Another week has begun in Oeiras, that seemed to be like the earlier ones. However, this one ended up being different and special!
The “Core Seminar Quiz” was the first activity of the week, involving all the onsite SSP22 participants, who got the opportunity to prove how much knowledge they had gained from all the core seminars that happened in the last weeks. After that, they continued with elective workshops, that included topics like the use of microwave radiation for Earth observation, Space Ecosystems, Satellite operations, and Robotics; this last one ending in a robotics competition in which each team would have to carry out a series of tasks with their rovers.
We also had memorable panels during the week. The first one was about the importance of space activities outreach, given by James Green, Alice Gorman, and Niamh Shaw, which was also an opportunity to remember Kenn Rodzinyak, SSP06 Alumni, who passed away last year. The second one was a Distinguished Lecture given by James Green on how to make spacewalks successful.
The Department activities started in Week 3, with the Teaching Associates fully emerged in the activities, under the coordination of the Department Chairs. They welcomed their respective groups of participants and explained to them the different activities that they will be covering in the following weeks.
Team Project groups also had an activity this week. A professional visit to the vineyard “Adega Mae” was the perfect opportunity to bring together TP (Team Project) Ocean and TP non-space. This visit was focused on learning about precision agriculture, but was also a social activity that included a special dinner in which the Chairs of each TP, who could not be physically present, had a video call together to say “hi” to both teams.
Finally, the social activities were also resent during this week, Salsa classes were being held every day by Göktuğ Karacalıoğlu, SSP (Space Studies Program) Director, and we had our second Cultural night, presenting France, Hungary, Aruba, and Romania.
Adolfo Roberto Ubidia Incio, Teaching Associate, SSP22