ESA Mission - Aurora

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flynn

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<br /><br /><i> ESA Press release </i><br /><b>Lord Sainsbury announces UK commitment to next phase of Europe Aurora Space Plan</b><br /><br /> <br />1 October 2004<br />BNSC Press Release. Science Minister Lord Sainsbury today announced the UK’s commitment to the next stage of the European Space Exploration Programme (ESEP) 'Aurora'.<br /> <br />The Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) will invest £5 million on behalf of the UK in the European Space Agency’s (ESA) preparatory phase for Aurora.<br />Aurora is the framework proposed by ESA for the long-term exploration of the Solar System, with the aim of a human mission to Mars in 2033. Its two main themes are the development of human technologies to eventually take humans to Mars, and the robotic exploration of Mars as a precursor to the human mission.<br /><br />Lord Sainsbury said today: "I am delighted to announce that PPARC will take forward the UK’s investment in the preparatory element of the Aurora programme. This subscription will make the UK one of the leading contributors to this next phase up to early 2006. As well as the science benefits, this programme could develop valuable new technology in autonomous robotics, which is why the UK places such emphasis on this approach to space exploration." <br /><br />The UK investment, along with subscriptions from other member states, will enable ESA to:<br /><br />Define the roadmap for Aurora. <br />Begin preparations for the first robotic missions. <br />Produce costed proposals to see the first missions through to launch. <br /> <br />The information gained from the preparatory phase will enable all member states to decide what role they wish to take in the final, implementation stage for Aurora.<br />Lord Sainsbury, speaking at a press conference featuring leading members of the science and industrial community, added: "Our long-standing participation in ESA’s space science programme remains central to our programme to answer fundamental questions about the ori <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#800080">"All God does is watch us and kill us when we get boring. We must never, ever be boring" - <strong>Chuck Palahniuk</strong>.</font> </div>
 
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