With a share for research and development of the Gross Domestic Product at above three percent, Sweden is among the world leaders within investing in knowledge and technology development.

When our ”inner neighbour” Venus these days is orbited by a European satellite, it is as a follow up of th Mars Express that orbits our “outward neighbour” for the third year in a row.

The application of balloons for scientific use as a supplement to satellites and ground based instruments has increased in particular during the past decade. Balloons are stable platforms that can hold a payload in the higher atmosphere for several days. There are three launch areas for scientific balloons in the Nordic countries, and Esrange in Northern Sweden is the main launch area for large scientific balloons.

The lidar at IRF utilizes as transmitter a Nd:YAG laser. Wavelength is 532nm, i.e. the laser light is green. The pulse repetition rate is 30 Hz. Before being emitted into the atmosphere the light pulses pass through a couple of optical devices to enhance the beam quality

In the Correct Orbit – What Next?

Trough the system for Principal Investigator teams Nordic institutes will play an important role in using the Planck data for further research around the birth of the and the evolution to this day. Without disparagement for the other countries, Denmark has played a major role in the development, and will possibly make the most use of the incoming data.

The Herschel and the Planck satellites are placed in Lagrangian point L2. But where is this point and why it is so attractive for these types of satellites?

NordicSpace’s Baard Kringen talking to President of the CERN Council, Professor Torsten Åkesson

On August 26 2008, first light results of the Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST,[1]) were announced jointly by NASA and the US department of
energy . At the same time GLAST changed its name to Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope.

10 September 2008 had long been anticipated by particle physicists at CERN and across the globe. The suspense and excitement
was tangible as physicists gathered in the control room to follow
the protons on their maiden voyage around the 27 km accelerator
ring complex.