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Editorial: An Air and Space Academy with a European vocation Air and Space Academy Newsletter No.65 November 2009 International version Report of the month: 45 years of com- mercial satellites p2 Viewpoint: Air Transport and Epidemics p4 3 Questions on... Flight Safety p5 Newsletter In the No.61 issue of this newsletter, dated January 2009, I made the case for improving Europe’s capacity for collective reflection into the future of its aerospace activities. The Air and Space Academy, having embraced a European perspective in 2007, now makes a greater contribution to medium and long- term reflections in the areas of air transport, defence, aerospace research and space applications, taking into account their legal, cultural and historic aspects. One concrete example of this contribution was the publication of the Academy’s Dossier 30 which examined the place of Europe in space exploration (its conclusions and recommendations were included in my editorial for Letter 63). Another example was Dossier 31 on a European approach to security in space activities, a particularly worrying issue due to the proliferation of space debris and the risk of offensive weapons being used against space vehicles. The setting up in 2009 of the new Commission on Foresight, aimed at probing the future of air transport, which was the main theme of the editorial to Newsletter 64, is yet another example. Another working group, attached to the “Space” commission, was set up earlier this year, and will concentrate on the future of European launchers. It comprises numerous European members who are keen to participate in this reflection since they consider that the future of the Ariane family (looking beyond Ariane 5) is not yet clear. In the legal area, a working group chaired by Professor Mireille Couston, University of Lyon, is examining the question of the legal responsibility of companies operating major space infrastructures such as the Galileo satellite navigation system. This report and the recommendations it contains should be available in the course of 2010. Lastly the recent international conference “Airports and their challenges” organised by the Academy on 7 and 8 October last in the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC), Paris, highlights the Air and Space Academy’s capacity to usefully contribute to European thinking on the future of the air transport industry. These different activities and reflections have a resolutely European dimension, in accordance with the Academy’s vocation, and are grounded in realism, thanks to a detailed understanding of the national visions and specificities of the countries of Europe. The Air and Space Academy’s capacity for analysis relies on the active participation of its members; may I take this opportunity to thank them most warmly. Gérard BRACHET President Contents Lettre 65 version int:Lettre 65 version int.qxd 23/10/09 11:04 Page1

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Page 1: Lettre 65 version int:Lettre 65 version int · cal range of nearly half the earth’s surface. Three repeater stations, 120 degrees apart in the correct orbit, would give television

Editorial: An Air and Space Academy with aEuropean vocation

Air and SpaceAcademyNewsletter

No.65November 2009

International version

Report of the month:

45 years of com-

mercial satellites p2

Viewpoint: Air Transport andEpidemics p4

3 Questions on...Flight Safety p5

Newsletter

In the No.61 issue of this newsletter,dated January 2009, I made the casefor improving Europe’s capacity forcollective reflection into the future ofits aerospace activities.

The Air and Space Academy, havingembraced a European perspective in2007, now makes a greatercontribution to medium and long-term reflections in the areas of airtransport, defence, aerospaceresearch and space applications,taking into account their legal,cultural and historic aspects.

One concrete example of thiscontribution was the publication ofthe Academy’s Dossier 30 whichexamined the place of Europe in spaceexploration (its conclusions andrecommendations were included inmy editorial for Letter 63). Anotherexample was Dossier 31 on aEuropean approach to security inspace activities, a particularlyworrying issue due to theproliferation of space debris and therisk of offensive weapons being usedagainst space vehicles.

The setting up in 2009 of the new

Commission on Foresight, aimed atprobing the future of air transport,which was the main theme of theeditorial to Newsletter 64, is yetanother example.

Another working group, attached tothe “Space” commission, was set upearlier this year, and will concentrateon the future of European launchers.It comprises numerous Europeanmembers who are keen to participatein this reflection since they considerthat the future of the Ariane family(looking beyond Ariane 5) is not yetclear.

In the legal area, a working groupchaired by Professor Mireille Couston,University of Lyon, is examining thequestion of the legal responsibility ofcompanies operating major spaceinfrastructures such as the Galileosatellite navigation system. Thisreport and the recommendations itcontains should be available in thecourse of 2010.

Lastly the recent internationalconference “Airports and theirchallenges” organised by theAcademy on 7 and 8 October last in

the French Civil Aviation Authority(DGAC), Paris, highlights the Air andSpace Academy’s capacity to usefullycontribute to European thinking onthe future of the air transportindustry.

These different activities andreflections have a resolutelyEuropean dimension, in accordancewith the Academy’s vocation, and aregrounded in realism, thanks to adetailed understanding of thenational visions and specificities ofthe countries of Europe. The Air andSpace Academy’s capacity foranalysis relies on the activeparticipation of its members; may Itake this opportunity to thank themmost warmly.

