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On the verge of a paradigm shift – space science in the UK

Institute of Physics Press Release

PR19 (09)

Thu, 21 May 2009

Three expert speakers attended an event organised by the Institute of Physics (IOP), the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) and the Parliamentary Space Committee (PSC) on Wednesday, 20 May, at the House of Commons, to address an audience comprised of MPs, Lords, academics and journalists about the state of space science in Europe and the UK on the day that the European Space Agency (ESA) announced that British astronaut, Timothy Peake, is one of six European astronauts training for human spaceflight.

Introduced by former science minister, Mr Ian Taylor MP, Professor David Southwood, the Director of Science and Robotic Exploration at ESA opened the talk with description of the two new satellites, Herschel and Planck, and explained how advances in astronomy during the 19th and 20th centuries can be credited for paving the way to a bright future for space science.

Professor Southwood was followed by Mr David Williams, co-founder and Chief Executive of Avanti Communications Group plc, and Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock of Astrium Ltd and University College London.

The three talks touched on different aspects of space science – from space science’s debt to physics and astronomy, to the subject’s ability to inspire the next generation of young scientists, to how all of our lives are affected by different advances in space science and to the financial spoils available to a country which nurtures the growth of a space science industry.

Professor Southwood’s talk included an explanation of why Sir William Herschel and Max Planck, a 19th century astronomer and an early 20th century quantum physicist, deserve the honour of having ESA’s latest satellites named after them. Herschel, as the discoverer of infrared, empowered us to “run the gamut of the electromagnetic spectrum in space, from gamma to microwaves” and thereby enable a greater understanding of space. While Planck opened doors to our understanding of nature that modern technology, from mobile phones to space satellites, could not exist without.

Professor Southwood said that the launch of the Herschel and Planck satellites, milestones during this International Year of Astronomy 2009, will respectively help us look at the formation and evolution of galaxies and the creation of first light, which is now understood to have started shining just 300,000 years after the Big Bang.

David Williams, as Chief Executive of Avanti Communications, a company that is launching a superfast broadband satellite this year to offer rural communities around the world faster internet connections, touched on the commercial importance of space science. Realising that we have been living off of 19th century scientific developments for the past 100 years, he said, “We are on the verge of a paradigm shift in what we know about the universe and I can smell money. Space science is going to change the way we view our lives and the way we develop products.”

Before questions, Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock took the audience on a tour of the universe and explained how her presentations, as a science communicator and occasional children’s TV presenter, are inspiring young people to think about science. She also discussed how space science is playing a crucial role in helping scientists to monitor extreme weather events, such as the Katrina hurricane, which devastated New Orleans in the US, and in averting global disasters, such as potential Earth-asteroid collisions.

Finally, she enthusiastically spoke about the possibility of mankind colonising Mars in years to come, and how scientific application and exploration could enable us to release carbon dioxide trapped on the surface of Mars to create a hospitable atmosphere.

As she said, “There’s a wonderful universe out there and it’s ours for exploration.”

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