4th Europlanet Workshop on Fireballs/Lunar Impact Flashes
12-13 May 2023, online.
Convened by: Manuel Scherf (Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences), Günter Kargl (Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences) and Detlef Koschny (Technical University of Munich, Germany).
In cooperation with the Europlanet 2024 Research Infrastructure (RI), a series of four workshops bringing together different networks of fireball observers and machine-learning experts were being arranged over the last two years. This series is aimed at: i) the development of a common data format and/or common entry point to the observational data of the different fireballs networks, ii) getting the community for observing lunar impact flashes together, and iii) machine-learning science cases for meteor observations.
Expert Exchange: Expert Exchange: Developing Synergies Between Exoplanet Research and Solar-System Analyses
Europlanet 2024 RI’s Expert Exchange Programme aims to support the planetary community to share expertise and best practice, and to prepare new facilities and services. The programme provides funding for short visits (up to one week).
Óscar Carrión-González of LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, visited Universidad del País Vasco / Euskal Herriko Unibersitatea in Bilbao from 18-23 December 2022.
Before the end of this decade, the first direct-imaging observations of exoplanets in reflected starlight will become available with the launch of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. A number of additional direct-imaging instruments observing in reflected starlight both on the ground and in space will become available in the next decades. This will enable the detection and atmospheric characterisation of a population of planets significantly different from that analysed to date. In particular, this technique will be sensitive to cold and temperate exoplanets with orbital periods similar or longer than that of the Earth. Part of the preparatory work for these missions is to determine the scientific output of direct-imaging measurements in reflected starlight.
The aim of this Expert Exchange visit was to combine the expertise of Óscar Carrión-González on direct-imaging observations of exoplanets with that of the host institution (the Planetary Sciences Group of the University of the Basque Country) on the atmospheric characterisation of Solar System planets. Solar System observations and atmospheric retrievals using Solar System data will be informative for similar analyses focused on cold and temperate exoplanets.
The visit focused on analyses of Neptune’s atmospheric perturbations as an analogue of the variability that might be present in cold exoplanets imaged in reflected starlight.
The host, Santiago Pérez-Hoyos, and the host group have a vast expertise on the use of the NEMESIS radiative-transfer and retrieval code. Óscar received training on how to initialise this code to produce synthetic spectra of the nominal atmosphere of Neptune with the models by Irwin et al. 2022.
During his PhD thesis, Óscar had developed an MCMC retrieval code for future direct-imaging observations of exoplanets in reflected starlight. During the visit, a strategy to couple the NEMESIS code with an MCMC retrieval methodology was discussed. This will benefit from the efficiency of MCMC methods to sample multi-dimensional spaces of parameters and the accuracy of NEMESIS computations for complex light scattering processes which take place in planetary atmospheres.
Óscar also gave a seminar to the host group on the topic of direct-imaging observations of cold and temperate exoplanets in order to explain the fundamentals of the technique, and foster discussion on possible Solar-System synergies.
The work developed during the visit is being continued and is expected to result in a scientific publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
Next Call For Europlanet Expert Exchange Programme
Applications should be made before the next call deadline of 31 March 2023. Visits through this call should take place between 1 May and 31 October 2023.
Expert Exchange: Training on Theoretical Phase Curve Modelling
Europlanet 2024 RI’s Expert Exchange Programme aims to support the planetary community to share expertise and best practice, and to prepare new facilities and services. The programme provides funding for short visits (up to one week).
Ms. Milagros Colazo of IATE (Instituto de Astronomía Teórica y Experimental) in Córdoba, Argentina, visited Dagmara Oszkiewicz of the Institute Astronomical Observatory – Adam Mickiewicz in Poznan, Poland, from 22 October – 08 November 2022.
The aim of the visit was to provide training on theoretical phase curve modelling in support of possible future time applications for the Europlanet Telescope Network.
Characterising phase curves – the variation of the asteroid’s brightness as it moves along its orbit around the Sun – is an important area of asteroid studies. To obtain accurate phase curves, it is necessary to combine data from different epochs/observatories and use complex mathematical models to correct for variations in shape, rotation, and aspect changes.
Milagros has worked with phase curve parameter determination for large catalogues of observations, but has used a simplified approach to find a first estimate of the parameters. The goal of the Expert Exchange was to start a project to derive phase curves of high accuracy for a small number of objects.
In preparation, Milagros studied the theoretical background on light curve inversion, light curve inversion with Bayesian technique and reference phase curves. During her visit, she learned to use software developed by the team in Poznan to derive accurate phase curves by combining data from ground-based observations with European telescopes and the ATLAS database. One day of the visit was dedicated to hands-on practice and testing.
Once Milagros had learned to use the software, calculations were started of the phase curves for 77 asteroids. The first tests were performed on personal computers but, as the calculations for each asteroid took at least 2 days, the group turned to the “Poznań Supercomputing and Networking Center”. This was the first time the group had worked with this tool, and so they had to learn quickly how to use it. Calculations on the cluster were started and the first results for asteroid 281 obtained. While the calculations for the following asteroids were submitted, Milagros started writing a paper for publication.
In addition, Milagros gave a talk on her doctoral work at the Institute. The visit was an ideal opportunity to combine Milagros’s knowledge of large database management with the knowledge of theoretical modeling of phase curves provided by the Poznan working group.
The Europlanet Expert Exchange has been an important opportunity to kick-off a collaboration that the participants hope will bear fruit in several papers that will provide important advances in the study of phase curves and the combination of dense and sparse data catalogues.
Next Call For Europlanet Expert Exchange Programme
Applications should be made before the next call deadline of 31 March 2023. Visits through this call should take place between 1 May and 31 October 2023.
Europlanet 2024 RI’s Expert Exchange Programme aims to support the planetary community to share expertise and best practice, and to prepare new facilities and services. The programme provides funding for short visits (up to one week).
Colin Clarke of Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, visited Susan Murabana and the Travelling Telescope Team in Kenya from 11 September – 23 October 2022.
The Travelling Telescope is dedicated to promoting science and technology by sharing the wonder of the cosmos with people from all walks of life. The objective of this Expert Exchange project was to provide the Travelling Telescope with assistance from an experienced science communicator, to help the team to grow and reach even more kids and adults.