Gérard BRACHETPresident

Contents

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Since the days of Arthur Clarke and Sputnik,commercial space activities have left the uni-verse to focus on the Earth. Everything had beenforeseen for space activities – from mannedflights to landing on the Moon, Mars and otherplanets. What was totally unpredicted, and there-fore all the more surprising, was that satellitesorbiting around the globe have revolutionizedEarth’s telecommunications and mediadistribution, helping to create a notion of aglobal village with mankind as global villa-gers, by reducing boundaries, in fact by simplyignoring frontiers entirely.We may remember in Arthur Clarke’s letter to“Wireless World”, published in February 1945,the following memorable lines: “An‘artificial satellite’ at the correct dis-tance from the Earth would makeone revolution every 24 hours; i.e. itwould remain stationary above thesame spot and would be within opti-cal range of nearly half the earth’ssurface. Three repeater stations,120 degrees apart in the correctorbit, would give television and microwavecoverage to the entire planet. I’m afraid thisisn’t going to be of the slightest use to our post-war planners, but I think this is the ultimatesolution to the problem.” (C.f.www.lakdiva.org/clarke/) Indeed “planners”carried on thinking in terms of transmissiontowers and cables for some time. But however fascinating visionaries are, theydo not usually need to build what they visual-ise, and some time went by before the fiveessential ingredients – applications, manufac-turing and launch capabilities, financing andinsurance skills – were united.20 years after Clarke’s revolutionary thoughts,the first geosynchronous telecom satelliteEarly Bird was launched by Intelsat(International Telecommunications SatelliteOrganisation); its 19 members – mostly natio-nal telecommunications monopolies – becamethe founding partners in 1964 of the first inter-national commercial satellite operator createdas an international cooperation. Its fleet grewfrom one satellite in 1965 to 20 satellites in theyear 2000 and to 144 members. Another 20 years went by before another waveof events triggered by new rules as to how tele-

com services should reach the people led tothe creation of satellite operating companiesthroughout the globe encouraged at the timeby the pioneering and now very successfulsatellite telecommunications cooperativesIntelsat, Inmarsat (International MaritimeSatellite Organisation) and the EuropeanEutelsat. The new regulations that finally sweptthe globe governing private satellite operatingenterprises were initiated in the United Statesand, 20 years later, led to the dissolving of allsatellite cooperatives in favour of truly privateenterprise. Still it took a while to understand that satelliteswould not only be good for linking continents

and channelling phone calls butalso for transmitting television,even across borders! When com-petition between different satelliteoperators became possible, theleaders dreamed of snatchingabout 1% of telephone businessaway from the incumbent. What amodest dream if one thinks of

today’s thousands of TV channels beamedaround the globe.No wall could be built high enough to protect acountry from receiving other nations’ televisionchannels, other stations and different opinions.The victorious march of the receiving dishcould not be blocked despite battles raging tolicence, control or ultimately block their instal-lations. Or perhaps to fight against free distri-bution of information through raising the wallsof technical standards. To no avail, human acu-men had soon found that dishes in the gardenwould make it possible to receive all kinds ofprogrammes directly at home. 20 years ago it was said that satellites andSony’s walkman brought the Berlin wall down.And indeed, a private international operatorwhose very first, second-hand satellite waslaunched on Ariane 4’s maiden flight, was tobroadcast it to the world.Satellite operators today provide the world withsatellite capacity for a vast number of sophisti-cated applications, the majority of which,however, are related to television broadcast-ing, whether analogue, digital or even high-definition. And new applications – such asbroadband, 3D, mobile – are entering the field

at an amazing rate.Around the globe today about 40 companiesdistribute data in its broadest sense via geo-synchronous satellites. These include for ins-tance companies specialised in TV and radiobroadcasting, mobile and broadband services.Such companies represent a turnover of about€35 billion yearly and growing. A small numberof operators though keep a lion’s share of themarkets and in those 40 operators, subscrip-tion based TV broadcasting accounts for about€25 to €30 billion, subscription based radiobroadcasting accounts for about €1.5 billionand mobile services for about €1 billion.Whereas the biggest companies may repre-sent revenues of about €12 billion, the smallestmay just be good for some €30 million per year.Six companies already exceeded the €1 billionrevenue mark in 2007.But if we might make a digression to look atsatellite service industry revenues overall, onefinds (Satellite Industry Association, State ofthe Industry 2009) numbers that present thetotal value of the satellite business as about€60 billion ($73 billion for 2007). One must notbe carried away by such elevated numbershowever: A traditional operator such as FranceTelecom reported €53 billion of revenue in2007 alone and the biggest, AT&T, €100 billion.But it is safe to say that commercial geosyn-chronous satellite business has exceeded thedream figures of 1% of conventional telecombusiness as hoped for in 1985 to reach bet-

DOWN TO EARTH45 years of commercial satelliteoperations

Report of the month

Ralph JaegerAcademy Vice-President, former SeniorVice-President Arianespace

Around the globe today operators have deployed 253 GEOsatellites (Source: UCS Satellite Database, July 1, 2009).

