New Horizons for Alexander Gerst
ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst is returning to the International Space Station next year and today he revealed his mission name and logo: Horizons.Alexander is the first of ESA’s class of ...
08 MAY. 2014
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Views
From the Station’s Cupola observatory, ESA Alexander Gerst had a privileged vantage point to observe the beauty of our planet. But its fragility and global threats are also more obvious when seen from space.
The loss of biodiversity, climate change and the human habits of consumption are increasing problems for our planet. The Earth Guardian project educated pupils about the causes and promoted possible solutions.
Alexander encouraged schoolchildren aged 7–12 years to create their own environmental protection project.
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Cologne seen from Space Station
Europe’s ambassador in space asked students to pay attention to geographical features such as oceans, rivers, landscapes, mountains and forests in their area during the summer holidays.
As an Earth Guardian, he questioned students about the role of these elements for human life, their value as energy sources and protection measures.
Pupils supported their local observations with footage of various terrestrial events like cloud formation, mountains with glaciers and deforestation.
In return, Alexander shared with them his views from orbit. The International Space Station will serve as his unique outpost for Earth observation.
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Lake two-face
The students could link their own experiences to the astronaut’s reports from space. Alexander stimulated their curiosity by showing them how global-scale phenomena can have similarities to their local experiences.
Earth Guardians on the ground learnt how certain views can change the perception of the environment. For example, the global effect of local actions are more easily observed from a distance. The sense of fragility, beauty or environmental pollution can also differ depending on the viewer’s perspective.
Youngsters studied daily problems in their environment and thought about sustainable strategies for the future.
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Sahara irrigation
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Alexander Gerst to be Space Station commander
ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst has been assigned a new mission to the International Space Station, where he will fulfil the role of commander during the second part of his six-month mission in 2018.
German Head of State visits ESA Operations Centre
Today, President Joachim Gauck made the first-ever visit by a Head of State to ESA’s operations centre in Darmstadt, Germany. He was joined by 140 ambassadors and Tarek Al-Wazir, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Hesse region, for a guided visit through the centre’s mission control facilities.
A royal and presidential visit to ESA’s technical heart
As part of the Italian State visit to the Netherlands, Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and Italian President Giorgio Napolitano toured ESA’s space research and technical centre on Wednesday.
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Related links
Earth Guardian - Beschützer der Erde
Earth Guardian - Beschützer der Erde
Aktion 42
Aktion 42
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Related links
Horizons blog
Horizons blog
Connect with Alexander Gerst
Connect with Alexander Gerst
German Aerospace Center DLR
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