Colin brought experience in science communication gained at the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium and as Secretary of the Trinity Space Society at Trinity college, Dublin. During the visit, he experienced the full range of the work that the Travelling Telescope engages in, and assisted them in every aspect of their enterprise. Throughout the Exchange, he shared his experience in science communication, data science and event organisation, as well as his technical background in astrophotography and stargazing using powerful telescopes.
During the visit, Colin:
Helped with the running of shows in the Nairobi Planetarium, enabling the length of the shows to be increased for the visitors, while the workload for the planetarium operator was halved.
Assisted with the Travelling Telescope’s schools’ programme of night-time stargazing sessions and day time sessions in the inflatable planetarium.
Gave classes on science, astronomy and music at Pembroke House, a British boarding school in Gilgil.
Supported the Travelling Telescope in the lead up, observation, and aftermath of NASA’s DART mission, converting the format of data collected to create time-lapses and enhance its quality in post-processing.
Assisted with the cleaning and installation of 2 spare solar panels at the Nairobi Planetarium
Helped with the repair of the mobile, inflatable planetarium.
Expert Exchange Objectives covered by this visit: Improvement of Facilities and Infrastructure, Training, Widening Participation from Under-Represented States, Inclusion of Amateur Astronomers, Engagement with Wider Society.
Next Call For Europlanet Expert Exchange Programme
Applications should be made before the next call deadline of 31 March 2023. Visits through this call should take place between 1 May and 31 October 2023.
A new call has been launched for the Expert Exchange Programme, funded through Europlanet 2024 Research Infrastructure (RI), which aims to share expertise and best practice within the planetary community, and to prepare new facilities and services for integration into the RI.
Applications should be made before the next call deadline of 31 March 2023. Visits through this call should take place between 1 May and 31 October 2023.
The programme provides funding for short visits (up to one week).
Objectives for an Europlanet Expert Exchange might be:
To improve infrastructure facilities and services offered to the scientific community by Europlanet 2024 RI laboratories or institutes.
To provide training on theoretical or practical aspects of the laboratory/fieldwork required to plan a future TA application.
To foster cooperation between academia and industry (SMEs).
To support early career professionals to develop skills to use or manage RI facilities or services.
To widen participation from Under-Represented States in RI activities and services.
To support the inclusion of amateur communities in European planetary science campaigns.
To support engagement with wider society e.g. through the involvement of outreach providers, educators, journalists, artists etc.
Results of Call 3 for Transnational Access to Europlanet 2024 Research Infrastructure (RI) facilities
Europlanet 2024 RI’s Transnational Access (TA) programme offers researchers the opportunity to apply to visit planetary analogue field sites, planetary simulators and sample analysis facilities. The successful projects that will be funded through the second TA Call for applications have now been announced.
Following an anonymous peer review process, on the 108 submitted projects, 71 will be funded, of which 18 will be for visits to planetary field analogue sites and 53 to laboratory facilities. The successful projects include seven led by researchers from under represented states and eleven led by international researchers from Asia (Japan, India, South Korea) and America (Argentina, Canada, Ecuador, US).
Europlanet Dinner Debate in the European Parliament
On 24 January 2023, Europlanet and Niklas Nienass, MEP, co-hosted a Dinner Debate in the European Parliament. The theme of the debate was “Promoting the importance of space policiesand a European Space Strategy”.
The evening started with an introduction by Mr Nienass and a video message from the Europlanet 2024 RI Coordinator and President of the Europlanet Society, Nigel Mason, who was unable to attend in person. Over dinner, a number of invited participants gave short keynote speeches, and this was followed by an open debate.
The European ParliamentNiklas Nienass MEP co-hosted the Dinner DebateEuroplanet President, Nigel Mason, delivered a video message.Europlanet President-Elect, Ann Carine Vandaele.MEP Niklas Nienass introduces the Dinner Debate.MEP Niklas Nienass moderating the discussion.MEP Niklas Nienass moderating the discussion.MEP Marian-Jean- Marinescu.MEP Marian-Jean- Marinescu.Participants at the Dinner Debate.Dinner Debate ‘Promoting the importance of space policies and a European Space Strategy’.Rodrigo da Costa, Head of EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA).Josef Aschbacher, Director of European Space Agency (ESA).Kai-Uwe Schrogl (International Institute of Space Law).Christoph Kautz (Head of DG DEFIS).Europlanet President-Elect, Ann Carine Vandaele.Charles Gallard (ASD-Eurospace).Torsten Kriening (SpaceWatch.Global).Europlanet Industry Officer, Jeronimo Bernard-Salas.Europlanet Industry Officer, Marcell Tessenyi, participating in the Dinner Debate.The European ParliamentStavro Ivanovski (INAF/Europlanet).Walther Pelzer, Member of the Executive Board, DLR.Barbara Cavalazzi (University of Bologna/Europlanet).Dinner Debate ‘Promoting the importance of space policies and a European Space Strategy’. Credit: Europlanet.
Short keynote note speeches Marian-Jean Marinescu, MEP Rodrigo da Costa, Head of EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) Josef Aschbacher, Director of European Space Agency (ESA) Kai-Uwe Schrogl, President of the International Institute of Space Law (IISL) Christoph Kutz, Head of DG DEFIS Ann-Carine Vandaele, Vice President of Europlanet Society Executive Board Charles Galland, Policy Manager, ASD-Eurospace
Debate (moderated by Niklas Nienass)
Details of the Dinner Debate:“Promoting the importance of space policiesand a European Space Strategy”.
Europe’s capacities in the space sector are continuously growing; we have world-leading programmes covering all areas of space activities and the largest international community of planetary scientists. The importance of space endeavors slowly comes to overall public awareness and this is mirrored in increased private interest as well as governmental spending. As Europe, we have enormous potential going forward but currently, we are lacking a common policy framework, legislative basis and overall strategy. We need to keep building the coherent, well-networked and collaborative community we have and fully exploit the resources at our disposal. Europe is taking a leading role in challenging missions aiming at changing the space sector.
This high-level event should bring decision-makers, academics and researchers together to discuss the importance of a European Space Strategy, status quo and common visions to go forward.
MEP Niklas Nienass is Member of the European Parliament for The Greens/EFA, where he is responsible for space policy. A strong supporter of the European new space economy, he is committed to establish a European space legislation and set international standards for space traffic management. He has a seat in the European Parliament’s Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE), where he negotiates space related legislative files on behalf of the Greens/EFA group. In 2020 he graduated with a Master’s degree in Good Governance with a thesis on international space law.
