The exhibition Space for Our Planet in Portugal

Thanks to the partnership with Portugal Space, Space for Our Planet  is displayed at the Sul-Sueste Station (Terreiro do Paço), until 22 May. This place is one of the access points to the capital showing real testimonies from academics, fishermen, astronauts, students, teachers or scientists, among others, including the testimony of four Portuguese.

“It is very important for Portuguese Space Agency to be associated with this exhibition, which has been held in different places around the world. It reflects our strategy and the way we look to the potential of space, and how we should explore it to find sustainable solutions for our life on Earth”, points out Ricardo Conde, President of Portugal Space. 

“This exhibition aims to show citizens that Space is not only a source of inspiration and technological achievement, and only reachable by a few, but that it belongs to all and it is for all. The Space and the satellites allow us to better understand our ecosystems and improve our quality of life on Earth, in the most diverse areas. We hope that each person who visits this exhibition is able to be inspired by the testimonies of those who already use these resources in their activities, and by the incredible images that Space gives us of our Planet”, says Carolina Sá, Portuguese Space Agency’s Earth Observation project manager.

A guided tour of the exhibition has been organised by Portugal Space on April 28th in presence of Ricardo Conde, Carolina Sá, Portugal Space Delegates and the curators, Fiorella Coliolo and Benoit Delplanque.

«Space for Our Planet» inaugurated on April 22nd to celebrate the Earth Day, was also featured in the Portuguese TV evening news : 

Space for Our Planet in Barcelona, Spain

The Space for Our Planet exhibition was inaugurated on November 2, 2022 in the port of Barcelona in the presence of Jaume Masso, director of the Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya (ICGC) and Damia Calvet i Valera, president of the Authority port of Barcelona. The exhibition will be on view until December 2.ICGC gave its testimony to Space for Our Planet in the context of SDG 11, smart and sustainable cities. We interviewed Jordi Corbera, Observation Manager at ICGC, who told us how Earth observation data can help study the thermal response of urban ecosystems to climate change and support smart urban planning.

Find more here : 

We evaluate the thermal behaviour of urban eco-systems to adapt cities to climate change

Space for Our Planet at the United Nations in New York

A new multimedia exhibition, Space for our Planet, will be opened Wednesday 26 October 2022 at the Visitors Centre of United Nations in New York. The exhibition aims to introduce people to the solutions that Space activities can provide for ecological transition and a sustainable future.

35 people from around the world – from fishers to climate experts, astronauts to students, oceanographers to doctors – have been interviewed to examine how space technologies and applications play their part in the attainment of the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs were devised to motivate countries to promote prosperity while protecting the planet. They acknowledge our need to create strategies for economic growth that put an end to poverty while responding to a whole range of social needs, especially education, health, social protection and employment, while fighting climate change and protecting the environment. 

Space for our Planet explains how Earth observation by satellites provides scientists with essential data about glacial melting, the rise in sea levels, and meteorological events to help them analyse the impact of climate change and prepare to counter it. Communication and geolocalisation satellites connect us to the world’s remotest regions, improving access to health and education and reducing travel requirements.

The exhibition also looks at how astronomy can inspire younger generations and help to reduce inequality, how life on board the International Space Station is enabling us to experiment more sustainable approaches to production and consumption, and how space exploration is offering us different perspectives on our own planet.

Supported by the Group of Friends of UNOOSA, co-chaired by the Permanent Mission of Austria and the Permanent Mission of Zambia this opening event will highlight the benefits of “Space4ourPlanet” and the importance of space for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Introduced by the curatorsn Fiorella Coliolo and Benoit delplanque, the event sees the participation of Niklas Hedman, Acting Director, UNOOSA, Eduardo Ramos, Chargé D’Affaires a.i. Deputy Permanent Representative of Portugal to UN, Heriberto Saldivar, Head of Foresight, Strategy and Coordination Deartment, ESA, Sveva Iacovoni, President Spokesperson, ASI ;  Maria Rosaria D’Antonio, Head of Administration, IAU ; Zainab Azim, GIVE Founder and Virgin Galactic Future Astronaut.

Within the framework of the 17 SDGs all countries and stakeholders act in collaborative partnership to implement all goals and targets. The adopted agenda is designed to heal and secure our planet and space technology can contribute to and initiate action towards the implementation of the bold and transformative steps which are urgently requested to shift the world onto a sustainable and resilient path.

The exhibition is produced by TIMKAT, curated by Fiorella Coliolo, Astronomer, and Benoit Delplanque (TIMKAT), under the patronage of the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA). Founding partners of the exhibition are the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Commission (Directorate General for Industry, Defence and Space – DG DEFIS).  Partners include the Centre national d’études spatiales (CNES), the Italian Space Agency (ASI), the German Space Agency (DLR), Portugal Space, the network of European space regions (NEREUS), the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and the Canadian association GIVE (Global Initiative & Vision for Education).