No wall is high

enough to protect a

country from

receiving other

nations’ television

channels, other

stations and

different opinions

Types of satellites in Geosynchronous Orbit

Commercial (253)

69%

Civil (1)

<1%

Government (45)

12%

Military (67)

18%

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ween 5% and 10% of worldwide telecom reve-nue figures, which approached the €1000 bil-lion mark in 2007.Satellite operators have joined an environmentof national and international regulations underthe leadership of the InternationalTelecommunications Union based in Geneva,a United Nations organisation designed tocoordinate positions on the geosynchronousarc or other, to coordinate frequencies and toimpose compromises, priorities and respect ofrules on the part of all satellite operators andother terrestrial users of frequencies. This is aperpetual struggle, technically and politicallyas competition, technology and political inte-rest meet at a vast international table wherediplomacy and “give and take” finally decide. Itis true though that the life and death of satelliteoperators rely not only on good business butalso on the predictability and consistency ofregulatory rules and procedures and it is in theinterest of competition and prosperity to res-pect them. Consequently a sophisticated satellite manu-facturing industry is kept turning over essen-tially in Europe and the United States. Newentrants have recently arrived from Japan,Russia, India and China and one day maybefrom other regions of our world.Yearly demand for telecommunications satel-lites follows a cycle determined by the evolution

of operators business, new entrants or newapplications and replacement needs. Looking ata period of ten years, an average of 20 GEOsatellites per year have been ordered. Goodyears can run up to 30 but low years can godown to three. Hence our satellite manufactu-rers are in a rather delicate business environ-ment, certainly not as robust as is the businessof most satellite operators. Their rewards forrisks are dramatically smaller than those ofsatellite operators, a ratio which shows thatmarket forces have to develop further. Our twoEuropean satellite manufacturers Astrium andThales have a leading position in the world.It is now satellite operators who drive the tech-nological progress for telecommunicationssatellites, as new applications and techniquesare part of their daily preoccupation for compe-titiveness. As early as 1967 Intelsat estab-lished live commercial television transmissionbetween the US and Japan. In 1989 it deliv-ered the first High Definition TV between theUS and Japan.We are far from those times in which spaceagencies had to provide the majority of techno-logy developments for telecom and broadcas-ting satellites. Still thanks to ESA and otheragencies in Europe, funding is provided forbasic technology development as part ofessential new technologies or new platformssuch as Alphabus. Whilst our ECS first gene-ration communications satellites, designed byESA and built by European industry satelliteshad nearly 1000 kg of mass and about 1kW ofavailable solar power, today’s satellites exceedthe 6 000 kg mass and can generate about 15to 20 kW of power.The efficiency of satellites has been increasedby integrating more transponders per satelliteas can be seen in the growing number of ave-rage transponders per unit. This also trans-lates simply into launching heavier satellites.(Source: Data from FAA, 2008 CommercialSpace Transportation Forecast, May 2009, p.25 and p.27). Which in turn creates an interac-tive play with the launch vehicle performance.Satellite efficiency represents a vast panoramaof options from the increase of lifetime (5 yearsinitially to now 15 years and more) to spotbeams, frequency reuse and integrating multi-ple frequency bands on the platform.Most modern satellites for broadband applica-tions have pushed the throughput capabilitiesup from 10 Gbps to an expected 100 Gbps.At the beginning of the satellite era we allthought basically of dimensions such as onecompany one satellite. How amazed were weto find Intelsat already operating close to 15satellites in the mid-eighties. Only to learnthereafter that innovation drove the operating

companies to ever larger fleets and into busi-ness consolidations. Today one company or group operating 30 to50 satellites around the globe is no exceptionanymore. In addition amazing breakthroughscame (first in Europe!) by concentrating andamassing several satellites on one specificposition in order to create possibilities of trans-mitting thousands of TV programmes to house-holds. Such “strategic” positions are knownas “hot spots”.It is highly satisfying to find that Europeansatellite operators are at the forefront of inter-national business through two leading organi-sations: SES in Luxembourg and Eutelsat inParis. In the mobile services world, London is

traditionally home to the world’s most impor-tant mobile satellite operator Inmarsat, servingall our maritime communications needs.A mature space industry has grown to play arole in our daily lives as important as air trans-portation and aircraft manufacturing. It is impor-tant for our secure and untroubled daily accessto information and data to appreciate the width,depth and complexity of the environment of oursatellite operators and to further their prosperi-ty. They have a unique capability within theircorporate culture for forging and maintainingthe spirit of international cooperation throughtheir positioning in this global village, theiroutreach and through their personnel. How wonderful to think that Intelsat celebratesits 45th year of successful operations and thatour strongest European and global operator,SES in Luxembourg, can now look back over20 years of satellite operations. Not to forgetthe 30th anniversary of Inmarsat. 2009 - whata year!

