Space nearer home

Abstract

New opportunities for UK schools were announced recently by the British National Space Centre, involving both a satellite to provide direct reception for schools and a smaller version of the Hubble Space Telescope. Plans are well developed for a British satellite to be used by schools, to enhance education and to stimulate interest in space science as well as the Earth's near-space environment. With funding due from the Millennium Commission, a Millennium Satellite Centre has been established to build, launch and operate the microsatellite. The centre will also provide a comprehensive range of education services in support of teachers and schools. Data generated by the satellite will be freely available to all UK schools, and it is expected that others with related science, space technology or communication interests will also become involved in using the data. It is currently planned to launch the satellite in mid-1999, and it should be carrying imaging cameras, communication facilities for transmission, a number of science experiments relating to the Earth's space environment, the influence of the Sun and other topics, and an additional experiment resulting from a national competition. Interested schools should register as soon as possible to ensure receipt of information and to demonstrate the level of potential involvement. Those wishing to enter the competition to define a satellite experiment should indicate their intention at the same time. The address for applicants is the Millennium Satellite Centre Ltd, c/o Royal Grammar School, PO Box 289, Guildford GU1 3WY. June 1996 saw the start of a study of user requirements for the Humble Space Telescope, the full feasibility study for which will be carried out later this year. The aim of this space telescope is to give young space scientists regular access to an orbiting observatory quickly and cheaply, in time for the next century. Desktop space exploration will be possible in schools and universities, and armchair exploration by amateur astronomers, providing experience in satellite management, data acquisition and processing, and the presentation of results to peer groups. Potentially the telescope should be able to give millions of people access to Space. Schools interested in contributing to the process of defining user requirements are invited to contact Rodney Buckland, Trustee, National Space Centre, c/o Centre for Design of Intelligent Systems, Faculty of Technology, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA (tel: 01908 652860, email: r.buckland@open.ac.uk).