Space for Our Planet in Trento, Italy

On June 12th took place the inaugural event of “Space for Our Planet” exhibition in the park of the Muse Science Museum in Trento, Italy. Designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop Architects, Muse is the latest concept center for scientific culture diffusion. It combines the traditional interest in natural history and research, with specific attention to the environment and sustainable development. 

The event in Trento is an important step for the exhibition as Poste Italiane decided to produce a stamp special postmark “ Muse – Space for Our Planet- to celebrate the 100th birth anniversary of the famous Italian astronomer Margherita Hack. 

If you are in Trento, take the chance to visit it. The  access to the park  is free of charge and the exhibition will be displayed until end of September. 

Since its opening in 2013, the museum has attracted more than 1 million visitors. More information: https://www.muse.it

“Space for Our Planet” at the Living Planet Symposium in Bonn

« Space for our Planet » exhibition will be displayed on the fences of UN Bonn building in front of the World Conference Centre in Bonn (WCCB) at the occasion of the ESA’s Living Planet Symposium. Organised with the support of the German Aerospace Center DLR, the symposium brings together scientists and researchers from all over the world, as well as industry leaders and users of Earth observation data to present the latest findings on Earth science. 

A cutting ribbon ceremony took place on 23 May at 8h30 outside the WCCB in presence of the ESA Director General, Josef Aschbacher, Walther Pelzer, Member of DLR Executive Board and Director General of the German Space Agency and Simonetta Cheli, Director of Earth Observation Programmes at ESA.

The partnership with DLR allowed us to add testimonials on how Space can be used to monitor water quality, set up early warning systems against wildfires or help farmers adapt to climate change.

Curated by Fiorella Coliolo and Benoit Delplanque, the exhibition is developed under the patronage of UNOOSA, with the support of ESA, European Commission, ASI, CNES, DLR, Portugal Space, NEREUS, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and the Canadian STEM NGO, GIVE. 

Space for Our Planet in Toulouse

Within the frame of our collaboration with the French museum Cité de l’Espace, the exhibition is now on display for six months in Toulouse. With an average of annual number of 375 000 visitors, Cité de l’Espace is a unique and leading place in Europe, for dissemination of space and astronomical culture to the general public.

More information : Cité de l’Espace : https://en.cite-espace.com/

We can mitigate the impact of climate change on cities and preserve our cultural heritage

Irma Della Giovampaola. Photo Credit: Giuseppe Fanizza
Irma Della Giovampaola. Photo Credit: Giuseppe Fanizza

“In recent decades, many exceptionally valuable archaeological sites have suffered damage due to natural processes or human intervention. Earth observation can play a very important role in the maintenance and preservation of our cultural heritage. At the Coliseum Archaeological Park, we have launched a system based on satellite data to monitor soil and structural deformations, evaluate vegetation stress, identify erosion processes, and locate excavation activities and building misuse.”

Irma Della Giovampaola, Archeologist, Ministero Della Cultura, Rome, Italy

“The Third Paradise” of Michelangelo Pistoletto featured in Space for Our Planet

Photo: Giuseppe Fanizza

Michelangelo Pistoletto began his work as an artist in the ‘50s. In 2003, Pistoletto wrote the manifesto of The Third Paradise [Il Terzo Paradiso] and drew its iconic symbol, a reconfiguration of the mathematical sign for infinity, in the sand. Between the two contiguous circles, which signify the two opposite poles of nature and artifice, he inserted a third, central circle to represent the generative womb of a new humanity, an ideal that subsumes the polarities of nature and artifice and negates their destructive conflict in society today.

Earth observation data has gone well beyond the expectation to make our rescue activities more effective

Photo: Fanuel Morelli
Photo: Fanuel Morelli

“I think the use of Earth observation data from satellites has gone well beyond the expectation to make our rescue activities more effective. Such data improves our understanding of emergency situations and helps us to identify the most critical areas, especially in the case of natural disasters like floods, earthquakes or forest fires.”

Valentina Nocente – Engineer Officer, National Fire and Rescue Service, Rome, Italy

The Italian Space Agency (ASI) joins Space for Our Planet

The Italian Space Agency (ASI) joins Space for Our Planet. “When we discussed how the Italian Space Agency could contribute to this exhibition”, highlights Giorgio Saccoccia, President of the Italian Space Agency (ASI) “we decided to concentrate on Art and Beauty, related to which is the protection and preservation of our invaluable cultural heritage, not only Italian heritage, but the world’s cultural heritage. Based on services provided by Space activities, we wanted to talk about Earth observation which is one of the most important and immediate returns that Space gives to our planet. All of these objectives find some synergy with the idea of peace, which is of course the ultimate goal to which you could strive working in the Space field”.

Discover more:  www.space4ourplanet.org/sp_partner/agenzia-spaziale-italiana

Under the patronage of

With the support of