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ZARM Drop Tower becomes ESA External Facility

September 26, 2003

The European Space Agency is to declare the "Zentrum für Angewandte Raumfahrt Microgravitation" ZARM Drop Tower in Bremen an ESA External Facility.

This prestigious title will be conferred at a ceremony at ZARM on 2 October, beginning at 12:45, attended by the Mayor of Bremen and President of the City Senate Dr Henning Scherf, Prof. Dr Hans J. Rath, ZARM Director General, Dr Hans Kappler, ESA Director of Industrial Matters and Technology Programmes, and Mr Gaele Winters, ESA Director of Technical and Operational Support.

ZARM Drop Tower obtains this prestigious title in consideration of the fact that it is both unique in Europe and regularly used by ESA. The Drop Tower offers the capability of conducting extensive research in microgravity, and it is an essential test bench for projects about to become operational. For both applications, ZARM has provided years of invaluable access to reduced gravity conditions for thousands of experiments, in many of which ESA has been involved.

The introduction of the catapult, planned for this year, will double the time available at reduced gravity conditions, opening broader possibilities in the future. Such extended use of this facility becomes available in good time for the International Space Station exploitation phase, for microgravity applications in particular.

The contract signature will be followed by the performance of a drop in the Tower and the presentation of the Catapult System. After a light lunch, there will be a short inspection of the Tower's interior, ending around 14:30 hrs.

European Space Agency (ESA)