The Europlanet 2024 Research Infrastructure (Europlanet 2024 RI) is the culmination of a series of projects funded by successive European Union Framework Programmes (FP6 and FP7) to build a research infrastructure integrating planetary science across the European Research Area. Europlanet 2024 RI delivers access to virtual services and transnational access to the world’s largest collection of planetary simulation and analysis facilities. Europlanet is equally well placed within the Horizon Europe strategic objectives, focusing on industrial applications, development of digital technologies, EO services, AI and machine learning. The Europlanet Society, launched in 2018, is structured around 10 Regional Hubs and it aims to build sustainable capacity and cascade expertise in stakeholder engagement through the European planetary community. Europlanet focuses on evidence-based policy, informing policy makers on the scientific, industrial and socio-economic impacts of planetary science, at European and national level. They are also engaging with the planetary science community raising awareness and encouraging its engagement with policy makers and industry across Europe, in particular with SMEs.
Rocks from Space and Planetary Defence – Europlanet Workshop Series – Europlanet Workshop Series
Third workshop
Registration is now open for the workshop ‘Rocks from Space and Planetary Defence’, which will take place in hybrid format from 25-28 April 2023 at the Hôtel Club Val d’Anfa in Casablanca, Morocco, and online.
Register now before 31 March 2023. The workshop is free of charge but places are limited! Registration is compulsory and will close on 31/03/2023. You will receive via email confirmation of your acceptance. Only 25 people will be admitted in-person and up to 100 online. See the practical info for details. The Europlanet Workshop Series links travel grants to selected applicants who intend to attend the workshop.
This third event in the Europlanet Workshop Series will bring together space tech specialists, scientists and graduated students to discuss current topics in this rapidly developing space field and especially in meteorites, meteoroids, comets, asteroids and impact craters. This workshop format is focusing on content, collaboration and targets in order to create an African network in planetary science.
The workshop is open to post-graduate students, researchers and professionals interested in planetary surfaces, impact craters and meteorites, and planetary defense.
This Europlanet Workshop Series aims to inspire and encourage planetary science and space technology development across borders in developed and developing countries and across the spectrum of academia, industry and civil society.
Europlanet’s SPIDER (Sun Planet Interactions Digital Environment on Request) virtual access service has been in the news recently in two studies using data from ESA missions at Venus and Mars.
SPIDER provides services and databases to support researchers modelling planetary environments and solar wind interactions.
In this video, Moa explains how SPIDER has been used to support observations by BepiColombo and Solar Orbiter of Venus’s induced magnetosphere and magnetosheath.
Co-author of the study, Sae Aizawa of ISAS/JAXA, explains how the solar wind interacts with magnetic fields and atmospheres at different planets in our Solar System.
BepiColombo and Solar Orbiter compare notes at Venus
Europlanet 2024 RI/ISAS/JAXA Press Release Thursday, 26 January 2023
The convergence of two spacecraft at Venus in August 2021 has given a unique insight into how the planet is able to retain its thick atmosphere without the protection of a global magnetic field.
The ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission, enroute to study Mercury, and the ESA/NASA Solar Orbiter, which is observing the Sun from different perspectives, are both using a number of gravity-assists from Venus to change their trajectories and guide them on their way. On 9-10 August 2021, the missions flew past Venus within a day of each other, sending back observations synergistically captured from eight sensors and two vantage points in space. The results have been published in Nature Communications.
Unlike Earth, Venus does not generate an intrinsic magnetic field in its core. Nonetheless, a weak, comet-shaped ‘induced magnetosphere’ is created around the planet by the interaction of the solar wind – a stream of charged particles emitted by the Sun – with electrically charged particles in Venus’s upper atmosphere. Around this magnetic bubble, the solar wind is slowed, heated and deflected like the wake of a boat in a region called ‘magnetosheath’.
During the flyby, BepiColombo swooped along the long tail of the magnetosheath and emerged through the blunt nose of the magnetic regions closest to the Sun. Meanwhile, Solar Orbiter captured a peaceful solar wind from its location upfront of Venus.
“These dual sets of observations are particularly valuable because the solar wind conditions experienced by Solar Orbiter were very stable. This meant that BepiColombo had a perfect view of the different regions within the magnetosheath and magnetosphere, undisturbed by fluctuations from solar activity,” said lead-author Moa Persson of the University of Tokyo in Kashiwa, Japan, who was funded to carry out the study by the European Commission through the Europlanet 2024 Research Infrastructure (RI) project.
BepiColombo’s flyby was a rare opportunity to investigate the ‘stagnation region’, an area at the nose of the magnetosphere where some of the largest effects of the interaction between Venus and the solar wind are observed. The data gathered gave the first experimental evidence that charged particles in this region are slowed significantly by the interactions between the solar wind and Venus, and that the zone extends to an unexpectedly large distance of 1,900 kilometres above the planet’s surface.
The observations also showed that the induced magnetosphere provides a stable barrier that protects the atmosphere of Venus from being eroded by the solar wind. This protection remains robust even during solar minimum, when lower ultraviolet emissions from the Sun reduce the strength of the currents that generate the induced magnetosphere. The finding, which is contrary to previous predictions, sheds new light on the connection between magnetic fields and atmospheric loss due to the solar wind.
‘The effectiveness of an induced magnetosphere in helping a planet retain its atmosphere has implications for understanding the habitability of exoplanets without internally-generated magnetic fields,” said co-author Sae Aizawa of JAXA’s Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS).
BepiColombo comprises a pair of spacecraft, Mio, the JAXA-led Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter, and MPO, the ESA-led Mercury Planetary Orbiter, which have been stacked together for the journey to Mercury. The study combined data from Mio’s four particle sensors, the magnetometer and another particle instrument on MPO, and the magnetometer and solar wind analyser on Solar Orbiter. Europlanet’s SPIDER space weather modelling tools enabled the researchers to track in detail how features in the solar wind observed by Solar Orbiter were affected as they propagated towards BepiColombo through the venusian magnetosheath.
