| Agnieszka Sikora, PhD – producer of Space Week |
Week #10 of 50 Weeks in the City of Science was Space Week (4–10 March 2024).
We started the event with an opening lecture on the protection of the dark sky and telescope workshops, which took place in the Rectorate of the University of Silesia and on the promenade in front of the building. The event attracted great interest from both primary school and secondary school students. The activities were led by representatives of the POLARIS – OPP Association from Sopotnia Wielka. In the evening, we invited everyone to the Miejscownik café in Katowice, where we held a panel discussion with science fiction creators on the issue of the search for extraterrestrial civilizations. The conversation featured: Michał Kłodawski; Leszek P. Błaszkiewicz, PhD, DSc, Assoc. Prof.; Anna Końtoch and Michał Cholewa. The partner of the meeting was the Silesian Fantasy Club.
On the second day, you could take part in workshops on psychological selection for space missions and learn what mental and intellectual qualities you need to have to become an astronaut. The event took place at Kato Science Corner and was held by Agnieszka Skorupa, PhD, a psychologist from the University of Silesia specializing in the analysis of human behavior in extreme situations, e.g. during polar expeditions or stays in analog habitats on Mars or the Moon, and Agnieszka Szczotka, a psychology student, analog astronaut during the Hestia II mission in the LunAres habitat. At night, on the deck of the astronomical observatory of the Planetarium – Silesian Science Park, there was also an opportunity to observe the sky using professional instruments.
The next day we met again at the Planetarium – Silesian Science Park, where we prepared workshops, lectures and the launch of a stratospheric mission for the crowds of space enthusiasts. The students themselves could build an SSTV transmitter, which was used to transmit images from a stratospheric balloon during its flight into space. Participants were able to build their own model of a stratospheric mission and take a close look at the entire process, from construction, through balancing the balloons, to calculating the parameters necessary to raise the mission to the appropriate height. Event participants could also listen to a lecture by Damian Dąbrowski, head of the Planetarium – Silesian Science Park meteorological station and a well-known author of weather forecasts for the Silesian Voivodeship.
However, the highlight of the program on the third day of Space Week was the launch of a stratospheric balloon prepared by representatives of the WroSpace Association. The balloon with the EMNK 2024 pendant rose to a height of 38292 m above sea level and sent spectacular photos and videos to Earth. The balloon launch was also combined with a scientific experiment prepared by members of the Genome Guardians Students’ Science Club from the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the University of Silesia. Plant material was placed in the balloon, which after a successful flight will be recovered and analyzed to check whether the stratospheric balloon flight influenced the morphological and physiological parameters of the analyzed genotypes. The day ended with the Astronomy on Tap meeting, which took place at the Hipnoza club in Katowice. It was an opportunity to talk about black holes, extrasolar planets, satellites and research conducted by the European Space Agency.
On 7 March, we have prepared a series of workshops for students of Janusz Korczak Primary School no. 3 in Czeladź. Younger children learned to build space rockets, learned about the planets of the Solar System and the Moon, and also met Paxi, the mascot of the European Space Agency. Older students learned how to start a career in the space sector. The meeting was held thanks to cooperation with the Copernicus Science Center, as part of the ESERO-Polska programme.
On the same day, a meeting devoted to meteorites was held at Scientific Information Centre and Academic Library (CINiBA). The lecure and show were held by Kazimierz Mazurek – one of the founders of the Polish Meteorite Society.
The next day, 8 March, was also filled with workshops that took place at the Institute of Computer Science Faculty of Science and Technology University of Silesia w Sosnowcu and Silesian Library in Katowice. They were addressed not only to students, but also to physics and geography teachers. The workshops were held thanks to cooperation with the Copernicus Science Center, as part of the ESERO-Polska programme.
