Live Link-Up with International Space Station Cancelled Due to Hurricane Ike
Plans for a live televised link-up between Glasgow and the International Space Station (ISS) tomorrow (September 16) have been cancelled as a result of Hurricane Ike in the United States.
NASA Mission Control in Houston had to evacuate last Thursday before Ike struck Texas over the weekend, moving operational responsibility to back-up NASA centres in Texas and Alabama.
A team of flight controllers based at a hotel near Austin, Texas, remained in contact with the International Space Station throughout the storm, using laptop computers and a high-speed NASA communications system. But NASA's backup control centre is not as capable as the main space centre facility in Houston and the agency said yesterday (Sunday) that it had therefore had to cancel all non-essential communications activities with the Space Station.
More than 300 schoolchildren, politicians, dignitaries, and local space experts had been invited to the event at the Old Fruitmarket in Glasgow.
European Space Agency astronaut Michel Tognini had been scheduled to attend the event, and a 20 minute live televised spot had been booked where the guests would have put questions to Russian cosmonauts Sergei Volkov and Oleg Konoenko, and NASA astronaut Greg Chamitoff, who are onboard the International Space Station.
Glasgow City Marketing Bureau organised the event in conjunction with NASA, the European Space Agency and the British Interplanetary Society as a forerunner to the world’s biggest space show, the International Astronautical Congress, which is being held at the Scottish Exhibition + Conference Centre in Glasgow from September 29 to October 3.
Lord Provost of Glasgow, Bob Winter, who was scheduled to welcome the astronauts to Glasgow at the beginning of the live link-up and ask the first question, said: “I am extremely disappointed to learn that the space link-up has had to be cancelled due to Hurricane Ike.
“Nonetheless, Glasgow is looking forward to becoming the space capital of the world from September 29 to 3 October when the International Astronautical Congress comes to the city. There is a truly fantastic range of free events linked to the Congress and exhibition and I would urge the people of Scotland not to miss out on this opportunity to learn more about the cutting edge of space exploration”.
Scott Taylor, Chief Executive of Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, said: “With planning extraordinary events comes risk, and Hurricane Ike's disruption to communications was something that no one could have planned for.
"However, the International Astronautical Congress will launch perfectly in Glasgow with an exhibition that will thrill space enthusiasts and members of the general public alike. It will be an extraordinary event that will demonstrate once again Glasgow's ability to stage major international scientific events."
More than 2,000 of the world’s leading scientists, engineers and space experts will be in Glasgow for the International Astronautical Congress.
More than 1500 papers and presentations will be made. The first day will involve presentations from the world’s major space agencies about their future plans, while day two will examine commercial opportunities for space exploration.
Day three will focus on the contribution Earth observation can make to the study of climate change, and day four will look at the exploration of the Moon, Mars and beyond. The final day will look at the prospects for establishing a Moon base as an early step for the outward spread of mankind from the Earth.
Every day at 6pm, there are lectures open free to the public on subjects such as 10 years of the ISS; how universities can contribute to the space industry; commercial space travel; climate change; space exploration; life as an astronaut; and interstellar travel to other stars.
There is also a space exhibition, which is open to the public free of charge from 4pm to 6pm on October 1, from 10am to 6pm on October 2, and 9am to noon on October 3.
John Harlow, President of the British Interplanetary Society, added: “We’re all tremendously disappointed that the hurricane put paid to our efforts for this unique event.
“A live link with the crew of the Space Station would have been a great way to introduce space to the people of Glasgow as a precursor to IAC 2008.
"As well as being for space experts and all those involved in the space industry, I’d like to remind people that many of the events during the congress are also open to the public.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
For further information on NASA, visit, www.nasa.gov
For more information about the British Interplanetary Society, see www.bis-spaceflight.com
To learn more about the European Space Agency, see www.esa.int