“The important results of this study demonstrate how turning sensors on during planetary flybys and cruise phases can lead to unique science,” said co-author Nicolas Andre, the coordinator of the Europlanet SPIDER service at the Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie (IRAP) in Toulouse, France.
Publication details:
Persson et al. BepiColombo mission confirms stagnation region of Venus and reveals its large extent. Nature Communications vol 13, 7743 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-35061-3
Further information
Science and Housekeeping data for the study were obtained from eight sensors on three spacecraft:
Mio
Mercury Electron Analyzer (MEA)
Mercury Ion Analyzer (MIA)
Mass Spectrum Analyzer (MSA)
Energetic Neutral Atom (ENA)
MPO
Magnetometer (MAG)
Miniature Ion Precipitation Analyzer (MIPA)
Solar Orbiter
Magnetometer (MAG)
Proton Alpha Spectrometer (PAS)
Image
The convergence of BepiColombo and Solar Orbiter spacecraft at Venus in August 2021 was a rare opportunity to investigate the ‘stagnation region’, an area of the venusian magnetosphere where some of the largest effects of the interaction between Venus and the solar wind are observed. Credit: CC BY-Nc-SA 4.0 – Thibaut Roger/Europlanet 2024 RI
The convergence of BepiColombo and Solar Orbiter spacecraft at Venus in August 2021 was a rare opportunity to investigate the ‘stagnation region’, an area of the venusian magnetosphere where some of the largest effects of the interaction between Venus and the solar wind are observed.
Download full resolution image as JPG, PNG or PDF.
Video
Dr Moa Persson describes the observations by BepiColombo and Solar Orbiter of Venus’s induced magnetosphere and magnetosheath.
Dr Sae Aizawa explains how the solar wind interacts with magnetic fields and atmospheres at different planets in our Solar System.
In October 2003, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) was established as an independent administrative institution, integrating the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) and the National Aerospace Laboratory of Japan (NAL). ISAS became one of four principal sections within the newly established organization. Its mission is to advance space science – scientific research conducted in outer space – in Japan, mainly by collaboration with universities. It also actively contributes to JAXA’s and Japan’s entire space development.
ISAS’s new efforts and results in space science are published in Japan and shared with the international community, thus promoting JAXA’s status and enhancing Japan’s intellectual reputation in the world.
Since 2005, Europlanet has provided Europe’s planetary science community with a platform to exchange ideas and personnel, share research tools, data and facilities, define key science goals for the future, and engage stakeholders, policy makers and European citizens with planetary science.
The Europlanet 2024 Research Infrastructure (RI) has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 871149 to provide access to state-of-the-art research facilities and a mechanism to coordinate Europe’s planetary science community. The project builds on a €2 million Framework 6 Coordination Action (EuroPlaNet), a €6 million Framework 7 Research Infrastructure (Europlanet RI) and a €10 million Horizon 2020 Research Infrastructure (Europlanet 2020 RI) funded by the European Commission.
The Europlanet Society promotes the advancement of European planetary science and related fields for the benefit of the community and is open to individual and organisational members. The Society’s aims are:
To expand and support a diverse and inclusive planetary community across Europe through the activities of its 10 Regional Hubs.
To build the profile of the sector through outreach, education and policy activities
To underpin the key role Europe plays in planetary science through developing links at a national and international level.
20-EPN-61: Life in extreme environments: Distribution and importance of far-red light driven photosynthesis to primary production in Martian-like environments
Visit by Dennis Nürnberg, Freie Universität Berlin, (Germany) and Daniel Canniffe, Liverpool University (UK) to TA1.5 Makgadikgadi Salt Pans (Botswana). Dates of visit: 10-19 February 2022
The aim of this project was to confirm the richness and abundance of chlorophyll f-containing cyanobacteria, and their ability to use low-energy light to perform oxygenic photosynthesis in Martian-like environments. This study was a follow-up to a 2019 sampling trip to the sabkhas of the Western Sahara (Morocco), for which we could show that chlorophyll f-cyanobacteria are highly abundant. Here we expanded this research by collecting samples from the hypersaline environments of the Sua and Ntwetwe Pans in Makgadikgadi (Botswana). Microbial mat and rock samples containing endolithic and hypolithic phototrophs were collected. Light microscopy on site confirmed the abundance of cyanobacteria of various morphologies in most collected samples. The microbial mat samples were especially rich in cyanobacteria, forming a 1-2 mm thick layer at various depths depending on the absorption properties of the top layer.
Preliminary analyses with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in combination with hyperspectral confocal fluorescence microscopy confirmed the presence of red-shifted chlorophylls in some of these samples but to less extent as observed in the sabkhas. Genomic DNA has been extracted and will be used for sequencing and phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA and specific far-red light genes. This will allow to fully evaluate the microbial diversity and their ability to perform chlorophyll f-driven oxygenic photosynthesis. In addition, the enrichment and isolation process of new chlorophyll f-containing cyanobacteria has been started by transferring the samples to growth media of various salinity and keeping them under selective far-red light illumination.
Report Summary:
Read full report, published with kind permission by Dr Nürnberg and Dr Canniffe.
Can the mapping of planets become an automated process? Scientists from Constructor University in Bremen, Germany, the University of Padua, and the University of Bologna have now developed a novel, open-source approach for the mapping of planetary landforms using artificial intelligence. “DeepLandforms,” the pre-release version of the deep learning program was published in the American Geophysical Union journal “Earth and Space Science” at the end of December.
Creating geological maps of planetary surfaces such as Mars is a complex process. From data collection to data analysis to publication in different formats – the production of maps is based on a time-consuming, multi-step process. Deep Learning techniques, which use artificial neural networks to analyse data sets, can significantly improve the production process, as broadly shown in both scientific literature and applications. However, until now, open-source, ready-to-use, and highly customisable toolsets for planetary mapping were never released.
“We were interested in designing a simple, out-of-the-box tool that can be customised and used by many,” said Giacomo Nodjoumi. The PhD candidate in the research group of Angelo Rossi, Professor of Earth and Planetary Science at Constructor University, was key to developing “DeepLandforms”. The program is open and available for further optimisation, and showcases an inexpensive, fast, and simple approach to mapping planets in outer space.
The scientists demonstrated the results that can be achieved with the help of the software for planetary mapping with a specific landform on Mars, which resembles lava tubes on Earth. Geological maps are an important tool in planetary exploration, because they also serve as a basis for possible explorations by robots or humans.