Women’s Day ended with a screening of the film ‘Proxima’ preceded by a discussion ‘Women in Space’. The event took place at the Kosmos Cinema in Katowice. The panel discussion featured Justyna Średzińska (ESERO); Anna Chrobry, PhD Eng. (Airbus Defence and Space); Milena Ratajczak, PhD (Astronomical Observatory of the University of Warsaw, New Space Foundation, curator of Space Week), Anna Ambroszkiewicz (ESA EAC Communication Team). The meeting was held by Jan Pomierny (New Space Foundation, curator of Space Week).
On Saturday, we met again at the Planetarium – Silesian Science Park, where an event called “Science is a woman” took place all day long. The series of lectures featured outstanding researchers related to the space industry and space research: Anna Fogtman, PhD (European Astronaut Centre); Aleksandra Hamanowicz, PhD (Space Telescope Science Institute w Baltimore, USA); Agata Szkodzińska (Planetarium – Silesian Science Park); Anna Łosiak, PhD (Polish Academy of Sciences) and Wiktoria Dziaduła (Extremo Technologies). The crowds of guests were also accompanied by shows of the Mars rover Phoenix III from the Silesian University of Technology and the student space program of the Students’ Science Club “Silesian Aerospace Technologies” – also from the Silesian University of Technology.
The day ended with a meeting with the special guest of Space Week – Sławosz Uznański, PhD Eng., which took place at the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice headquaters. It was a unique opportunity to get to know the cosmic world from behind the scenes. The participants learned how to become an astronaut, what preparation for a space flight looks like, why space exploration is so important for humanity, and what Sławosz Uznański intends to do in space, including what music he will listen to there. The meeting was held by Jarosław Juszkiewicz.
On Sunday morning, the ESA project astronaut conducted training at the stadium of the Jerzy Kukuczka Academy of Physical Education in Katowice. He demonstrated what fitness requirements astronauts must meet. The warm-up before the race was conducted by instructors from the University of Silesia Center for Physical Education and Sports. The sports morning was attended by the rector of the University of Silesia, Prof. Ryszard Koziołek, students and employees of universities and city residents.
Space Week came to an end at the Planetarium – Silesian Science Park, where Final Gala of the LXVII Astronomy Olympiad and the final of the Direction: Space competition took place. During the Final Gala, we met the most talented young winners of the Olympiad – the first place winner was Piotr Jędrzejczyk, a student of the August Witkowski Secondary School No. 5 in Cracow. We also found out who won the Direction: Space competition initiated by ESA design astronaut Sławosz Uznański, PhD Eng. The competition participants were tasked with developing concepts for experiments that could be carried out on board the International Space Station. Announcing the results of the competition, the special guest of Space Week stated that it was conducted at a very high level, and the winners were: GraviTE project (Gravity-free Tissue Engineering), prepared by students of the AGH University of Krakow Space Systems Scientific Club; HematopoiesISS project, prepared by students of the Medical University of Silesia and Jagiellonian University; and L(aser) A(mplitude) S(timulated) P(lant) A(griculture) – LASPA project, prepared by GrowLight team associated with Warsaw University of Technology. The competition was organized by ‘Empiria i Wiedza’ Foundation and New Space Foundation, in cooperation with Direction Earth/Space – an initiative of the European Space Agency.
Space Week events gathered many space enthusiasts. Over 2,200 people took part in lectures, workshops, meetings, discussion panels and shows. Activities took place not only in Katowice, but also in Sosnowiec, Czeladź and Chorzów. They were addressed to various age groups and professions, from children and school youth to seniors. The most popular were the meetings with the European Space Agency project astronaut, Sławosz Uznański, PhD Eng. and the launch of the stratospheric balloon mission. The event was a part of the European City of Science programme, which will last throughout 2024.
Related content
- Space Week in the City of Science website
- „On the construction of a student rover and insight into the psyche of an astronaut” – article on research carried out by Silesian scientists
- Video summarising the event (YouTube)
- Video summarising workshops ‘Astronauts wanted! – Psychological selection for space mission’ (YouTube)
