Report on the Activities of the Research and Scientific Support Department from 2001 to 2002

Sep 15, 2026

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Biennial report detailing the activities of the Research and Scientific Support Department (RSSD) for the 2001–2002 period. It explains the department’s role, structure, staffing evolution, and how scientific work is organized by discipline. The report outlines key research areas, mission-related scientific support across multiple divisions, and science payload technology efforts. It also summarizes community support tasks, including symposia, workshops, science communications, and annexed manpower, publications, seminars, and acronyms.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages157

Reading Time6 h 36 min

AccessFree to download

Contents

Introduction

Research Activities

Scientific Support Activities

Other Activities

Annex 1: Manpower Deployment

Annex 2: Publications

Annex 3: Seminars and Colloquia

Annex 4: Acronyms

SP-1268 March 2003 Report on the activities of the Research and Scientific Support Department 2001 – 2002 Scientific Editor K.-P. Wenzel ESA SP-1268 ISBN ISSN Scientific Editor Editor Published and distributed by Copyright Price Report on the Activities of the Research and Scientific Support Department from 2001 to 2002 92-9092-992-8 0379-6566 K.-P. Wenzel A. Wilson ESA Publications Division © 2003 by the European Space Agency €30 CONTENTS 1. Introduction 5 1.1 Report Overview 5 1.2 The Role, Structure and Staffing of RSSD 5 1.3 Department Outlook 9 2. Research Activities 11 2.1 Research Support Division 13 2.2 High-energy Astrophysics Research 14 2.3 Optical/UV Astrophysics 19 2.4 Infrared/Submillimetre Astrophysics 24 2.5 Exoplanets and Stellar Environments 27 2.6 Solar Physics and Seismology 28 2.7 Heliospheric Physics 33 2.8 Plasma and Gas Environment of 36 Solar System Bodies 2.9 Comparative Planetology and Astrobiology 44 2.10 Cosmic Dust and Comets 49 2.11 Development and Exploitation of Super- 54 conducting Cameras for Astronomy 2.12 Advanced Sensor, Optics and Instrument 60 Development Research 3. Scientific Support Activities 65 3.1 Astrophysics Missions Division 68 3.2 Solar and Solar-Terrestrial 74 Missions Division 3.3 Planetary Missions Division 80 3.4 Fundamental Physics Missions Division 85 3.5 Space Telescope Operations Division 89 3.6 Science Operations and Data Systems 90 Division 3.7 Science Payloads Technologies Division/ 98 Science Payload and Advanced Concepts Office 4. Other Activities 105 4.1 Symposia and Workshops organised 105 by RSSD 4.2 Science Communications 109 4.3 Other Coordination and Support Activities 110 Annex 1: Manpower Deployment 113 Annex 2: Publications (separated into 121 refereed and non-refereed literature) Annex 3: Seminars and Colloquia 153 Annex 4: Acronyms 157 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Report Overview This report on the activities of the Research and Scientific Support Department (RSSD, previously the Space Science Department) covers the 2-year period of 2001-2002. It is input to the Department’s Advisory Committee, a group of independent external scientists invited by the Director of ESA’s Scientific Programme to review the Department’s activities. It forms the basis of the oral reports made every second year to ESA’s Space Science Advisory Committee and Science Programme Committee. Through the publication of the report as an‘SP’ (Special Publication) by the ESA Publications Division, the activities of the Department are brought to the attention of the scientific community and to a broader audience. These Biennial Reports have been produced since 1980. In this edition, a number of changes have been introduced to reflect the modified scope of activities and the reorganisation of the Department that occurred during the reporting period. The report is divided into four Chapters plus four Annexes. Chapter 1 deals with the Department’s role and organisation. Its mandate and structure both evolved considerably during the reporting period. Based on arevision of the responsibilities of the Department, the structural changes that began at the end of 2000 were finalised during the initial year of the present reporting period. A reorganisation of the whole Scientific Programme Directorate, also affecting the Department, took place in the second year. This led to a further evolution to its current structure, described below. The names of staff, their locations, duties and scientific research interests are given in Annex 1 . Chapter 2 addresses the scientific research of the Department’s staff, broken down according to‘discipline’ rather than the divisional structure of previous reports. A complete listing of the scientific papers published in the literature is given in Annex 2 . Some 380 refereed papers were published during 2001 and 2002, and more than 400 conferen

FAQs

What time period does this report cover?

The report covers the 2-year period 2001–2002 and is part of ESA’s biennial reporting series.

How is the report organized across chapters and annexes?

The report is divided into four chapters plus four annexes, covering department overview, research activities, scientific support activities, and other community support activities, followed by manpower, publications, seminars, and acronyms.

What is the purpose of the report for ESA oversight and the scientific community?

It serves as input to the Department’s Advisory Committee and forms the basis for biennial oral reports to ESA science committees, while also informing the broader scientific community through ESA special publication distribution.

Sep 15, 2026

Uploaded by Bintang

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