This study is within the Europlanet 2024 RI and EXPLORE project, and it has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement 871149 and 101004214. Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.
About Constructor University and Constructor group:
An international community, vibrant and diverse. Offering academic excellence, ensuring the highest standards in research and teaching. Empowering students to solve the world’s pressing challenges through knowledge and science: Constructor University is a top-ranked, English-speaking, private university. Founded in 2001, it provides a wide range of 25+ academic programs and PhD. The Constructor ecosystem comprises the university, located in Bremen, Germany and an institute in Schaffhausen, Switzerland.
Over 1.800 students from more than 110 nations on campus benefit from a unique interdisciplinary, foundational theoretical and practical education. Enriched with a buzzing entrepreneurial culture that prepares young professionals to thrive in the job market. With 6.000+ alumni worldwide our community keeps growing – with our highest cohort ever registered in 2022.
The research-centric faculty projects are funded by the German Research Foundation and the European Union’s Framework Program for Research and Innovation as well as by globally leading companies. Constructor University benefits from partnerships with high-ranked universities such as Carnegie Mellon, the University of Geneva or the National University of Singapore School of Computing, and technology companies such as Anisoprint, JetBrains and ChemDiv.
The Constructor ecosystem is a global institution dedicated to addressing the main challenges of the world through science, education, and technology. Apart from the University, the ecosystem relies on several for-profit entities that provide technology infrastructures and solutions, life-long education programs, consulting services, and funding: Alemira by Constructor, Rolos by Constructor, Constructor Learning and Constructor Capital.
About Europlanet
Since 2005, Europlanet has provided Europe’s planetary science community with a platform to exchange ideas and personnel, share research tools, data and facilities, define key science goals for the future, and engage stakeholders, policy makers and European citizens with planetary science.
The Europlanet 2024 Research Infrastructure (RI) has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 871149 to provide access to state-of-the-art research facilities and a mechanism to coordinate Europe’s planetary science community. The project builds on a €2 million Framework 6 Coordination Action (EuroPlaNet), a €6 million Framework 7 Research Infrastructure (Europlanet RI) and a €10 million Horizon 2020 Research Infrastructure (Europlanet 2020 RI) funded by the European Commission.
The Europlanet Society promotes the advancement of European planetary science and related fields for the benefit of the community and is open to individual and organisational members. The Society’s aims are:
To expand and support a diverse and inclusive planetary community across Europe through the activities of its 10 Regional Hubs.
To build the profile of the sector through outreach, education and policy activities
To underpin the key role Europe plays in planetary science through developing links at a national and international level.
The EXPLORE project gathers experts from different science domains and technological expertises to develop new tools that will enable and promote the exploitation of space science data. Through EXPLORE, we are creating a series of scientific data applications (Apps) that support users who interact with the large space science data archives maintained by space agencies, observatories and other facilities (e.g. ESA Datalabs or ESCAPE SAP). Our applications will equip researchers with state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence (AI) and visual analytics to enhance science return and discovery from ‘big data’, initially focusing on data from the Gaia mission (investigating the Milky Way galaxy and stars) and from various missions to explore the Moon. The EXPLORE Data Challenges aim to raise awareness of the Apps produced by the EXPLORE project, and to improve the accuracy of the Apps by harnessing expertise from other data analysis fields.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101004214. https://explore-platform.eu
The second Europlanet 2024 RI Workshop, “Applications of Earth Observation Satellite Data”, coordinated by the University of Bologna and Italian Cultural Institute (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation) was held in Addis Ababa at the Italian Cultural Institute (IIC) in Ethiopia. The event was sponsored by the Italian Space Agency and the National Institute of Astrophysics.
Space is now an objective of strategic importance for African countries. Africa looks to space as a valuable tool for the support, competitiveness and growth of the continent. Africa’s Agenda 2030 and Agenda 2063 set out its future objectives to transform it into a strong, resilient and influential actor and partner on the global scene, and to have the right to a share of global common goods: land, oceans and space.
Now, the Europlanet 2024 Research Infrastructure project and its Global Collaboration and Integration Development programme coordinated by Prof. Barbara Cavalazzi of the University of Bologna, aim to address the challenge of creating a network for planetary sciences in Africa at a national and international, favoring intra-African relations.
Recently, 38 participants from all over Ethiopia attended an international workshop in person. The attendees were professionals, researchers and PhD students from the Universities of Addis Ababa, Mezan Tepi, Semera, Wollo, Wolkite, Oda Bultum, but also from the Ethiopian Space Science and Technology Institute, the Space Science and Geospatial Institute, the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, the Ethiopian Forest Development, the Ethiopian Roads Administration, all linked by common interests such as Earth observation, use of satellite images and related applications.
Barbara Cavalazzi explains: “The format I chose for this event was to provide high-quality content, examples of applications, and practical workshops for using the software, with kind support from high-profile instructors (Gabriele Bitelli and Francesca Trevisiol, University of Bologna, Patrizia Sacco, Italian Space Agency, Addisu Gezahegn, Addis Ababa University and Gemechu Fanta Garuma, Space Science and Geospatial Institute). In parallel, times for discussion and sessions were organised for the exchange of ideas on research in the field of Earth observation. Interaction between the participants themselves was encouraged, laying the foundations for the formation of a local community of specialists on the subject. And I can say that we have achieved the goal”.
“We are happy to welcome so many participants to this workshop from all over Ethiopia, in conjunction with the National Space Day celebrations,” says Dr. Semen Kumurzhi, Director of the Italian Cultural Institute. “The initiatives promoted are part of the strategy to relaunch our cultural and integrated programme in this country and represent an important moment of dialogue, in particular with a young generation of local scientists and researchers. These activities will help to raise the profile of our country in Ethiopia in a modern and innovative way. It is an excellent example of collaboration between the University of Bologna and the other national organistions (Embassy of Italy, ASI, INAF), whom I sincerely thank. We hope that the results of these projects lead to medium to long-term partnerships, so that we can support the development of space and planetary science in Ethiopia and Africa for years to come.”
