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It is unlikely to have escaped anyone’s attention that Danish ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen was sent on the Huginn mission to the International Space Station, ISS, in August. The astronaut’s entrance in a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and the entire mission is a historic event that is followed by many people inside and outside the world of spacetech.
However, Andreas Mogensen is not “only” the first Dane in space, but also the first professor in space, as he was appointed adjunct professor at DTU earlier this year. The space professor currently fulfils the role of Commander-in-Chief of the Space Station and will spend the next six months carrying out scientific work under difficult conditions. On the space station, he will conduct 30 scientific experiments, including 10 Danish projects. Among other things, in collaboration with DTU Space, he will conduct an experiment to take 100,000 photos per second of space storms to explore the energy discharges that take place when lightning occurs in the upper part of the Earth’s atmosphere.
Here on Earth, every effort is being made to give a broad section of the population an insight into science and to highlight the employment opportunities that exist in and around space technology to the younger generations. It is fully in line with the Otto Mønsted Foundation’s purpose to support the efforts of a wide range of actors around the country, which will ultimately contribute to ensuring an innovative Denmark in the future. The Foundation has awarded a grant of DKK 1 million to run several of the events that are or have been on the programme.
Star sprinkling of nationwide events
A large number of events and communication activities have already been organised throughout Denmark to mark the Huginn mission. And there are many more to come.
Space Journey 2023 is a nationwide collaboration between many organisations with the specific aim of running activities targeted at children, young people and teachers to increase student interest in STEM subjects(Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics).
Children and young people in primary, secondary and vocational schools can visit the exhibition The Space Station – on a mission with Andreas Mogensen at Experimentarium in Hellerup, at the Technical Museum of Denmark in Helsingør and at the Science Museums in Aarhus.
At the exhibition, you can come on board the space station and gain insight into the many experiments that are carried out. The Experimentarium’s communicators paint a picture of interested and engaged girls and boys who follow the experiments with interest.
In December/January, the exhibition will move to Kroppedal Museum, the Observatory in Brorfelde and Industriens Hus in Copenhagen, making the exhibition accessible to even more people.
Digital educational and teaching material about space has also been produced for primary and secondary school students, which will also awaken their interest in choosing an education in a space-related industry. The Otto Mønsted Foundation also supports the Danish Society for Space Research’s space magazine. It features articles explaining some of the scientific experiments carried out in space.
100 space events across the country
Rummision LIVE is another leg of the Space Journey 2023, which through 100 events will support the fascination of travelling into space and highlight the education and jobs that are a prerequisite for a man like Andreas to be equipped for the journey. These events also give children and young people the opportunity to try out activities that reflect the different tasks on the space station and give them insight into the technologies that are developed and used in the Danish space industry. The main event is In Flight Call with Andreas, which is transmitted live from Experimentarium to all partners in Denmark. Here, spectators get to “visit” the space station and experience the Danish astronaut live. The next event will take place on 4 December.