REPORT on “Asteroid Day – CIRIR 2023” – ROCHECHOUART

“Asteroid Day” takes place on June 30th every year to mark the anniversary of the Tunguska event, which occurred in 1908 when an asteroid approximately fifty meters in diameter exploded in the atmosphere above Siberia. The equivalent of a major city like Paris, London, or New York was instantly wiped off the map, fortunately without causing any human casualties, although wildlife, flora, and notably the trees in the Siberian forest were completely flattened in an area roughly 70 by 40 kilometers. Asteroid Day was co-founded by astrophysicist and renowned musician Dr. Brian May of the rock band Queen; Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart; filmmaker Grig Richters; and Danica Remy, president of the B612 Foundation, to highlight the significance of asteroids in our history and the roles they play in the solar system. In 2016, spurred by the leadership of the Association of Space Explorers (ASE), the United Nations declared Asteroid Day as a global day of education to raise awareness and promote public knowledge about asteroids.

PROGRAM

1. “Asteroid Day – Young Artist contest” and exhibition – March-June 2023

This drawing competition was aimed at raising local children’s awareness about asteroids and the value (national and international) of the Rochechouart asteroid impact!

The contest was open to children from 4 to 13 years old under ‘the auspices of participating schools. The theme was “ASTEROID” and any related features the children may know or imagine…. Children’s works were exhibited to the public from the beginning of June 2023, on the CIRIR website and in various places in the town of Rochechouart (shops, tourist office, Maison de la Réserve, CIRIR facilities, etc.). They were evaluated by a jury composed of prestigious personalities from both the world of Art and Culture, and the world of Sciences and Technologies. The jury awarded 3 prizes in 4 age groups. The public also had the opportunity to vote.

• Astronomy Exhibition – June-September 2023- downtown Rochechouart

In combination with the 20th anniversary of “Labyrinthe de la Voix” and “Ostensions” (UNESCO World Heritage), an exhibition of photos taken by local astronomers was organised. Pictures were exhibited along a walking parcour in Rochechouart, throughout the summer season.

• Planetarium – June 26- June 30-2023 – Maison du Temps Libre (MTL), Rochechouart

Installed in Rochechouart from June 26 to 30, 2023, the planetarium welcomed schoolchildren during the days and the public in the late afternoons. On June 30, it was also accessible to the public in the evening and at night as part of the evening entertainment for Asteroid Day. Sessions in the dome lasted half an hour and were complemented by animations outside. For the public sessions, preregistration online (on the CIRIR website) and registration on site were made on a first come, first served basis. Sessions were free, yet anyone was welcome to make a contribution.

• Meeting with researchers, posters and grants for young researchers. – June 30- 2023 – 10 am to 5.30 pm – Rochechouart Castle, then from 6.00 pm to 8.30 pm  and 11 pm till  over midnight- Maison du Temps Libre (MTL), Rochechouart

As a result of a contest that was open to young researchers, doctoral, and post-doctoral students, a selection of candidates displayed and presented posters on their work related to asteroids and associated topics (impact cratering, meteorites, planetary surfaces, etc.) to the public. The posters were exhibited throughout the week from June 26 to 30 in Rochechouart. The authors personally interpreted their posters, at least on June 30, during the entire day and also in the evening and at night, concurrently with sky observations. In return for their participation, successful young researchers received a grant funded by the CIRIR. Additionally, some posters prepared by senior scientists were also exhibited. These posters by senior scientists directly related to ongoing research and research projects concerning Rochechouart and other terrestrial impacts. (More details to follow).

• Escape Game – Spacebus France, exhibits, theme trails- – June 30- 2023 – 10 am to 5.30 pm – Rochechouart Castle, then from 6.00 pm to 8.30 pm and 11 pm till  over midnight- Maison du Temps Libre (MTL), Rochechouart

SpaceBus France is a non-profit association created in 2017 and managed on a voluntary basis by Postdocs in astronomy to introduce astronomy through fun activities all led by astronomy professionals (researchers, doctoral students, engineers). The SpaceBus received schoolchildren and the public on June 30 during the day as well as in the evening and after 11 p.m. as part of the evening entertainment.