Top 5 operators in terms of satellite numbers

Satellite operator Number of satellites

Intelsat 54

SES 40

Eutelsat 22

Telesat Canada 13

SkyPerfect-Jsat Japan 12

3D Model of ASTRA 1C and 1D satellites above Earth. Source: SES ASTRA - www.ses-astra.com

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Epidemic: Development and rapid spread of acontagious disease, most often of infectiousorigin, in a population (Larousse dictionary).We speak of an epidemic when a diseasespreads both suddenly and quickly within acommunity or in a defined territory. We speakof a pandemic when it is possible for a diseaseto spread throughout the world and no longerconsist simply of isolated outbreaks.

In our increasingly interconnected world, newdiseases are appearing at an unprecedentedrate and often have the ability to cross bordersand to spread rapidly. Since 1967, at least 39new pathogenic agents have been identified,including HIV, fevers causing haemorrhagelike Ebola and Marburg viruses and SARS.Furthermore, age-old threats such as pande-mic influenza, malaria and tuberculosis conti-

nue to bear down on health because of muta-tion, growing resistance to antibiotics and poorhealth systems.

Air travel plays a major role in the spread ofepidemics. Epidemics that previously wouldhave maintained a local dimension todaybecome international very quickly. The era ofindustrial globalisation also signifies the globa-lisation of health risks. Aircraft are the key fac-tor in their spread worldwide. An epidemic canpropagate in a few weeks across the four cor-ners of the planet via the air network, the latterbeing the most rapid means of connectingcountries supplying important numbers of pas-sengers: one million passengers per year, forexample, just between Paris and New York.

Public health officials know this: they multiplyprecautions in aircraft and at airports in times

of epidemic. However, how can onepredict the dynamics of propagationand take appropriate steps: wherewill the epidemic arrive first? Howmuch time is available to takeaction?

Researchers specialising in statisti-cal physics and epidemiology(Indiana University, ECA andCNRS) have developed a tool tounderstand and predict the dyna-mics of propagation. They have

created a model based on IATA (InternationalAir Transport Association) data on the main airroutes linking 200 countries and the number ofpassengers handled by 3,000 world airports.Mathematical equations showing the evolutionof the number of individuals infected in citiesindicate that epidemics, just like air passen-gers, tend to prefer certain routes.

The air transport network is highly complexand extremely heterogeneous and the spreadof an epidemic worldwide is equally so. This isdue, on the one hand, to the size of airportsand number of connections, which lead to theexistence of nodes by which the epidemic canspread, thereby reducing predictability, and onthe other hand to the preferential flow of pas-sengers, which strengthens predictability. Thegreater the passenger flow from the airportnearest to the outbreak of the epidemic, theeasier the forecast, because travellers oftenuse the same channels. It is therefore possi-ble to identify preferential channels alongwhich the epidemic can spread and gain a bet-ter understanding of this spread worldwide bythe application of mathematical models. Othervariables which need to be factored in to makethese predictions more realistic include thedegree of transmissibility of the infectiousagent, as well as seasonal variation andconditions of hygiene in different countries.

The role of air transport is therefore veryimportant and the main vector in the spread ofepidemics which today very quickly becomeinternational. One now has the opportunity toobtain quantitative measures of both thedisease propagation processes and reliabilityof prediction. WHO (World HealthOrganization) can be notified of a threat of epi-demic and be prepared to react thanks to aglobal alert network involving institutions andnetworks pooling their human and technicalresources to rapidly identify and confirm globalepidemics, and respond to them as soon aspossible.

Air Transport andEpidemics

Doctor Jean-Georges Mouchard

Member of the Academy, Director of the Toulouse CEMPN (Medical

Test Centre for Flight Crews)

Viewpoint

Main air routes

© macky_ch - Fotolia.com

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In terms of aviation security, the first months of2009 deeply disturbed public opinion. Is therea disparity between the facts, the reality ofstatistics and the perception of the public?

It is always difficult to speak of air accidentstatistics. On the one hand, we arrive at verydifferent results depending on whether oneconsiders the number of accidents, theirseverity or the number of victims, on the otherhand, as accidents are fortunately not thatfrequent, it simply takes the loss of an aircraftwith a lot of passengers aboard to reverse thetrend from one year to another. We shouldtherefore take into account developments overa sufficiently long period. Contrary to whatone may believe, the number of victims for thefirst half of 2009 is actually lower than theaverage of 1.3 victims for 10 millionpassengers. We can only speak of a trend if there wereclear similarities between these accidents,which is not the case. There is nothing incommon, for example, between the Rio-Parisaccident and the Comoros. The reaction of the public is emotional and notreasoned. I have noticed that an accident likeRio-Paris occupies the press for months, whilethe loss of a similar tonnage cargo planeresulting in the death of the crew would onlymerit a few lines on the third page, unless ofcourse it unfortunately crashed over aninhabited area.

