Annual Report 2019

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“Bern in Space”: Mission accomplished
Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen

"I’ll never forget the excitement in the children’s eyes on the Federal Square. That's what a committed university feels like. Excellent and relevant!"

Matter and the universe

The perfect Bern story

It was a science festival for everyone: With midsummer temperatures, “Bern in Space” was a hit with events on Bern’s Federal Square, in the Kursaal Congress Center, at the University of Bern and at around 20 partner organizations. And the major space agencies NASA and ESA were present to take part in the festivities.

 

Mission accomplished: “Bern in Space” was to be a science festival not only for the experts, but first and foremost for the population. As a supporting programme to the actual anniversary celebrations, 20 cultural partner organisations of the City of Bern dealt from June to October with the subject of the first moon landing and space exploration in very different ways by means of exhibitions, film screenings and panel discussions and thus participated in activities of the University of Bern. “I am proud that we have succeeded in getting the people of Bern and many institutions in Bern excited about the 50th anniversary of the moon landing and Bernese space research,” says Christoph Pappa, Secretary General of the University of Bern with overall responsibility for the “Bern in Space” project. 

Space elite in Bern

On July 21, 1969, astronaut Buzz Aldrin planted the University of Bern’s solar wind sail in the ground on the moon, even before doing the same with the American flag. Plenty of reason for the University of Bern to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the moon landing along with its other achievements in space exploration in style with the population.

The mission “Bern in Space” was launched on Friday morning, June 28, with a well-attended, top-class symposium. The audience had the opportunity to ask Günther Hasinger (Director of Science at ESA) and Thomas Zurbuchen (Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA) questions about the next ESA and NASA missions. Speeches were also given by Xavier Barcons (Director General of the European Southern Observatory, ESO), Ewine van Dishoeck (President of the International Astronomical Union, IAU), Pascale Ehrenfreund (Chairman of the German Aerospace Center, DLR), Eckhard Elsen (Director for Research and Computing at CERN) and Nobel Prize winner Brian Schmidt.

We have lift off

The Rocket Cube on Bern’s Federal Square was inaugurated on Friday evening in the presence of the US ambassador Edward T. McMullen. The focus was on the historical significance of Bern's participation in the moon landing: Rector Christian Leumann stressed the importance of scientific dialog with the public, also in the case of major scientific achievements; the Mayor of Bern Alec von Graffenried gave a spontaneous rendition of “Fly me to the moon” and spoke of the “perfect Bern story”. US ambassador McMullen confirmed that it did actually mean something in the US that the solar wind sail had been unrolled before the American flag - this had only been possible thanks to the great scientific commitment of the Bernese. And President of the Parliament of Bern, Hannes Zaugg, suggested renaming the University the Universe-ity of Bern in the light of all its outstanding achievements.

Inside the Cube, you felt as if you were inside a spaceship passing the milestones of Bernese space exploration - past the moon and the Bernese solar wind sail, Mars and other planets. The big questions were also tackled: Where do we come from? Where is the origin of life?  Questions that drive all space researchers.

Marius Bear and Yokko then provided the right sound in front of the Bundeshaus, ensuring true festival atmosphere.

Did you know?

«The Solarwind Composition Experiment (SWC), the only non-American experiment on board Apollo 11, was planned and evaluated by Prof. Dr. Johannes Geiss and his team at the Physics Institute of the University of Bern and was a first major highlight in the history of Bernese space exploration.»

Space close up

While children built their own rockets and shot them up into the sky at the Grosse Schanze, celebrities met up on Saturday afternoon in the Kursaal Congress Center, which was devoted entirely to Switzerland as a space nation: After all, Switzerland was one of the 10 founding members of ESA in 1975 and has been one of the world’s most active countries in space travel for 50 years now.

There were insights into the world of research institutions and companies which have written, and continue to write, the history of space. Of course, current and upcoming space missions in which the University of Bern is involved were also discussed.

In the evening, astronomers invited the audience on the Grosse Schanze to observe the night sky with professional telescopes and marvel at experimental shows.

In spite of the scorching heat, numerous space fans gathered on Sunday morning on Bern’s Federal Square to listen to the “Space Talks”. Against the magnificent backdrop of the Bundeshaus, experiments went on all day in the Space Village and researchers from the University of Bern were pleased to provide details of their research projects and what they hoped to find one day in space. Lots of kids and teenagers were thrilled by the experiments on Bern's Federal Square: Something which is bound to promote math and the sciences in schools. To round things off, Traktorkestar gave a concert with the usual verve despite the heat, with parasols on the stage to provide at least some shade.

Asked to sum up his feelings on the science festival “Bern in Space”, Rector Christian Leumann said: “All our expectations were exceeded.”

Media conference (all photos: © University of Bern / Ramon Lehmann)
Ewine van Dishoeck, President of the IAU.
The rocket on the Bundesplatz.
Christian Leumann, Rector of the University of Bern.
Edward T. McMullen, Ambassador of the United States to Switzerland.
Marius Bear.
YOKKO.
The event «Switzerland in Space» at the Kursaal.
Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin.
From left to right: Jürg Meister, Hans Balsiger, Claude Nicollier, Katja Stauber.
Thomas Zurbuchen, Johannes-Dietrich Wörner, Katja Stauber.
The rocket building competition attracted young and old.
The night of the stars on the Grosse Schanze.
Thomas Zurbuchen during his space talk on the Bundesplatz.
Impression from the «Space Village» on the Bundesplatz.
Impression from the «Space Village» on the Bundesplatz.

Bernese space exploration

Part of the world's elite since the first moon landing

Bernese space exploration has been part of the world’s elite ever since the solar wind sail experiment on the moon. When viewed in terms of figures, it reveals an impressive balance sheet: Instruments have flown into the upper atmosphere and ionosphere with rockets 25 times (1967-1993), into the stratosphere on balloon flights 9 times (1991-2008), more than 30 instruments have accompanied space probes on their missions, and with CHEOPS, the University of Bern is sharing responsibility with ESA for an entire mission.


The successful work of the Department of Space Research and Planetary Sciences at the University of Bern’s Physics Institute was consolidated by the founding of a university competence center, the Center for Space and Habitability (CSH). The Swiss National Science Foundation also awarded the University of Bern the National Centre for Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS, which it manages together with the University of Geneva.

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