LA Berlin Air Show 2018 is the next edition of one of the largest and oldest aeronautical fairs in the world. It so happened that during yesterday's opening of the ILA, the Rokot rocket was launched with the Sentinel-3B mission from the Plesieck cosmodrome, located about 1000 km north of Moscow. On this occasion, the European Space Agency (ESA) organised a special event, combined with a joint view of the launch with other representatives and personalities. I managed to get an invitation to this event and a ticket enabling free movement in all ILA exhibitions. Now I'm happy to share my impressions and a few photos.
My aim was to arrive as early as possible in the morning, because at 11.00 a conference was scheduled on the Gaia mission, which was by the way a few minutes behind schedule, but was extremely interesting. Maybe it was only my feeling, because it was my first time at such an event. Nevertheless, it was a pleasure to see Jan Wörner (ESA Director General) and several scientists explaining the latest research and presenting beautiful maps of the Milky Way. I think it would be a good idea to write a separate article on this subject. At the end of the conference you could ask questions and each of the participants got a charming pin with the image of Gaia probe.
The conference took place in the hall dedicated to astronomy and space conquests. Frankly speaking, it was the best prepared hall of all. Not because I put space above other areas present at ILA, but because it had a pretty elegant style (black walls and mirrors). The other halls did not differ much in their decor. It's also worth mentioning that the huge Vulcain 2 engine that drives the Ariane 5 is on display in the center of the pavilion. And it wasn't just a small model, but a real engine! He makes a big impression live.
Probably the biggest attention (in my case) was paid to the model of the Martian rover ESA, which will soon fly to the Red Planet in search of traces of life. The Curiosity, Opportunity and Spirit Łazik did not focus on this extremely important issue. So I dare say that the mission of the European robot will be much more interesting and exciting. The discovery of traces of living organisms on Mars would be a strong proof that life in the Universe (even in the form of microbes) is common. The launch of the mission is now planned for 2020.