If security is stabilized, even at a very highlevel, increased traffic, looking beyond therecession which began in 2008, is likely toproduce more accidents. Can efforts made bythe authorities, airlines, aircraft manufacturers,etc., be further improved? What avenuesshould be explored?

It is not clear that increased traffic translatesinto an increase in the number of accidents.Considerable progress has been made indesign, manufacturing and aircraft equipment.They are now better protected against

movement outside the flight envelope; crewsare better protected against risk of collisionwith the ground (GPWS, EGPWS) and withother aircraft (T.CAS). The actual flight path isnow shown on the instrument panel and canbe easily compared to the reference path.Lessons are drawn from each incident toimprove on these instruments. Likewise, statistics show that 80 % ofaccidents take place at ground level and in thephases of take-off, initial climb, approach andlanding. If increased traffic is absorbed byincreased capacity of aircraft and not byincrease in flight frequency, there is no reasonfor the number of accidents to increase. A return to fewer air-craft and highercapacity would haveother beneficialeffects, decreasingairspace conges-tion, reducing wai-ting time for increa-singly rare slots,limiting groundmovements withtheir high accidentrate and reducingnoise (noise stan-dards require thatlarge aircraft do notmake more noisethan small aircraft,therefore less aircraft means less noise).

Does the media make the situation worse byaggravating concerns? Are difficultiesexacerbated by the Internet? Is it possible toenvisage a return to greater discernment inthe future?

The media have their share of responsibility:they are obsessed with the fear of being“pipped to the post” by their colleagues. Theyexploit the emotional side, for example byallowing relatives of victims who have no valid

information to have their say and, above all,they are obsessed with the search for a guiltyparty. In general, they are unable todifferentiate between error and fault, the latterbeing the deliberate violation of security rulesgoverning manufacture, maintenance andoperation of transport aircraft. This is reflectedin other areas: you might read “yet anothervictim of BikeShare” despite the fact that theresult would have been the same even if therider had used his personal bicycle; and “Lyontramway questioned” after a fatality, while thesame journalist doesn’t think to mention thewidespread urban use of much more lethalcars.

Some of the media may be criticised for givingthe floor to self proclaimed experts whocriticise without discernment or bestsellerswhose work may not always stand up to aserious critical study. In the case of the Internet which, for better orfor worse, is unmanageable, each individual isleft to separate the wheat from the chaff in themass of information offering, in general, noguarantee as to quality.

(Interview by Pierre Sparaco)

3 Questions for ...

Jean-Claude Bück...in the context of recent air accidents

Jean-Claude Bück

Former President of the Academy,former Air France Captain

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Life of the AcademySession at the Toulouse Citéde l’EspaceThe Cité de l’Espace was the venue for theSeptember session of the Academy, which wasattended by some sixty members. This session,chaired by Vice-President Gérard Paqueron inthe absence of Gérard Brachet, laid up after aserious hiking accident, set out the manyactivities scheduled for 2010. Those presentvoted on the medals of the Academy, which willbe presented during the plenary session of 27November; on this occasion also, new membersand correspondents will be sworn in, includingmany Europeans, a sign of the Academy’sdesire to open up to Europe.During the public session Claude Goumy andHorst Rauck gave their membership acceptancespeeches, outlining the different stages of theirremarkable careers devoted to space. GeneralBernard Molard, on the theme “From air tospace: a career in the open sky”, shared thepassion that took him from the Ecole de l’air tospace after a long career as a fighter pilot.

Sections and commissionsThis session also provided the opportunity forSections II and III to meet up, as well as theCommission for Foresight, whose Presidency

has passed from Marc Pélegrin to Alain Garcia.This commission defined its methodology andwork programme, identifying issues to betackled within a 2050 perspective around a maintheme “Challenges facing Air Transport”. Aninitial report should be available for the 2011Paris Air Show.

Objectifs TerreOn 16 June 2009, during the International Yearof Astronomy, the Paris Cité des sciences et del’industrie unveiled its new permanent exhibitiondedicated to space and Earth exploration.Objectifs Terre, la révolution des satellites isdivided into two sections: “Regards vers laTerre” deals with the contribution of spacesciences and technologies to numerous humanactivities; “En route vers l’espace” placessciences and technologies within a historicbackground of space conquest.This exhibition was created in partnership withEADS Astrium, ESA and French space agencyCNES. For further information: www.cite-sciences.fr

LecturesThe Academy’s public lectures continued,attracting a large audience as usual. On 29September, Professor David Mimoun of ISAE

stepped in atshort notice to replace Francis Winisdoerffer fora lecture on What’s new in Moon exploration?,and on 27 October Bertrand de Courville spokeof the permanent challenge of aviation safety. Given the success of his previous lecture at theToulouse Mediathèque, Jean Pinet was invitedto give a lecture at Odyssud Blagnac on theoccasion of the 40th anniversary of Concorde’sfirst supersonic flight.

