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From left to right: Dr Eric Lindstrom from NASA Aquarius program; Ambassador Vittorio Taccetti, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs; Dr Conrado Varotto, CONAE Director; Alejandro Ceccatto, National Secretary of Science and Technology and Ambassador Wayne.
Ambassador Event
AMBASSADOR WAYNE CELEBRATES BILATERAL SPACE RESEARCH COOPERATION
July 21, 2008
Ambassador Wayne welcomed a group of American space scientists on July 21 in Argentina to participate in the Design Critical Revision Meeting of the Aquarius SAC-D satellite program. This space mission is being jointly developed by NASA and the Argentine space agency CONAE.
The Argentine delegation to the meeting was headed by Ambassador Vittorio Taccetti, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs; Alejandro Ceccatto, National Secretary of Science and Technology, and Conrado Varotto, CONAE Director. The U.S. delegation, headed by Eric Lindstrom from NASA Aquarius program, included 20 scientists and space experts.
The July 21-24 meeting’s focus is mission verification and design parameters of the SAC-D satellite system. Aquarius is a satellite mission focused on measuring global Sea Surface Salinity (SSS) and surface humidity. It passed Mission Confirmation Review on September 28, 2005, and will be launched in 2010. Thus far, the project has completed planning activities (Phase B), during which the mission requirements, design and costs have been developed and reviewed, and has begun the implementation (Phases C & D), when the flight hardware is built, tested and readied for launch.
Ambassador Wayne highlighted the long history of scientific cooperation between the United States and Argentina, and the need for a continuing collaboration on issues of global interest, such as the environment. “This particular mission comes at a very important moment. The study of environmental changes in our planet is a priority for the United States, as well as for the countries … It is an issue of global importance, and we are committed to continue participating on it”, concluded Ambassador Wayne.
