http://www.europlanet-eu.org/demo/index.ph...3&Itemid=41

I'm thinking that the ESOC MEX team for turning the VMC back on deserve a nomination. Anyone fellow Europeans want to come in on it and co-sign it?

I will.

Well I'd say that's the proposer/seconder 'dream ticket' sorted.

Now if you want numbers, petition style, please count me in.

Actually - it needs me + 3 EU people.

That's two - need one more

Sure, I'll sign.

Bingo. That's three. I'll be in touch after the w'end

Ah I was a bit late to the table on this one but I also count as an EU person if you need any more.

I'm happy to stand aside if we would rather have someone from another EU state - at the moment we have all four from the UK!

Me too - C'mon Portugal! France? Italy? Finland?

Guyana?

Shouldn't the OSIRIS team be nominated? Oh wait...

The only two things I could think of were the ESOC blogging team from recent flybys, and the VMC guys for turning it back on. In all of ESA, that's the only good outreach I could think of.

It's not for planetary science, but hasn't the PR for Herschel and Planck been, well, almost adequate?

Incidentally, it appears that you could nominate any European working for a planetary science project anywhere on anyone's dime OR anyone of any citizenship in Europe. Isn't the VEX VMC poster here an American in Europe? Eligible. Paolo, if he still has an Italian passport, eligible.

Dan - I think that should either be French Guiana or Guyane but in any case thanks to the old French Empire there are little bits of "Europe" in the oddest of places, they have an MEP (a European Parliamentarian) even use the good old Euro.

Thanks Joe. Now we need to find a UMSFer from there to really round out the cross section of co-signers. I mean seriously that would certainly draw attention to the nomination.

If I lived in the EU, I'd nominate Stu. For someone not directly associated with ESA, he's done an incredible amount of outreach. He goes out and tries to infect children with the space exploration bug, and I think that's a sign of a Higher Calling...

-the other Doug

Wow... that's incredibly nice of you to say that, but trust me, I'm a tiny, tiny fish flapping about quietly in the reeds on the edge of a huge pond. I try to do my bit, but people like Chris Lintott, who travel hundreds and hundreds of miles per week to give talks and presentations, would be way up on any list. And there's our own Glorious Leader, of course, who tries so hard to convince people within ESA of the importance of Outreach and is now doing a lot of Outreach himself.

Thanks tho.

Nothing heard. Just wondering - did you go ahead with this?

Going to write the application this thursday and share it here before the weekend, and then specify what I need from you

D

Right - Nigel, Stu, James, Joe - send me an email ( djellison@mac.com ) and I'll send you the draft application and what I need from you.

Doug

...and he's willing to travel to the ends of the Earth in his quest!

Well, I know what Doug wrote and I know what I wrote (though I left Doug free to edit). I'm curious about what Stu, James and Joe wrote. Would anybody object to Doug posting them all here? It would be nice to know how the whole proposal looks. I hope it surprises the committee (there must be a committee) and focuses their collective mind on the potential impact of real time image sharing as against glossy presentation that arrives too late to catch the moment.

I've got another potential nominee as well (call it a surprise guest appearance) - as long as all the nominees are happy, I'm happy to share the finished application with everyone here once it's submitted.

Only actually got the one accompanying letter so far ( thank you Nigel ) - need the others soonish.

Sorry. Stuff. Tomorrow.

Aargh - sorry boss - likewise.

You're all fired. Apart from Stu and Nigel

I know James is busy as hell - if anyone else can step into the breach - literally two paragraphs saying why you think they deserve it is all I need, plus name, address, phone number. Let me know!

I just replied to your e-mail. Sorry bout the delay - but you should have mine in your e-mail now.

The submission is in Thanks to my co-nominees! Fingers crossed.

Checked out this topic too late. I'd been on bord if been on time, sorry.

Well - they didn't win - but they were given a special mention (I just heard via Email )

Please specify 'they'?

Thomas and the MEX VMC team - the nomination I (and a few UMSFers in Europe) made for this Europlanet outreach award.

That's a great shame. I'm not aware of any other ESA projects that had anything like the Outreach success - or hard work -behind them, so I'll be very interested to hear who did win.

Nice that they got a special mention - that shows at least that our voice was heard. I hope you agree the effort wasn't wasted, Doug.

I too would like to know who did win. It wouldn't surprise me to learn that it was something a bit more mainstream within ESA - more management-led in other words. I'd also like to know who was entrusted with the final decision. Aside from having the chance to make nominations from a distance, was there any consumer voice actually on the panel?