DistinctionsSylvie Vauclair was nominated to the rank ofKnight of the order of the Legion of Honour.Jean-Louis Bruguières received the insignia ofCommander of the National Order of Merit.Jean-Marc Thomas received the insignia ofKnight of the Order of Academic Palms.

Jean-ClaudeChaussonnet

Secretary general

Annual Plenary Session of the Air and Space Academy27 November 2009, Salle des Illustres, Town Hall, Toulouse, Free entry

Fernando AlonsoHans Balsiger Pierre Bauer Georges Bridel Ian Paul Cannock Jean-Pierre

Casamayou Jean-François Clervoy

Bernard Deloffre Bernard Fouques Antonio Fuentes

Llorens Catherine Maunoury Marc Noyelle Philippe Rochat

Paul-Louis Arslanian Johan Bleeker Bernard Burel Maxime Coffin Eric Dautriat Bruno Depardon Simon Foreman Giancarlo Garello Jean-François Gondet René Hannon Marc Heppener Stephan Hobe Christoph Hohage

Ernst Hirschel Fabienne Lacorre Tanja Masson-Zwaan Ernst Messerschmid Lucio Perinotto Philippe Ricco Jacques Rosay Bruno Stoufflet Jean-Jacques Thibert Michel Vedrenne Antonio Vinolo Andrew Warner

Programme14:00 Opening speeches

Presentation of Board ofGovernors

14:15 Welcoming and presentation ofnewly elected members byPresident Gérard Brachet

15:15 Presentation of Medals

16:00 Presentation of Great Prize

16:15 Break

16:30 Lecture on

“WOMEN OF THE A380”presented by:- Sylvie Loisel-Labaste, Flight Test

Engineer Flight OperationsAirbus Central Entity

- Patricia Haffner, A380 Captain AirFrance

Following this lecture a round tablewith these two “Women of theA380 will be chaired by BrigitteRevellin-Falcoz, regular member ofthe Academy, former Air FranceCaptain.

18:00 Cocktail courtesy of the ToulouseMunicipality to which allparticipants are invited.

Like each year, the Academy’s plenary session will take place in the prestigious Salle des Illustresin the Toulouse Town Hall. On this occasion, we will welcome new members and the Board ofgovernors and will present the prizes and medals for 2009.

Great PrizeThe Great Prize for 2009 is awarded to Didier Evrard,Head of the Airbus A350XWB programme, and DaveArmstrong, Group Director Meteor, MBDA, for the Franco-British cruise missile programme SCALP-EG/STORMSHADOW.This entirely European programme draws for the first timeon three different aspects of air and space: it is a missilecarried by aircraft, whose mission is elaborated thanks tosatellites.It makes highly effective use of state of the art technologiesin automated navigation, intelligent guidance, stealth...It was instrumental in the fusion of BAe Dynamics andMatra Defense which, soon joined by Aerospatiale missilesand Alenia Missiles, gave rise to the world’s number onemissile manufacturer, MBDA.

Vermeil MedalGeneral Léopold Eyharts, astronaut, for his 2008 mission onboard the International Space Station, during which he parti-cipated in setting up the Columbus laboratory and activatinga teleguided robot.

Silver MedalProfessor Dr. Eng. Udo Renner of Berlin Technical Universityfor the initiative he showed in the construction and launch ofmini-satellites.

Regular members

Correspondents

New members

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Comprehensive list and ordering facilities on our website: www.air-space-academy.org

Dossiers (bilingual French-English series)

31 For a EuropeanApproach to Security inSpace, 2008, 64pp, €15

30 The Role of Europe inSpace Exploration,2008, 84pp, (out ofstock)

29 Air Transport and theEnergy Challenge,2007, 60pp, €15

28 Airline Safety, 2007, 60pp, €1527 Space: a European Vision, 2006, 200pp,

€2026 Low-fare Airlines, 2005, 68pp, €1525 The UAV Revolution, 2004, 88pp, €1524 The Impact of Air Traffic on the

Atmosphere, 2004, 88pp, €1023 The Ballistic Threat: what policy for

France and Europe?, 2004, 40pp, €1022 Europe and Space Debris, 2003, 40pp,

€1021 Feedback from Experience in Civil

Aviation, 2003, 28pp, €1020 Pilot Training, 2003, 28pp, €10

General works In French unless marked with an asterisk

• *A positioning system “GALILEO”: stra-tegic, scientific and technical stakes,English version 2004, 200pp, €19

• Contribution of Space to the progress ofknowledge and management of the pla-net, 2004, CDROM, €19

• Europe and Space Debris, 2002, CDROM,€25

Forumsin French

23 Vision: a view of thespirit, 100 pages A4colour, €15

22 Du bloc opératoireau cockpit d’unavion de ligne, 2006,100pp, A4, €10

21 Vols très long-cour-riers, facteurs humains mis en jeu, 2005,110pp, A4, 10€

20 De 14 heures à 18 heures de vol, et au-delà ; évolution ou révolution, 2004,100pp, A4, 10€

19 L’hélicoptère retrouve sa liberté, 2004,60pp, A4, 10€

18 Compétence du pilote, 60pp, 2003, A4,10€

Vol. 3: Intégration homme-systèmes dansl’aéronautique Forums 7-17: 1998-2003,CDROM, 2004

