George Fraser Memorial Lecture 2024
The National Space Centre hosts the 8th George Fraser Memorial Lecture for Space Park Leicester.
- 25th Sep 2024
- Free event
- Distinguished guest speaker
- In the Sir Patrick Moore Planetarium
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![George Fraser]()
The annual George Fraser Memorial Lecture series was established by his University of Leicester colleagues to honour the memory and legacy of Professor George Fraser, a pioneering scientist whose contributions to space science have left an indelible mark on the field. This event not only commemorates his work but also continues to inspire new generations of scientists and engineers.
Elsa Montagnon
An interplanetary spacecraft operations expert who played a pivotal role in one of the European Space Agency’s most ambitious planetary missions will speak at the UK’s largest planetarium in Leicester this September.
Elsa Montagnon, a distinguished figure in the European space community, will present a talk titled: “Spacecraft: A Career Operating ESA’s Fleet Throughout the Solar System” at the 8th George Fraser Memorial Lecture.
Elsa has been a cornerstone of ESA since 1999, contributing significantly to the operations of some of Europe’s largest and most complex space missions. In 2007, she became the Spacecraft Operations Manager for the BepiColombo mission, which aims to explore Mercury, the innermost planet of our solar system.
Her leadership was instrumental in translating the innovative Mercury Imaging X-Ray Spectrometer (MIXS) concept, conceived by Professor George Fraser, Director of the Space Research Centre at the University of Leicester (2002 – 2014) who died unexpectedly on 18th March 2014, into a fully operational instrument now orbiting Mercury.
Elsa's illustrious career has since evolved and she currently serves as the Head of the Mission Operations Division at ESA, overseeing the operations of ESA’s fleet of spacecraft.
In her lecture, Elsa will offer insights from her extraordinary career, reflecting on the challenges and triumphs of managing space missions that span the solar system. From BepiColombo’s journey to Mercury to other significant European planetary missions, her talk promises to be a captivating exploration of the intricacies of space operations and the future of European space exploration.
Free Entry to Talk
Whilst attendance to this lecture is free with a ticket, if you would like to explore the National Space Centre on the day, you must book a general admission ticket.
