World Space Week 2004 Report

World Space Week was celebrated for the fifth time in Poland. The great occasion to launch WSW 2004 with the theme "Space for Sustainable Development" was the opening of the Polish Ranging and Monitoring Integrity Station RIMS, which is vital part of the satellite navigation system EGNOS. The station was constructed as result of cooperation between Polish Space Research Center and European Space Agency. EGNOS, which is first element of a global satellite navigation system GALILEO, will enhance the accuracy of positioning based on satellite signals and increase the reliability of the results. RIMS in Poland is a good example of using satellite technology to meet the demands of modern economy and satisfy public needs. It is also an important element of European transport infrastructure. The opening ceremony was reported in several television and radio programs, which informed about WSW 2004 and space technologies that boost the economic development.

The main educational events linked to World Space Week 2004 were organized this year in Olsztyn – major city in the North-East Poland – a region famous from the beautiful, pristine lakes and forests. Planetarium and Astronomical Observatory in Olsztyn organized a series of events during World Space Week. Mr. Jacek Szubiakowski – director of the Planetarium and Mrs. Elzbieta Plucinska – responsible for WSW, prepared an extremely interesting program, which included a lecture on satellite navigation, the latest news from Cassini-Huygens Mission, films about exploration of Solar System and 2001 Mars Odyssey Concert. One of the biggest attractions for kids was the opportunity to control the "Red Rover" in the library of Olsztyn Planetarium.

University in Olsztyn is very active in the field of monitoring of environment and satellite navigation. Prof. Stanislaw Oszczak, Satellite Geodesy Chair, was invited during the WSW 2004 to Polish Television for the interview about benefits of space technologies for protection of environment.

There were several events organized by Polish Astronautics Society. Especially active are groups from Gdansk, Gdynia and Torun (the city of Copernicus). Young enthusiasts of astronautics participated in the ZNEK project (Application of Science for the Exploration of Space) http://znek.astronet.pl led by Polish Astronautics Society and it's leaders Mr Andrzej Kotarski and Mr Marek Sadowski. ZNEK has significant role in popularization of World Space Week among 14 to 19 years old pupils and students.

In addition to the main events organized under patronage of the Polish Academy of Science, we have reports about several local activities – lectures, exhibitions and other educational events in planetariums, schools and universities all over Poland.

I am convinced that World Space Week 2004 has significant promotional effect in media, helping us to spread the idea of space education.

contact us

Copyright ©2000-2008 World Space Week Association. All rights reserved.