Vol. 2: Relation homme-machine dans l’es-pace Forums 1-4: 1996-98, 1999 (out ofstock)

Vol. 1: Relation homme-machine dans l’aéro-nautique Forums 1-6, 1996-98 (out ofstock)

Publications list

Le Ciel sous contrôleGermain Chambost,éditions Altipresse, €22,2009

Air traffic controllers, orATCOs, both fascinate andintrigue. They hold the lives of thou-sands of aircraft passengersin their hands. Their exper-tise and professional know-how are held in no doubt.

Nor is their capacity to paralyse the entire trans-port system by simply stopping working. Their mission is to ensure safety and the best pos-sible flow of traffic, with radar allowing them to fol-low planes in the sky in real time, from a closed off,darkened control room. They maintain safe sepa-ration between the aircraft, crisscrossing in the skyand landing at the airport. An elite corps, whose recruitment, given the quali-ties required to exercise their trade, is subject tostrict standards and a ruthless selection process.

A stressful job, since any mis-take on their part can lead to disaster. Whenplanes pass too close to each other, they talk of“scratching the canvas”, since black humor is seenas being the best antidote to an adrenaline rush orexcessive emotional tension.

Objectifs Terre, la révolutiondes satellitesCollective work, Preface by Claudie Haigneré,chapter 1 by Robert Lainé, Academy members.Co-editors: Cité des sciences / Le Pommier,2009, €39

The “images” of Earth fromspace have become sofamiliar that we tend to for-get that they are the resultof state of the art techno-logy in an extreme environ-ment: space! Published onthe occasion of a new per-manent exhibition at Citédes sciences et de l’industrie, this work aims toexamine the contribution made by satellite obser-vations to knowledge of our planet, the Earth.

Rêves d'étoilesJean-Loup Chrétien andCatherine Alric, 236 pages,Editions Alphée, 2009, €21

“Our Earth is tiny and onlyappears large to usbecause we are meremicrobes swarming on itssurface. So numerousthough that we can put it indanger... The Citizen of theEarth is therefore easy toimagine: neither cosmonaut, nor astronaut, it issimply a human being with a relative vision ofimmensity and detail, the vision of an Earth inwhich a clumsy hand or foot can bring aboutconsequences unimaginable to the owner ofthishand or foot...” Thanks to a long relationship between Jean-LoupChrétien and Catherine Alric, this work relates, ina novel and original way, the experience of airand space through a series of questions theactress asks the astronaut.

You are welcome to consult these worksat the Academy’s documentation centre

• Les Français du ciel, historic dictionarypublished by cherche midi under the direc-tion of L. Robineau, 2005, 784pp, €35

• Au temps de Clément Ader, 1994, 172p,€21

• Henri Ziegler, Hommages et témoignages,2000, 50pp, €5

• Ciels des Hommes, anthology proposed byL. Robineau, cherche midi, 1999, 222pp,€15

• Joseph Czinczenheim, 1998, 66p, €5• Lettre-préface by R. Esnault-Pelterie to

l’Histoire comique ou Voyage dans la Lune,by C. de Bergerac, introduction E.Petit,1997, 52pp, €12

• Lexique franglais-français, 2009, 70 p A5,€10

Conference proceedingsEnglish or French according to speaker

• Risktaking: a human necessity that mustbe managed, 2008, CDROM, €20

• Scientific and Fundamental Aspects ofthe Galileo Programme, 2008, CDROM,€20

• Legal Aeronautic Expert reports, 2007,CDROM (out of stock)

• Air Transport and the Energy Challenge,2007, CDROM, €20

• Aircraft and ATM Automation, 2006,CDROM, €19

• Helicopters: missions and perspectives,2006, CDROM, €19

LES

DOSS

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Académie de l'Air et de l'EspaceAir and Space Academy

Dossier 31 2008

Pour une approche

européenne de la sécurité

dans l’espace

For a European Approachto Security in Space

Members’ publications

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The Lettre de l’Académie de l’Air et de l’Espace isa two-monthly publication - ISSN 1288-5223The conclusions and opinions expressed in this document arethose of the authors, within a context of freedom of expressioncultivated by our Academy. They do not necessarily reflect theopinions of the Academy or its partners.