“Earth observation through satellite images represents a fundamental tool for the monitoring and management of the territory. The educational programme of the workshop included theoretical lessons supported by practical sessions with open-source software, providing students with the tools to use remote sensing images to support their own research or professional activity. Possible applications, which emerged as priorities from the participants, included the monitoring of agriculture in the context of food security, the prevention of natural disasters, the monitoring of surface water and drought, together with the other environmental problems that climate change is making increasingly evident,” explain Gabriele Bitelli and Francesca Trevisiol at the end of the workshop.
The workshop, which ended on 16 December, coincided with the second National Space Day, during which the “LOOKING BEYOND/Guardare Oltre” satellite image exhibition (curated by F. Maggia) set up at the IIC was inaugurated. The programme was enriched by a series of workshops “Let’s light up the constellations” held by Dr. Federico Di Giacomo of INAF-Astronomical Observatory of Padua, and organized in collaboration with Dr Maura Sandri of INAF and Prof Barbara Cavalazzi, which involved nearly 200 students from the Galileo Galilei Italian school in Addis Ababa.
The second Europlanet Workshop,”Earth Satellite and Data Analyses”.The second Europlanet Workshop,”Earth Satellite and Data Analyses”.The second Europlanet Workshop,”Earth Satellite and Data Analyses”.‘Let’s light up the constellations’ workshop.The second Europlanet Workshop,”Earth Satellite and Data Analyses”.The second Europlanet Workshop,”Earth Satellite and Data Analyses”.The second Europlanet Workshop,”Earth Satellite and Data Analyses”.The second Europlanet Workshop,”Earth Satellite and Data Analyses”. IThe second Europlanet Workshop,”Earth Satellite and Data Analyses”.The second Europlanet Workshop,”Earth Satellite and Data Analyses”.The second Europlanet Workshop,”Earth Satellite and Data Analyses”.‘Let’s light up the constellations’ workshop.The second Europlanet Workshop,”Earth Satellite and Data Analyses”, coordinated by the University of Bologna and Addis Ababa (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation), was held in Addis Ababa at the Italian Cultural Institute (IIC) in Ethiopia. Schools attended a workshop: “Let’s light up the Constellations”. Credit: INAF/UniBo/IIC/Europlanet.
University of Bologna participation was by Barbara Cavalazzi, Professor in the Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, who coordinated the workshop, and Gabriele Bitelli and Francesca Trevisiol, Professor and doctoral student in the Geomatics group of the Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering, who participated in the initiative. The event was organised with the support of Europlanet 2024 RI, which received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 program (Grant No 871149).
Cover of Issue 4 of the Europlanet Magazine. Credit: Pixooma/NASA/Europlanet
In Focus A round up of news from Europlanet 2024 RI, the Europlanet Society, the Europlanet Science Congress (EPSC) 2022 and the planetary community.
Back Face to Face
For the first time in three years, the planetary science community had the opportunity to meet face-to-face at the Europlanet Science Congress (EPSC) 2022 in Granada, Spain. Thibaut Roger (Europlanet/Universität Bern/NCCR PlanetS) and Vix Southgate (Europlanet/Vixen Design) present a selection of EPSC2022 images.
Planetary Perspectives Ann Carine Vandaele, the new President Elect of the Europlanet Society and Head of the Planetary Atmospheres Group at the Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (IASB-BIRA), talks about her career and her vision for Europlanet in this month’s Planetary Perspectives Q&A.
Amanar: A Refuge in the Stars
Felipe Carrelli, Jorge Rivero González, Andrea Rodríguez Antón, Nayra Rodríguez Eugenio and Diego Torres Machado on behalf of GalileoMobile and the Amanar Task Force explain how the ‘Amanar: Under the Same Sky’ project is using astronomy to support Sahrawi refugee communities through skills development and self-empowerment activities.
The Effects of Climate Change on Astronomical Observing Facilities
Observing DART with the Travelling Telescope Colin Clarke of Armagh Observatory and Planetarium in Northern Ireland visited the Travelling Telescope Team in Kenya through the Europlanet Expert Exchange Programme.
VESPA Comes of Age Stéphane Erard (Observatoire de Paris) explores the evolution of Europlanet’s virtual access service, VESPA.
Europlanet Impact Case study: Atomki Béla Sulik explains how the Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki), Hungary’s national centre of accelerator-based nuclear and atomic physics, became involved with and has benefitted from collaboration with Europlanet.
JWST Sees Red with First Pictures of Mars Sanje Fenkart, a science communicator and freelance journalist, is the new editorial assistant for the CERNCourier. She took part in the media internship programme at the Europlanet Science Congress (EPSC) from 18-23 September 2022 funded by the Europlanet 2024 Research Infrastructure (RI) project. Here she reports on results presented at the meeting.
From Online to Granada: Bringing Scientific Conferences to Schools
Ulysse Pedreira-Segade, Education Officer for Europlanet 2024 RI and Scientific Coordinator for Lecturers Without Borders, describes how activities to bring planetary sciences to the classroom has transitioned from online to in-person.
Status of Women in Astronomy: Still a Long Way to Go Mamta Pommier (LUMP/CNRS, Université de Montpellier, France) and Arianna Piccialli (Royal Belgium Institute of Space Aeronomy, Belgium), on behalf of the IAU Women in Astronomy Working Group, take a first look at factors suppressing the careers of women astronomers around the world.
Hidden in the Noise Yoshifumi Futaana (Swedish Institute of Space Physics) shows how asking unusual questions can lead to ground-breaking science.
CommKit The Europlanet Magazine’s column on science communication by Thibaut Roger (Europlanet/Universität Bern/NCCR PlanetS) reflects on unconventional outreach practices.
The Last Word – A Time for Optimism Nigel Mason (University of Kent/Atomki) reflects on positive news for the planetary science community.
This call provides an opportunity to develop a wider pan-European research infrastructure to support the European space community in conducting fundamental research in space exploration. We look forward to working with colleagues in astrobiology, astrochemistry and astrophysics on this and other RI calls.
Within the Digital, Industry and Space programme there are again specific calls for the space domain with a deadline of 28 March 2023. Those perhaps most relevant to the Europlanet community are:
HORIZON-CL4-2023-SPACE-01-71: Scientific exploitation of space data. This call ‘supports the data exploitation of European missions and instruments, in conjunction,when relevant, with international missions’ in order to exploit ‘all acquired and available data provided by space missions in theiroperative, post-operative or data exploitation phase ensuring complementarity with activities already supported by ESA or national agencies during development phases.’ It is estimated 8 projects of between 1 and 1.5 MEuros will be funded
The week started with 65 school students from 3 classes attending a hands-on laboratory workshop called ‘Light up the constellation’, led by INAF (the Italian Institute for Astrophysics).
