[extropy-chat] ESA focuses its 'Cosmic Vision'

[Giu1i0 Pri5c0]

ESA's 'Cosmic Vision 2015-2025' workshop, held at UNESCO in Paris on
15-16 September 2004, showed that Europe is richer than ever in ideas
for what should be done in space science in the coming years.
 
Scientists from across Europe brought together their papers outlining
what they thought should be the major issues of space exploration a
decade from now, on topics such as 'Tracing the origin of the Solar
System', 'The evolving violent Universe' and 'Other worlds and life in
the Universe'.
 
This workshop was a major step forward in developing the vision of the
future for Europe's space science that will be presented by ESA's
Science Directorate next spring. ESA's working groups are also working
to identify the technology challenges, with the help of the ESA
Advanced Concepts office.
 
 
Following endorsement by ESA's Science Programme Committee in February
2005, the 'Cosmic Vision 2015-2025' document will be produced, laying
out the targets for European space science for the decade 2015-2025.
Subsequently, once the financial framework is known, the European
scientific community will be called upon to produce a plan, including
concrete missions and mission scenarios, which will capture as much as
possible of the range of scientific themes targeted.

ESA's Director of Science, Prof. David Southwood, said: "Europe's
funding for space science has always been substantially less than the
US but there can be little doubt from the last two days that Europe
can claim intellectual parity and, with the right funding, can push
back any frontier."

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMDH41XDYD_index_0.html