EDITORIAL OFFICES/ADMINISTRATION:Air and Space Academy:BP 75825 - 31505 Toulouse Cedex 5Tel.: 33 (0)5 34 25 03 80 - Fax: 33 (0)5 61 26 37 56Email: [email protected]

DIRECTEUR DE LA PUBLICATION/EDITOR: Gérard BrachetEDITORIAL TEAM: Jean-Claude Chaussonnet, Yves Marc,Pierre Sparaco, Martine Ségur, Lindsey JonesPRE-PRESS: Lindsey JonesTRANSLATION: Lindsey Jones, David WilliamsIMAGE PROCESSING: Arnaud Ribes

PRINTED BY: ENAC Service Édition7 avenue Édouard Belin - 31055 TOULOUSE CEDEX 4Previous issues:No.64 Artificial Intelligence, September 2009No.63 Astronomy, from Galileo to neutrinos, June 2009No.62 Birth of Airbus, April 2009No.61 Wings! We want wings!, January 2009

The full list of previous issues and other publications canbe found on our website: www.air-space-academy.org

For your diary

Helicopters for MedicalEmergencies, Thursday 26 November2009, ENAC Toulouse, 2 pm

The Valencienreport recommen-ded pooling medi-cal services of hos-pitals with less thana certain thresholdof activity. Thiscontroversial sug-gestion nonethe-

less corresponded to a safety concern:namely that any operation should be conduc-ted by a surgeon with verified skill, with aminimum level of activity and, in the case ofa tricky operation, with recent experiencecarrying it out. Helicopters are the only way to ensure thatpatients have swift, permanent access to ahub centre. Last winter, the French CivilAviation Authority DGAC carred out an expe-riment in real conditions between Dreux andNogent hospitals in order to test the concept.This forum will bring together the differentplayers involved in this experiment to describethe issues involved and the perspectivesopened up for emergency medical services.The speakers:• C. Tedesco, DGAC/DTA Assessment• Ph. Rollet, Research and Operations

Eurocopter• A. Antunes, Helicopter Pilot DGAC• N. Letellier, President of AFHSH • H. Pradines, Procedures Specialist ENAC

Entretiens de ToulouseForum

Space for Security and Defence inEurope, 3-4 December 2009, Paris, France

3rd edition of the International Conference onMilitary Space organised by 3AF. For furtherinformation: www.ssde2009.com

2nd Edition of the Aeroexpo show atMarrakech, 27-30 January, 2010The Academy is supporting this event and will bepresent on the GIMAS stand.

Toulouse Space Show, 8-11 June 2010,P.ierre Baudis Congress Centre, ToulouseThis major event in the space calendar willinclude 5 international conferences onInternational Space Applications, Breakthroughtechnologies in Space Activities, Space andEconomy, Networks of European regions usingspace technologies, Complementarity of Earthand Satellite based telecommunications.

For more information on these events: www.air-space-academy.org

Supported events

Entretiens de Toulouse“Toulouse Meetings”13-14 April 2010, ISAE Toulouse,SupAéro siteThe Entretiens de Toulouse or “ToulouseMeetings”, organised by the Air and SpaceAcademy and Collège de Polytechnique,attracted over 250 participants in April 2009.The 2010 edition will have the same tripleobjective:- bring together aerospace players from

different areas to pool information;- facilitate mutual comprehension and the

spread of scientific and technicalknowledge

- promote exchanges amongst small andmedium companies, major industrialgroups and research centres.

This scientific training, by which participantscan broaden their areas of expertise andstrengthen their networks, is based onthematic meetings spread over 4 half days.Each participant chooses 1 meeting per half-day out of 36 on offer and thus puts togethertheir own tailored trainingcourse.Each meeting bringstogether 20-30 people. Oneor more recognised expertsmake a short presentationof the general issues beforelaunching the discussion.

For further information orregistration:

www.entretienstoulouse.com

Artificial Vision; a View from theComputer, DGAC Paris, 16 June 2010What can the computer achieve in the funda-mental function of vision, until now the reserveof the most highlyevolved livingbeings? Can it helpthe human eye, canit replace it? Whatprogrammes andconcrete applica-tions are underway?

Call for papers is open. For further information:www.toulousespaceshow.eu

Cospar 2010: 38th Scientific Assembly ofthe Committee on Space Research 18-25 July 2010, Bremen, GermanyAbstract deadline: Mid-February 2010For full list of topics please visit the Cospar web-site : www.cospar2010.org/Contact : [email protected]

HCI-Aero International Conference onHuman-Computer Interaction inAeronautics 3-5 November 2010, Cape CanaveralCrew-ground integration, space and aeronauticsDeadline: 2 Apr 2010 - Full Research Papers Deadline: 30 Apr 2010 - Industry & Early StagePapers, Posters, Panels, Demos, WorkshopsContact : [email protected]

Conference

Air Transportand Meteorology19-20 October 2010,ToulouseWhilst the impact ofaviation on the atmos-phere – linked in to cli-

mate change and air quality in and around air-ports – has been explored in many events inrecent years, the public is much less aware ofhow weather is taken into account in the airtransport system, which remains a matter forspecialists. The aim of this conference is to explain how airtransport meteorological services currentlywork, how they are perceived by the differentair transport players and what advances can beexpected in the coming years, with the accentput on security issues and economic problems.

Forum

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