Press release from the Nobel Prize Museum

Nobel Laureates call to Space Station

26 November 2019 View in Swedish

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Nobel Laureates in Physics and Chemistry will talk to ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano and NASA astronaut Jessica Meir on 6 December as the Nobel Week festivities begin in Stockholm, Sweden.

Some of the brightest minds on Earth will talk to astronauts on the International Space Station about their perspective of the Universe, exoplanets and the challenges of spacewalking.

During the live call from space, three 2019 Nobel Laureates will discuss with the astronauts from the Nobel Prize Museum. ESA astronaut Christer Fuglesang will moderate the conversation between two of the Nobel Laureates in Physics, Didier Queloz and Michel Mayor, and the Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, Stanley Whittingham.

Their discoveries are crucial to the work taking place on the International Space Station.

This year the Nobel Prize in Physics rewards new understanding of the Universe’s structure and history, and the first discovery of a planet orbiting a solar-type star outside our Solar System. Cosmology and exoplanets are among the key themes investigated by ESA’s space science missions, with exo-planet hunter Cheops launching later this year.

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry rewards the development of the powerful lithium ion battery. Jessica will recount first-hand how she helped install new lithium-ion batteries during her recent spacewalk to improve the Station’s power capacity following spacewalks with ESA astronauts Tim Peake and Thomas Pesquet on other spacewalks to upgrade to lithium-ion batteries.

Luca is deeply involved in several challenging spacewalks to service the International Space Station’s largest scientific instrument. The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02) is a sub-atomic particle detector that looks for dark matter, antimatter and measures cosmic rays – high energy particles that travel through space at close to the speed of light. 

The European astronaut has carried out two spacewalks to date to maintain AMS-02’s cooling system and ensure it can continue to provide more groundbreaking science to the scientific community for and its principal investigator Samuel Ting, who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1976.

All the Nobel Laureates of 2019, who will visit the museum the same morning, are invited to the event. Members of the Nobel committees and general public will be part of the audience. 

Event programme

Friday, 6 December 2019 

15:00 – 15:20 CET (14:00 – 14:20 GMT)

Participants at International Space Station                                   

ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano

NASA astronaut Jessica Meir

Participants at Nobel Prize Museum                         

ESA astronaut Christer Fuglesang

Nobel Prize in Physics Didier Queloz

Nobel Prize in Physics Michel Mayor

Nobel Prize in Chemistry Stanley Whittingham

The event will start at 14:45 with a question and answer session with the Nobel Laureates, moderated by Anna Sjöström Douagi, Science and Program Director, Nobel Prize Museum. 

 

Nobel Prize Museum

The Nobel Prize shows that ideas can change the world. The courage, creativity and perseverance of the Nobel Prize laureates inspire us and give us hope for the future. Films, in-depth tours, and artefacts tell the stories of the laureates and their contributions “for the greatest benefit to humankind”. Based on the Nobel Prize’s unique combination of fields – natural sciences, literature and peace – we examine the greatest challenges of our time and show how we can respond to them through science, humanism and collaboration. With our exhibitions, school programmes, lectures and conversations, we at the Nobel Prize Museum strive to engage the public in making a better world. Today we are located on Stortorget, the main square in Gamla Stan, Stockholm’s Old Town district. We are planning to create a new home for our public outreach activities at Slussen in central Stockholm.

Contacts
+46 8 122 084 45