• Stands, exhibits, games, theme trails- – June 30- 2023 -10 am to 5.30 pm – Rochechouart Castle, then from 6.00 pm to 8.30 pm and 11 pm till over midnight- Maison du Temps Libre (MTL), Rochechouart

A large variety of exhibits, displays, practice games related to fireballs, meteorite search, geological-archaeological, and cultural heritage linked with the asteroid, were proposed, including short thematic guided tours (geological, historical, art, and culture)… (More details to come).

It’s noted that the Rochechouart castle is a Museum of Contemporary Art. It opened its new exhibition with the official launching ceremony scheduled precisely on June 30 at 5:30 p.m. Although this event was not directly linked to “ASTEROID DAY,” the Museum of Contemporary Art of Rochechouart is a member of the CIRIR (like essentially all the participants of our program) and was actively involved in our program. The curator and staff of the Museum, together with Michele Ciacciofera, acknowledged international artist, formed the “art college” committee for the evaluation of the “Young Artists-Asteroid Day” contest.

• Astronomy “Day and Night”- June 30- 2023 – 10 am to 5.30 pm – Rochechouart Castle, then from 6.00 pm to 8.30 pm and 11 pm till over midnight- Maison du Temps Libre (MTL), Rochechouart

In addition to the Planetarium and the SpaceBus, professional and amateur astronomers animated, for the benefit of schoolchildren and the public, astronomy workshops including sun observations during the day. The FRIPON network and related meteor – meteorite search activities were also presented. At nightfall, after the evening conference session (see next), the public enjoyed all the various activities mentioned above, plus night sky observations, as amateur and professional astronomers, researchers, and association(s) interacted with the public, and shared their equipment and their skills to observe the night sky and talk about the Universe.

• “Asteroid Day” – Official Ceremony and evening conferences “Worlds of Jupiter and Saturn”– June 30- 2023 – 8.30 pm – Maison du Temps Libre (MTL), Rochechouart

The “Asteroid Day” ceremony started with the presentation of the winners of the “Asteroid Day – Young Artist contest” who were honored and called on stage by the jury to receive their prizes. The conference speakers, the animators of the various events, as well as all those who contributed to the event were then introduced. Then started the highlight of this “Asteroid Day 2023”. Jean Pierre Lebreton, former scientific director of the Cassini-Huygens mission to ESA, talked about the next JUICE mission (JUpiter ICy moons Explorer). This flagship mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) was successfully launched on April 14, 2023, by an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou (French Guiana). JUICE will reach Jupiter in 2030 and will spend at least three years orbiting around this giant planet. It will make detailed observations of the major moons (the so-called Galilean moons). The mission will especially focus on the search for traces of life, and will seek possible answers to two key questions: 1 – What were the conditions that prevailed during the formation of planets and the emergence of life? And 2 – How does the Solar System work?

Beyond Jupiter, that evening conference session transported us to Saturn and its satellite worlds with magnificent images and feedback from what it is today, and about the most remarkable space exploration mission of humanity. This was the Cassini-Huygens mission which mobilized jointly NASA and ESA in an adventure that lasted more than 30 years. Jean Pierre Lebreton told us about it. He was Head of the European part of this international mission and he and his team achieved the prodigious feat of landing, under parachute, the Huygens lander on Titan, one of the most distant and most extraordinary moons of our Solar System.

Moreover, Humanity planned to return to Titan, which was also addressed during the evening conference session. The NASA mission Dragonfly, (“Libellule” in French) was planned to continue, after Huygens, the in-situ exploration of the surface of Titan. It was aimed at studying the biochemistry of Titan to understand if it was compatible with the possible existence of life, present or past, on the surface of Titan. Launch was scheduled for 2027, with plans to land in 2034. France participated in the Dragonfly mission, with CNES (French Space Agency) and several laboratories in the Paris region, under the direction of LATMOS (Atmospheres, Environments and Space Observations Laboratory, Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines University, UVSQ). LATMOS, represented by Caroline Freissinet, was on stage during this evening’s public conference session, to tell us all about it. Caroline led the team in charge of the design and management of the key instrument of the mission, for analyzing the material on the surface of Titan. This instrument would be carried to the surface by a giant drone designed by the Americans from APL/JHU (Applied Physics Laboratory/Johns Hopkins University), which, like a dragonfly, would land – from site to site – over a large area to carry out these analyses.