The workshop on ‘Applications of Earth Observation Satellite Data’, held from 13-16 December 2022, has brought together 38 space technology specialists, scientists and students to discuss current topics in this rapidly developing field. The workshop was the second in a series organised under the umbrella of the Global Collaboration and Integration Development program of Europlanet 2024 Research Infrastructure (RI) that aims to support the creation of an African network in planetary science.
The attendees comprised 24 participants from Addis Ababa, as well as 12 from wider Ethiopia, including from Semera, Wollo and Willowy Universities.
Prof Tessema, guest honour at Europlanet Workshop Series 2: ‘Applications of Earth Observation Satellite Data’.Europlanet Workshop Series 2: ‘Applications of Earth Observation Satellite Data’. Credit: B Cavalazzi.Europlanet Workshop Series 2: ‘Applications of Earth Observation Satellite Data’. Credit: B Cavalazzi.Prof Bitelli presents the first lecture in the Europlanet Workshop Series 2: ‘Applications of Earth Observation Satellite Data’. Credit: B Cavalazzi.
Cosmic Ray Counts Hidden in Spacecraft Data Highlight Influence of Solar Cycle at Mars and Venus
Europlanet and Swedish Institute of Space Physics Joint Press Release
EMBARGOED for 11:00 UTC / noon CET on Monday, 5 December 2022
Measurements by ESA’s long-serving twin missions, Mars Express and Venus Express, have captured the dance between the intensity of high-energy cosmic rays and the influence of the Sun’s activity across our inner Solar System.
A comparison of data from the ASPERA plasma sensor, an instrument carried by both spacecraft, with the number of sunspots visible on the surface of the Sun shows how cosmic ray counts are suppressed during peaks of activity in the 11-year solar cycle. The international study, led by Dr Yoshifumi Futaana of the Swedish Institute of Space Physics, has been published today in the Astrophysical Journal.
Cosmic rays are particles travelling at almost the speed of light that originate outside our Solar System. They are a dangerous form of high energy radiation that can cause electronic failures in spacecraft and damage the DNA of humans in space.
As well as the decadal-long relationship with the solar cycle, the researchers also looked at how cosmic ray detections varied over the short timescales of an orbit. Surprisingly, they found that the area protected from cosmic rays behind Mars is more than 100 kilometres wider than the planet’s actual radius. The cause of why this blocked area should be so large is not yet clear.
“The study shows the range of valuable insights that can be derived from what is actually background count information collected by the ASPERA instruments. Understanding the various relationships between cosmic rays and the solar cycle, the atmospheres of planets and the performance of spacecraft instrumentation is very important for future robotic missions and human exploration,” said Dr Futaana.
Launched in 2003, Mars Express remains in service around the Red Planet, while Venus Express operated from 2006 until 2014. The researchers compared the 17-year dataset from Mars and eight-year dataset from Venus with Earth-based cosmic ray measurements from the Thule neutron monitor in Greenland. Scientists took median value of cosmic ray counts over three-month periods to minimise the influence of sporadic solar activity, such as flares or coronal mass ejections. The databases of background radiation counts extracted for the study have been published and can be accessed through the Europlanet SPIDER planetary space weather service (http://spider-europlanet.irap.omp.eu/).
All the datasets showed a decrease in the number of cosmic ray detections as the peak in activity for Solar Cycle 24 was reached. In particular, the Mars Express data and the observations from Earth showed very similar features. However, there was an apparent lag of around nine months between the maximum number of sunspots and the minimum in cosmic ray detections at Mars.
“Previous studies have suggested that there is a delay of several months between solar activity and the behaviour of cosmic rays at the Earth and at Mars. Our results appear to confirm this and also provide further evidence that Solar Cycle 24 was a bit unusual, perhaps due to the long solar minimum between Cycle 23 and 24, or the relatively low activity during Cycle 24,” said Dr Futaana.
The analysis of the Venus Express data has been complicated by changes in the way onboard processing was carried out from 2010 onwards. In addition, while the ASPERA instruments carried by Mars Express and Venus Express were based on a common design, they were each tailored to the very different planetary environments in which they operated. This means that a direct comparison of cosmic ray fluxes at Mars and Venus is not possible using the available datasets.
“The use of background counts to study the interaction of cosmic rays and high energy particles with planetary missions is relatively new. However, obtaining this information shows potential as a powerful tool, for example, in protecting the upcoming JUpiter Icy moon Explorer (JUICE) mission of the European Space Agency, which will explore the harsh environment around Jupiter’s icy moons,” said Nicolas Andre of the Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie (IRAP) in Toulouse, France, coordinator of the Europlanet SPIDER service and co-author of this study.
Futaana et al. Galactic Cosmic Rays at Mars and Venus: Temporal Variations from Hours to Decades Measured as the Background Signal of Onboard Micro-Channel Plates. The Astrophysical Journal. 2022. DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/ac9a49
Images
Artists’ impressions of Mars Express (left) and Venus Express (right). Credit: ESA/D Ducros/AOES Medialab.
Artists’ impressions of Mars Express (left) and Venus Express (right).
Credit: ESA/D Ducros/AOES Medialab.
Artistic representation of galactic cosmic rays. Credit: M Eriksson/IRF.
Artistic representation of galactic cosmic rays. Credit: M Eriksson/IRF
The Swedish Institute of Space Physics (IRF) is a governmental research institute under the Ministry of Education. IRF conducts basic research and postgraduate education in space physics, space technology, and atmospheric physics.
IRF has over 60 years of experience in developing instruments for space research projects and participates in several major international collaborative projects using satellites and ground-based equipment.
About Europlanet
Since 2005, Europlanet has provided Europe’s planetary science community with a platform to exchange ideas and personnel, share research tools, data and facilities, define key science goals for the future, and engage stakeholders, policy makers and European citizens with planetary science.
