European Space Agency sets sail with new space missions
The European Space Agency has set out scientific themes for the cornerstones of its space programme up to the middle of this century from the recommendations of the Voyage 2050 panel, co-chaired by Dr Chris Arridge from the Department of Physics.
Every few decades the European Space Agency (ESA) decides on its next priorities through planning exercises. These have led to missions like the recent Rosetta mission to comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko and also European participation in missions such as the Hubble Space Telescope and the Cassini/Huygens to Saturn and its moon Titan.
In 2018 the Director of Science for ESA set out plans for a new process to take the space agency’s science programme to 2050, involving the selection of three large space missions at over a billion Euros each. The plan was ultimately termed Voyage 2050 and was co-chaired by Dr Chris Arridge. The process involved a wide community consultation with hundreds of space scientists worldwide contributing to almost 100 white papers describing missions as varied as space telescopes to image black holes in X-rays, return cryogenic ice core samples from comets, and visiting Uranus or Neptune in the outer reaches of our Solar System.
“The process was formidable,” says Dr Arridge, “taking such a wide range of ideas and distilling them into a set of three scientific themes was extremely difficult. How do you decide if it is more scientifically compelling to survey the polar caps of Mars, or study hot gas between galaxies, or search for Earth-like atmospheres around planets orbiting other stars? These were challenges we grappled with regularly.”
The recommendations from the panel were presented by the panel chairs, Dr Linda Tacconi, Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, Germany, and Dr Arridge, to ESA’s Science Programme Committee, comprised of European space scientists and member state representatives, on Thursday 10th June and was shortly after formally voted into the ESA Science Programme.
Günther Hasinger, ESA Director of Science, said, “The selection of the Voyage 2050 themes is a pivotal moment for ESA’s science programme, and for the future generation of space scientists and engineers.”
The three scientific themes recommended by the panel were to send a new mission to a moon of the giant planets and explore their potential for habitability, a mission to study the atmospheres of Earth-like planets around other stars, and a mission to study the very earliest moments of the Universe.
Chris Arridge
Fire Door Interface Inspections
Facilities have informed us that the fire door interface inspections will take place in the Physics building on the 21st of July from 9am.
This work is undertaken by Cook Fire and requires the physical inspection of all doors controlled by the access control system while the fire alarm is active and the doors are locked.
This check is to ensure that all doors on escape routes will allow evacuation in the event that the fire alarm is activated.
Every month the University is required to test the interface between the fire alarm system and door control systems in all buildings with access control and/or automatic doors.
The evacuation alarm is silenced during the test but occasionally a short burst ( less than 10 seconds) may be heard.
Shonah Ion
Performance Development Review
Just a reminder that it’s PDR (Performance Development Review) time. In case you have not seen it, HR put out a communication about PDRs for 20/21 which includes links to guidance, training and demos of the electronic form.
Please note that I only have access to my own PDR form so if you need technical assistance with yours, please contact HR Systems.
If your line manager/ PDR reviewer needs to be changed on Core HR so that they can access your form, HR systems can do that for you too.
FAO Non-academic staff on probation (and their line managers)
Staff that are on probation should have an initial PDR in place and complete the accompanying Probation Review form. These can be found in the bottom section of this webpage.
Grainne Wilkinson
Lab safety
After a safety tour by Roger and myself we find poor housekeeping is an issue in many labs. This has got to improve.
We expect the building to become more occupied as we approach the start of term, and with increased occupation the potential for trips and falls increases.
Also storing heavy objects at height is also something we are seeing more of. Please store heavy or awkward items at ground level.
Look at your workspaces critically and throw away things you no longer require. If the items may be hazardous waste please get in contact with me for assistance.
Shonah Ion
Performance Development Review
Just a reminder that it’s PDR (Performance Development Review) time. In case you have not seen it, HR put out a communication about PDRs for 20/21 which includes links to guidance, training and demos of the electronic form.
Please note that I only have access to my own PDR form so if you need technical assistance with yours, please contact HR Systems.
If your line manager/ PDR reviewer needs to be changed on Core HR so that they can access your form, HR systems can do that for you too.
FAO Non-academic staff on probation (and their line managers)
Staff that are on probation should have an initial PDR in place and complete the accompanying Probation Review form. These can be found in the bottom section of this webpage.
Grainne Wilkinson
Building occupancy
Dear Colleagues,
The proposed changes to restrictions that were due to happen next week have been postponed, so the continuing message is to work from home if possible and only come onto campus if it is necessary. We recognise that it is necessary for some staff & students to come onto campus to complete experiments, attend in person events etc. Some limited more general working on campus can also be approved for those who find are finding home working unsuitable due to health and similar issues.
However, we are still operating under distancing and other restrictions and we need to keep the occupancy of the building low and managed to meet the Public Health requirements. This is a particular problem in multi-occupancy offices, but we also need to keep occupation of single occupancy offices low.
To manage occupancy in the Department and ensure we remain compliant with current regulations, we have designated a responsible person and booking system for the multiple occupancy offices used by many researchers & PG students.
If a multi occupancy office user needs to come in, they would first contact their line manager/supervisor and explain their request. If the supervisor approves the request they (the line manager/supervisor) would then contact the room manager and discuss the dates, time, frequency or duration of the access with the room manager, who would then book the access to allow occupancy management and social distancing.
The rooms and their managers are listed below.
| Room Number | Room Manager |
| A14 (within A15) | Sam Jones (PG Student) |
| A15 | Sam Jarvis |
| B06a | Andy Blake |
| B06b | Andy Wharton (PG student) |
| B06c | Rostislav Mikhaylovskiy |
| B504 | Jim Wild |
| C01 | Aneta Stefanovska |
| C07 | Adam Craig |
| C08 | Alessandro Romito |
| C14 | Colin Lambert |
| C45 | Brooke Simmons |
| C52 | Robert Young |
| C62 | Jonathon Gratus |
Please note that when you have to come in, you must continue to observe the Dept rules, wearing a face covering within the building, one way system and marked room occupancies. This particularly applies to kitchen spaces – please do not use these for prolonged periods, as it will block others from being able to use them.
Shonah Ion & Roger Jones.