History In The Making - Part Two

Welcome to part two of my look into the imminent Space Science Centre currently being planned for my home town of Leicester. In part one, we looked at the overall view of the centre itself and detailed two of its four main features.

This week, we'll be detailing the remaining proposed features, checking on the supposed location of the centre and discovering how this centre is linked to NASA. We'll begin with a look at the new satellite.

The CATSAT satellite is currently being developed by teams at the University of Leicester and the University of Hampshire. It is part of the NASA "Student Explorer Programme." Students working with research staff, build their own satellite and later, teacher/student groups join the researchers in operating it. They will be designing various experiments and analysing the data.

Apparently, the Leicester University/NSSC team is the only European group participating in this programme. It is hoped that it will provide both research and educational facilities to scientists and users of the Visitor Centre.

The main purpose of the CATSAT is to observe the strange flashes of gamma radiation seen by other satellites. Findings suggest that these flashes may be the result of merging or collapsing stars in the Universe.

The Space Research Centre is already operational and opened in April 1998 at the University of Leicester. It is the first phase of the NSSC and acts as a direct path to the daily developments in space research.

Leicester University donated this centre to the NSSC and it will be a vital link between the Visitor Centre and the research findings of world wide space experts. Further research facilities will be located at the Visitor centre itself and these will include a view to the satellite control centre and the clean room, where satellites are assembled for space research missions.

Opening ahead of the main NSSC facilities, in the Fall of 1999, is the Leicester Challenger Learning Centre (CLC). CLC's provide programmes based on simulating astronaut and ground control experiences.

CLC's were established by the families of those killed in the 1986 Challenger Shuttle disaster. The Space Science Education in the USA (backed by NASA), has agreed to allow the NSSC to establish the only facility outside Of North America.

Experts at Leicester University are converting the learning materials used in the USA to ensure they meet the requirements of the National Curriculum. (Educational standards required for the UK) Two challenger missions will be available at the Leicester centre to begin with: Rendezvous with a comet and Mission to Mars.

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