The Europlanet 2024 Research Infrastructure (RI) has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 871149 to provide access to state-of-the-art research facilities and a mechanism to coordinate Europe’s planetary science community. The project builds on a €2 million Framework 6 Coordination Action (EuroPlaNet), a €6 million Framework 7 Research Infrastructure (Europlanet RI) and a €10 million Horizon 2020 Research Infrastructure (Europlanet 2020 RI) funded by the European Commission.
The Europlanet Society promotes the advancement of European planetary science and related fields for the benefit of the community and is open to individual and organisational members. The Society’s aims are:
To expand and support a diverse and inclusive planetary community across Europe through the activities of its 10 Regional Hubs.
To build the profile of the sector through outreach, education and policy activities
To underpin the key role Europe plays in planetary science through developing links at a national and international level.
Expert Exchange: Training on Molecular and Computer-based techniques
Europlanet 2024 RI’s Expert Exchange Programme aims to support the planetary community to share expertise and best practice, and to prepare new facilities and services. The programme provides funding for short visits (up to one week).
Ermias Balcha from Addis Ababa Science and Technology University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, visited Karen Olsson-Francis and Dr Michael Macey at the Open University, UK, from 18-24 October 2022.
The purpose of expert exchange was for Ermias Balcha to receive training in a combination of molecular and computer-based techniques to catalogue the diversity of microbes in samples collected from hyper-saline environments in the Afar Depression in Ethiopia. Ermias’s studies aim to identify the presence and diversity of novel antimicrobial and their associated production pathways, and potentially identify novel antibiotics within these extreme environments. This is the first time that these microbial communities, which often host unique metabolic adaptations due to their extreme nature, have been characterised in terms of the potential medical applications.
The visit was very successful: the data analysed will contribute to two or three data chapters of Ermias’s PhD thesis, and training has reinforced the exchange of experience between scientific communities in Europe and Africa.
Next Call For Europlanet Expert Exchange Programme
Applications should be made before the next call deadline of 31 March 2023. Visits through this call should take place between 1 May and 31 October 2023.
Expert Exchange: Visiting the Swedish Institute of Space Physics and the Esrange Space Center
Europlanet 2024 RI’s Expert Exchange Programme aims to support the planetary community to share expertise and best practice, and to prepare new facilities and services. The programme provides funding for short visits (up to one week).
András Illyés of Wigner Research Centre for Physics, Budapest, Hungary, visited Mats Holmström of the Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Kiruna, Sweden, from 27 June – 1 July 2022.
András is a Mechatronics Engineering student at Budapest University of Technology and Economics, and a Research Assistant at Wigner RCP, working on atmospheric magnetic research and involved in the commissioning of a SERF magnetometer for future experiments.
The objective of the visit was to further expand knowledge on ESA-certified development processes and experiments at the Swedish Institute of Space Physics (IRF).
During the Expert Exchange, András visited and gained a better knowledge about the test facilities used at IRF, especially the thermo-vacuum chamber and other mechanical test instruments. He learned more about the IRF’s quality insurance system, their CAD/CAM systems and PCB design softwares and about soldering and its quality assurance in workshop. He also gained a better understanding of the usage of SERF magnetometers.
Next Call For Europlanet Expert Exchange Programme
Applications should be made before the next call deadline of 31 March 2023. Visits through this call should take place between 1 May and 31 October 2023.
Expert Exchange: New collaborations between Australia and Botswana for the investigation of terrestrial extreme environments
Europlanet 2024 RI’s Expert Exchange Programme aims to support the planetary community to share expertise and best practice, and to prepare new facilities and services. The programme provides funding for short visits (up to one week).
Andrea Borsato and Silvia Frisia of the University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, visited Fulvio Franchi at the Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST), Botswana, from 5-16 September 2022.
The visit was intended to initiate a new collaboration between Australia and Botswana and provide training for the academic and research staff in how to select, collect, preserve and analyse specimens of astrobiological and microbiological interest and set up an environmental monitoring program.
The first 4 days of the visit were dedicated to the field trip to Gcwihaba cave (Kwihabe, Ngamiland), which preserves thousands of years of climate and environmental history and can be utilised as an analogue to detect traces of ancient microbial life on Earth.
The following part of the visit took place at BIUST’s geochemical laboratories in Palapye, which include stable isotope MS and the trace element ICP-MS and ICP-OS facilities. The visitors discussed with technical and academic staff strategies and approaches in order to optimise the micro-sampling techniques and geochemical analyses. They also explored opportunities to analyse the trace element concentration of some Botswana continental carbonates samples at the X-ray fluorescence beamline at the Australian Synchrotron, as well as the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility.
During the visit, Dr Borsato and Dr Frisia delivered a workshop and lecture series attended by academic and technical staff as well as post-graduate candidates of the Earth and Environmental Science Department of BIUST. The lectures and workshop sessions were followed by Q&As. Attendees were given pratical and theoretical training in microscopy techniques.
Expert Exchange Objectives covered by this visit: Improvement of Facilities and Infrastructure, Training for Transnational Access, Early Career Support.
Next Call For Europlanet Expert Exchange Programme
Applications should be made before the next call deadline of 31 March 2023. Visits through this call should take place between 1 May and 31 October 2023.
Expert Exchange: Collaboration Between Brazilian Exoss and Romanian MOROI Networks.
Europlanet 2024 RI’s Expert Exchange Programme aims to support the planetary community to share expertise and best practice, and to prepare new facilities and services. The programme provides funding for short visits (up to one week).
Marcelo De Cicco, from INMETRO, Brazil visited Iharka Csillik at the Astronomical Observatory of Cluj-Napoca, Romania, from 1-10 July 2022.
The aim of the visit was to develop code to model grazing meteors, attend the International conference on ‘Theory, Observations and Data Processing in Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space and Planetary Sciences’ and explore collaborations between the Brazilian EXOSS project, Romanian MOROI networks, FRIPON international network and a Hungarian meteor observations project.
This Expert Exchange visit came about through the Europlanet Mentorship programme, as Iharka is supporting Marcelo to develop skills in meteor science dynamics and publishing. The mentor-mentee pair were featured as a case study in a poster on the mentorship programme at the Europlanet Science Congress (EPSC) 2022 (Stonkute et al. 2022).
Next Call For Europlanet Expert Exchange Programme
Applications should be made before the next call deadline of 31 March 2023. Visits through this call should take place between 1 May and 31 October 2023.
Europlanet 2024 RI has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 871149
