A space experience in the Austrian Alps

The Summer School Alpbach 2016 was held between 12 and 21 July and was attended by 58 students from 18 member countries of the European Space Agency (ESA). António Cabaços , from the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP), Diogo Paraíso , from the Instituto Superior Técnico (IST) and Jorge Monteiro, from the University of Beira Interior (UBI), were the Portuguese students selected to take part in the Alpbach experience .

The theme of the 40th edition of the Summer School Alpbach was the Global Water Cycle . Under the premise that “ the presence of water on planet Earth, whether in liquid or solid state, is one of the striking characteristics and absolute prerequisite for the existence of Life ”, students were challenged to design and plan innovative satellite missions that would contribute to the observation of critical elements of the water cycle.

Grouped into four teams, Green, Red, Orange and Blue, participants were able to develop their ideas under the guidance of experienced researchers and engineers from the areas of space science and technology.

Diogo Paraíso, an IST student, was part of the Green team called WAVE-E – Water Vapour European-Explorer. The presentation of a satellite mission for the most accurate forecasting of atmospheric phenomena and climate change was distinguished with the “Science” and “Best Presentation” awards.

The Orange team, entitled SWEAT – Snow Water Equivalent with AlTimetry, by Jorge Monteiro from UBI, presented a model to measure the amount of ice present in the sea and on land in the polar regions with the aim of contributing to the understanding of the influence of the water cycle on the Earth's energy balance. This work deserved the “Competitiveness” award.

The Red team, CoastSat, of FEUP student António Cabaços was also awarded a “Special Oscar”. The satellite mission entitled “Measuring Water Quality in Coastal Regions using remote sensing” proposes a solution to measure the quality of water in coastal regions, rivers and lakes. “Keep the oceans clean!” was the motto that impressed the jury.

For 10 days, participants in the Alpbach program enjoyed a unique learning experience and interacted with leading experts in space science and technology. They had the opportunity to work as a team in a scientific context and also foster friendly relationships with people of different nationalities.

The Alpbach Summer School is a summer school in Space Sciences aimed at undergraduate students in the fields of Exact Sciences and Engineering. It is organised by the Austrian Aeronautics and Space Agency and sponsored by ESA as well as the national authorities of ESA member and partner countries. One of the partners of the Alpbach summer program is the International Space Science Institute (ISSI).

Portugal has been a member of ESA since 2000. The Foundation for Science and Technology is, through the Space Office, the national entity that promotes the activities of the Portuguese Delegation, promoting the participation of national companies and R&D institutes in ESA's Space programmes, including programmes implemented under the ESA-European Union Framework Agreement.

Image credits: MA Jakob ( 2016 Alpbach Summer School participants ) | www.esa.int