Tag: ‘Paolo

  • Paolo Ferri on the culture at mission control | ESA Masterclass

    Paolo Ferri on the culture at mission control | ESA Masterclass

    Step inside the Main Control Room at ESOC, ESA’s European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany, and one thing becomes immediately clear: teams that operate space missions are highly hierarchical, and the Flight Director is indisputably in charge.

    How does this work, and why is this the case? In the last of his Masterclass series, Paolo Ferri delves into the culture of operations, from written rules and procedures to equally important unwritten principles that guide the day-to-day working lives of those flying Europe’s spacecraft.

    Paolo explains that on rare occasions, an internal battle takes place when protocols, procedures and flight rules don’t seem up to the task, and someone must assume the huge responsibility of deciding whether or not they need to be violated to keep a mission functioning.

    With 36 years’ of experience at ESA, Paolo Ferri is responsible for mission operations, and he has played a leading role in ensuring the success of missions like Eureca, ESA’s first-ever reusable satellite; Cluster, one of the longest-flying science missions; Venus Express, Europe’s first exploration of Earth’s ‘evil twin’; and Rosetta, humanity’s first landing on a comet.

    In five episodes of ‘Leadership at Mission Control’, Paolo takes us through major events in his career at ESA, covering cornerstone missions, first attempts, overcoming technical challenges, building diverse teams, working under pressure and solving the unexpected problems that are part of any space endeavour.

    This is the last episode of the ESA Masterclass series with Paolo Ferri. Thank you very much for watching!

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    We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out http://www.esa.int/ESA to get up to speed on everything space related.

    Copyright information about our videos is available here: http://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Terms_and_Conditions

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  • Paolo Ferri on working under pressure | ESA Masterclass

    Paolo Ferri on working under pressure | ESA Masterclass

    Understanding the laws of the universe is fundamental to flying missions in space. But one spacecraft under Paolo Ferri’s care seemed to be particularly susceptible to Murphy’s law – ‘Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.’

    In 1992, ESA’s first-ever reusable satellite, Eureca, was delivered into orbit (and later retrieved) by a NASA Space Shuttle. It spent just under a year in orbit, and presented a plethora of problems from Day 1. While it was ultimately successful, Eureca required constant care from engineering teams on ground as well as hands-on help from astronauts in orbit.

    As Deputy Operations Manager for the mission, Paolo Ferri explains in his fourth masterclass how this intense period acted as a ‘school’ for him, as he and his team were put under immense pressure by this orbiting ‘box of surprises’ constantly on the edge of catastrophe and mission failure.

    With 36 years’ of experience at ESA, Paolo Ferri is responsible for mission operations, and he has played a leading role in ensuring the success of missions like Eureca, ESA’s first-ever reusable satellite; Cluster, one of the longest-flying science missions; Venus Express, Europe’s first exploration of Earth’s ‘evil twin’; and Rosetta, humanity’s first landing on a comet.

    In five episodes of ‘Leadership at Mission Control’, Paolo takes us through major events in his career at ESA, covering cornerstone missions, first attempts, overcoming technical challenges, building diverse teams, working under pressure and solving the unexpected problems that are part of any space endeavour.

    New episodes from Paolo’s Masterclass will be released each Sunday, stay tuned!

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    Check out our full video catalog: http://bit.ly/SpaceInVideos
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    We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out http://www.esa.int/ESA to get up to speed on everything space related.

    Copyright information about our videos is available here: http://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Terms_and_Conditions

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  • Paolo Ferri on leadership, coaching, learning | ESA Masterclass

    Paolo Ferri on leadership, coaching, learning | ESA Masterclass

    As space missions have become more complex, the teamwork needed on the ground has also become more sophisticated and challenging. Through almost four decades at the forefront of Europe’s voyages in space, Paolo Ferri went from Operations Engineer on the Eureca mission to Operations Manager of the four-spacecraft Cluster mission and then the Rosetta mission, followed by serving as Flight Director on Rosetta, Venus Express and Goce. His career has been capped off by eight years as Head of Mission Operations for the Agency, overseeing all of ESA’s robotic mission operations.

    In his third masterclass, Paolo shares what he has learnt going from an engineering expert with complete and specific knowledge of a single mission, to being responsible at a senior manager level for the success of dozens of missions operated by international teams each as diverse, unique and complex as the spacecraft they fly.

    With 36 years’ of experience at ESA, Paolo Ferri is responsible for mission operations, and he has played a leading role in ensuring the success of missions like Eureca, ESA’s first-ever reusable satellite; Cluster, one of the longest-flying science missions; Venus Express, Europe’s first exploration of Earth’s ‘evil twin’; and Rosetta, humanity’s first landing on a comet.

    In five episodes of ‘Leadership at Mission Control’, Paolo takes us through major events in his career at ESA, covering cornerstone missions, first attempts, overcoming technical challenges, building diverse teams, working under pressure and solving the unexpected problems that are part of any space endeavour.

    New episodes from Paolo’s Masterclass will be released each Sunday, stay tuned!

    ★ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/ESAsubscribe and click twice on the bell button to receive our notifications.

    Check out our full video catalog: http://bit.ly/SpaceInVideos
    Follow us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/ESAonTwitter
    On Facebook: http://bit.ly/ESAonFacebook
    On Instagram: http://bit.ly/ESAonInstagram
    On Flickr: http://bit.ly/ESAonFlickr

    We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out http://www.esa.int/ESA to get up to speed on everything space related.

