GLOBAL NEWS
GLOBAL NEWS
GÉANT REACHES THE STARS
On October 24, 2013, the GÉANT network literally brought the four corners of the universe together in a live video conference between Jerusalem, Milan, Munich and the European Space Agency’s ATV-Albert Einstein at the International Space Station.
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n a networking accomplishment worthy of the mission’s namesake Albert Einstein, the European Space Agency (ESA), in collaboration with the Italian Space Agency (ASI), the German Aerospace Centre’s Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics and the Israel Space Agency, organised a live video conference with ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano from the International Space Station. During the video call, participants and guests in Milan, Munich and Jerusalem enjoyed live interactive lectures by leading researchers from each institution on space robotics and satellite technologies, followed by a live video conference and Q&A session from the international space station with Luca Parmitano. From A to Z, this ambitious networking collaboration was made possible by GÉANT’s backbone network. The Politecnico di Milano is connected to GARR (www.garr.it), Italy’s National Research & Education Network (NREN). The Technische Universität München in Germany connects via the German NREN, DFN (www.dfn.de/en/). The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, via IUCC (www.iucc.ac.il), connects universities and research institutions in Israel and across the globe with one another. The ESA’s European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC), in the Netherlands, is the ESA’s largest facility and test centre and responsible for the technical preparation and management of ESA space projects and technical support to ESA’s satellite, space exploration and human spaceflight activities. ESTEC leverages the power of SURFnet (www.surfnet.nl/en), the operator and developer of interconnected networking infrastructure for the higher education and research communities in the Netherlands. GARR, DFN, IUCC, and SURFnet are all partners in GÉANT, the pan-European research and education network,
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CONNECT ISSUE 14 JANUARY 2014
interconnecting Europe’s National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) with over 50 million users at 10,000 institutions to support advanced research in a wide range of scientific disciplines. Reaching for the stars and back again, in live audio and video, requires a network of “outer space” proportions. Europe’s research and education networks have proven they are up to the job, thanks to GÉANT speed, security and capacity. To experience outer space with ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano, search YouTube for “ATV Albert Einstein IN-Flight call event”.
Words Audrey Gerber, IUCC-InterUniversity Computation Center
The ESA ATV-4 (Automated Transfer Vehicle) is one of the most reliable and complex spacecraft ever built in Europe. This particular mission to the international space station is named after Albert Einstein. It was launched from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana June 2013 to help keep the international space station and its permanent crew working at full capacity.
As part of ATV-Albert Einstein’s cargo, the ESA sent a number of copies of documents from the Albert Einstein archives, maintained at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. These documents were delivered to the Space Station and signed by ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano before returning to Earth.
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