East and West, helping to foster peace and understanding. The name IrISS perfectly captures this aspect of the ISS,” he said.
His time on the Space Station will focus on testing and demonstrating new technologies such as ESA’s Skinsuit, which aims to alleviate backpain.