    Copyright information about our videos is available here: http://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Terms_and_Conditions

    #ESA
    #MasterClass
    #MissionControl

  • Paolo Ferri on communication and teamwork | ESA Masterclass

    Paolo Ferri on communication and teamwork | ESA Masterclass

    Throughout the life of every mission, radio signals are transmitted between stations on ground and the spacecraft orbiting Earth, or voyaging across the Solar System. These signals contain instructions and commands sent up from mission control, and beam down data such as views of our planet collected by high-tech instruments on board.

    However, this ‘conversation’ between space and Earth is only as good as the conversations taking place on Earth, where effective communication and teamwork are fundamental. Effectively passing on information, experience and challenges are the key to success during critical operations, as teams evolve over the life of decades-long missions, and between different mission teams themselves.

    In his second masterclass, Paolo Ferri illustrates the importance of effective communication with the help of Exosat, a flipchart and a ‘blind’ spacecraft, Venus Express.

    With 36 years’ of experience at ESA, Paolo Ferri is responsible for mission operations, and he has played a leading role in ensuring the success of missions like Eureca, ESA’s first-ever reusable satellite; Cluster, one of the longest-flying science missions; Venus Express, Europe’s first exploration of Earth’s ‘evil twin’; and Rosetta, humanity’s first landing on a comet.

    In five episodes of ‘Leadership at Mission Control’, Paolo takes us through major events in his career at ESA, covering cornerstone missions, first attempts, overcoming technical challenges, building diverse teams, working under pressure and solving the unexpected problems that are part of any space endeavour.

    New episodes from Paolo’s Masterclass will be released each Sunday, stay tuned!

    ★ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/ESAsubscribe and click twice on the bell button to receive our notifications.

    Check out our full video catalog: http://bit.ly/SpaceInVideos
    Follow us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/ESAonTwitter
    On Facebook: http://bit.ly/ESAonFacebook
    On Instagram: http://bit.ly/ESAonInstagram
    On Flickr: http://bit.ly/ESAonFlickr

    We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out http://www.esa.int/ESA to get up to speed on everything space related.

    Copyright information about our videos is available here: http://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Terms_and_Conditions

    #ESA
    #MasterClass
    #MissionControl

  • Paolo Ferri on thinking outside the box | ESA Masterclass

    Paolo Ferri on thinking outside the box | ESA Masterclass

    In the first of the Masterclass series, we head to Darmstadt, Germany, where epoch-making robotic space exploration missions have been flown under the watchful eye of one man, Paolo Ferri.

    Once a spacecraft is launched to space, that’s it. Thousands or millions of kilometres away, there can be no manual fixes, on-the-fly upgrades or last-minute changes. It’s now up to teams at mission control to use the tools and technologies at their disposal, as well as their own knowledge, teamwork and creativity to overcome the inevitable problems faced by any mission in space.

    In ‘Thinking Outside the Box,” Paolo describes three missions that suffered unexpected and potentially fatal flaws: Smart-1, Cluster and Exosat, and how on-the-ground knowledge, innovation and ingenuity prevented their untimely demise, allowing the science to go on.

    With 36 years’ of experience at ESA, Paolo Ferri is responsible for mission operations, and he has played a leading role in ensuring the success of missions like Eureca, ESA’s first-ever reusable satellite; Cluster, one of the longest-flying science missions; Venus Express, Europe’s first exploration of Earth’s ‘evil twin’; and Rosetta, humanity’s first landing on a comet.

    In five episodes of ‘Leadership at Mission Control’, Paolo takes us through major events in his career at ESA, covering cornerstone missions, first attempts, overcoming technical challenges, building diverse teams, working under pressure and solving the unexpected problems that are part of any space endeavour.

    New episodes from Paolo’s Masterclass will be released each Sunday, stay tuned!

    ★ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/ESAsubscribe and click twice on the bell button to receive our notifications.

    Check out our full video catalog: http://bit.ly/SpaceInVideos
    Follow us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/ESAonTwitter
    On Facebook: http://bit.ly/ESAonFacebook
    On Instagram: http://bit.ly/ESAonInstagram
    On Flickr: http://bit.ly/ESAonFlickr

    We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out http://www.esa.int/ESA to get up to speed on everything space related.

    Copyright information about our videos is available here: http://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Terms_and_Conditions

    #ESA
    #MasterClass
    #MissionControl

  • Paolo Nespoli on his astronaut career

    Paolo Nespoli on his astronaut career

    ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli talks about his career as an astronaut. From being inspired by the Moon landings as a child, to his missions to the International Space Station in 2007 and 2010. Paolo also has some advice on how to achieve your dreams.

    Recorded for the DStv Eutelsat Star Awards: http://www.dstvstarawards.com/english/

  • ESA – Space to Relax / MagISStra City Views: Photos by Paolo Nespoli

    ESA – Space to Relax / MagISStra City Views: Photos by Paolo Nespoli

    A breathtaking collection of photos taken by ESA Astronaut Paolo Nespoli during his 6-month MagISStra mission on the International Space Station 25 December 2010 – 24 May 2011.

    Music: Dream Elements by Green Sun licensed by Ambient Music Garden.
    Video produced for Lufthansa inflight entertainment (released June 2011).

  • Counting down for ESA’s MagISStra mission

    Counting down for ESA’s MagISStra mission

    ESA’s Director of Human Spaceflight Simonetta Di Pippo together with ESA’s astronaut Paolo Nespoli introduce the MagISStra mission which is going to be launched in December 2010 from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. This is the third six-month duration mission a European astronaut takes part to.