Science & Exploration Orbiting the Sun together 23/12/2019 12920 views 111 likes

On 6 February, ESA’s #SolarOrbiter will be launched from the Kennedy Space Center in the USA on a mission to study the Sun up-close.

Solar Orbiter, an ESA-led mission with strong NASA participation, will provide the first views of the Sun's unchartered polar regions from high-latitudes, giving unprecedented insight into how our parent star works. This important mission will also investigate the Sun-Earth connection, helping us to better understand and predict periods of stormy space weather. **Applications are now open! Click HERE to apply to join us for the Solar Orbiter launch**

Moonrise at Europe's mission control Get ready to apply for SocialSpace #WeAreAllSolarOrbiters Have you ever asked yourself how is a star born or wondered how our planets developed? Or how does ESA fly sophisticated missions to the hottest regions of our Solar System? Are you a passionate communicator who uses social media to engage the world? Continue reading if this sounds interesting to you! ESA will invite up to 40 social media enthusiasts to visit Europe’s mission control centre in Germany on 5 and 6 February, watch the Solar Orbiter launch, meet top experts and learn more about our Sun, the Solar Orbiter mission and how ESA inspires exploration.

Solar Orbiter unpacking Invitees will experience: Behind-the-scenes guided tour of ESA’s mission control facilities Meet the #SolarOrbiter Flight Director and other mission experts Meet and interact with ESA and European scientists and researchers Receive briefings and updates on solar physics, space weather and space debris Join the launch media briefing This event is designed for people who: Actively use one or more social networking platforms and tools to disseminate information to a unique audience.

Regularly produce new content that features multimedia elements.

Have the potential to reach a large number of people using digital platforms.

Reach a unique audience, separate and distinctive from traditional news media and/or ESA audiences.

Must have an established history of posting content on social media platforms.

Have previous postings that are highly visible, respected and widely recognised.

Follow one or more of ESA’s social media channels.

Solar Orbiter Dates, times and venue This edition of #SocialSpace will be held at ESA’s mission control centre in Darmstadt, Germany, all day on Wednesday 5 February, and in the morning of Thursday, 6 February. Applicants will be responsible to make their own travel arrangements and cover their own costs, and must be at least 18 years old on 5 February 2020. Are you interested? Get ready to take one more step: Apply!

Solar Orbiter Application period Applications are now open. Click HERE to apply to join us for the Solar Orbiter launch. All applications must be submitted no later than Monday, 13 January, at 12:00 CET. An invitation email with confirmation information and additional instructions will be sent to the selected participants and to those on the waiting list no later than 14 January. Applications from anyone are welcome. Applicants who are a citizen or permanent resident of any of these countries will be given priority: ESA Member State, ESA Associate Member State, ESA Cooperating States, EU Member States, ISS partner states, Argentina and Australia. You’ll be asked to include your name, social media name(s) and contact information, and − most importantly – a few words describing your motivation or interest in joining. There will also be terms and conditions. Follow ESA’s @Social4Space, @esaoperations and @esascience Twitter accounts for updates. The official hashtags for the event are #SolarOrbiter and #WeAreAllSolarOrbiters Questions? Send an email to esoc.communication@esa.int or tweet using the hashtag.

Terms and Conditions Find out more about the terms and conditions of the event: Social space privacy notice Terms, conditions and other small print