The first Austrian Space Ball

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Jan 15

2018

by Johannes Stübler

This weekend 13.01.2018 - 14.01.2018 the first Austrian Space Ball happened.

This extraordinary ball – the first Austrian Space Ball, a glittering ball night as well as a close look into space, at the magnificent “Palais Niederoesterreich” in the heart of Vienna, was organized by  the Austrian Space Forum, celebrating their 20th anniversary. This event offered a comfortable plattform for space science, where research facilities could meet space industry.

I had the honor & pleasure to be one of the members of the honorary committee, where I represented the sector of astronomy.

Honorary committee members

Christian Brünner
    Space lawyer
 Barbara Imhof
    Space Architect
 Michael Köberl
    Collector and curator of space artefacts
 Otto Koudelka
    Head of Institute for Satellite Communication TU Graz – major contributor to the first Austrian satellite ‚TUGSAT-1/BRITE‘
Maria Pflug-Hofmayr
    Space Editor – German translation of APOD (astronomy picture of the day)
Johannes Stübler
    Astronomer
Franz Viehböck
    First Austrian Cosmonaut
Werner Weiss
    Institute for Astrophysics University of Vienna – major contributor to the first Austrian satellite ‚TUGSAT-1/BRITE‘

Based on this I could manage to present Johannes Kepler - the real man who opened the door to space - in a very special way. This evening we offered a kiosk to present the big project "KEPLARIUM" to honor this famous astronomer.

The sweet "Kepler Planets" have been an important part of this presentation and the ball-guests enjoyed the superb "taste of space" !

Even Austria's , one and only Cosmonaut, Franz Viehböck, got some explanations by Erich Gattringer, the founder of the project "Keplarium". He was told that 1618 is the year when Kepler found his important 3rd law in Linz.  So 2018 is already the 400 year-anniversary ! Without Kepler's laws his spaceflight probably wouldn't have happened.

Erich & I have been very happy, to get the chance to present all this facts during this great and outstanding ball night.

Behind all this facts - fun & pleasure had to be the main goal of this evening. So science met fiction too ......

..... following image - me and my wife using the OEWF-event-fotobox :-)

Starwar fighters with light swords and an entertaining science show, presented among others by Austria's most popular science performer and  communicator Werner Gruber (prater planetarium vienna), completed this great ball night.

Best regards

J O H A N N E S   S T U E B L E R

J O H A N N E S   S T U E B L E R
Ambassador and National Coordinator AUSTRIA
of Astronomers Without Borders - AWB
http://www.astronomerswithoutborders.org
TWAN-Austria event coordinator
http://www.twanight.org
National Organizer Sidewalk Astronomers
http://www.sidewalkastronomers.us
Member of LAG - Astronomical Society of Linz
http://www.sternwarte.at
Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society
http://www.ras.org.uk/
Charter member of A4E - Astronomy for Education
http://www.virtuelleschule.at/a4e
Associate of the IAU Division Commission C2
http://iau.org/administration/membership/associate/15957/
Consulter - Project "Keplarium"
http://johannes_stuebler.public1.linz.at/keplarium/keplarium_en.html
About me:
http://johannes_stuebler.public1.linz.at/autor.html
Owner of Austrian Polarstern-Preis 2017
http://oewf.org/2017/04/astronom-johannes-stuebler-erhaelt-den-polarsternpreis-2017/