08 October 2008
Astrium employees will visit hundreds of English, French, German and Spanish pupils at their schools to inspire them about space, with descriptions of space activities and how they benefit our daily lives. François Auque, CEO of Astrium said: “I am impressed by how our teams have really thrown themselves into this event. We are committed to spreading the word about space – how it touches more and more of our daily lives and how we all benefit from it.”
In Paris, Astrium is raising awareness of World Space Week and European space through an exhibition celebrating the centenary of the French Aerospace Industry Association (GIFAS). Visitors to the Champs Elysees are invited to discover scale replicas of Ariane 5, the space plane, a model space capsule, Earth observation and telecommunication satellites and the Mars rover in the Astrium tent.
Speakers will be visiting schools and colleges near the company’s UK bases in Stevenage and Portsmouth, and activities will be organised such as workshops and lectures at the INTECH Science Centre and Planetarium in Hampshire - see http://www.intech-uk.com
The two Astrium Spain sites in Madrid (Barajas and Tres Cantos) will hold technical visits for various institutes, universities and professionals. The company will also organize along with the Mayor’s office, the first micro-rocket launch contest, which will take place at the Planetarium’s amphitheatre. Four institutes will take part in the competition.
Space Experts and Engineers from the four German sites Bremen, Friedrichshafen, Ottobrunn and Lampoldshausen are going to visit schools and universities all over the country to give lectures and demonstrations about space basics, topic space missions, scientific results and operational benefits for mankind - not only to increase knowledge about space. They also might raise interest for work and jobs in the space industry.
World Space Week is the largest public space event in the world, celebrated each year in over 50 countries from 4 to 10 October. The event is “an international celebration of space science and technology, and their contribution to the betterment of the human condition”. World Space Week begins on 4th October to commemorate the launch of the first human-made Earth satellite, Sputnik 1, on 4th October 1957; it ends on 10th October, the date on which the international space treaty came into effect in 1967. www.worldspaceweek.org
Astrium, a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS, is dedicated to providing civil and defence space systems and services. In 2007, Astrium had a turnover of €3.5 billion and 12,000 employees in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands. Its three main areas of activity are Astrium Space Transportation for launchers and orbital infrastructure, Astrium Satellites for spacecraft and ground segment and its wholly owned subsidiary Astrium Services for the development and delivery of satellite services. EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2007, EADS generated revenues of €39.1 billion and employed a workforce of more than 116, 000.
Contacts for the media
| Matthieu Duvelleroy | EADS Astrium (FR) |
Tel.: +33 (0) 1 77 75 80 32 |
| Jeremy Close | EADS Astrium (UK) |
Tel.: +44 (0)1438 77 38 72 |
| Mathias Pikelj | EADS Astrium (GER) |
Tel.: +49 (0) 7545 89123 |
| Francisco Lechón | EADS Astrium (ESP) |
Tel.: +34 (0) 91 586 37 41 |
| www.astrium.eads.net |
