Thursday 7th Oct. the winners of the ‘Disegna & Designa’ competition were awarded in the presence of Col. Vittori, the Italian astronaut for the upcoming Shuttle mission. These are the results of the ‘Disegna & Designa’ competition, organised by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) in collaboration with the Italian Air Force, and aimed at primary and middle school students to give a name and a logo to what will probably be the final mission of the Shuttle programme, the launch of which is scheduled for 27th February 2011.
The competition winners, Alessia Casasanta from the ‘Benedetto Croce’ middle school in Chieti for the ‘Name’ category, and Elena Nadalini from the ‘Dante Alighieri’ primary school in Nonantola (Modena) for the ‘Drawing/Logo’ category, were presented in person by Colonel Vittori with a trip to Florida (USA) to the Kennedy Space Center to watch the launch of the Space Shuttle ‘Endeavour’ firsthand. In mission STS-134, Italy plays a primary role, not only through the direct participation of Colonel Vittori, but also from a scientific perspective. Indeed, Endeavour will transport and install the AMS (Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer) laboratory in the ISS, designed and built by researchers from the National Institute for Nuclear Physics and various Italian companies, which aims to study and analyse cosmic rays directly from space, in the hope of solving important scientific enigmas such as those linked to the universe's dark matter. During the mission, a series of experiments selected jointly by the Italian Space Agency and the Italian Air Force will also be carried out, developed synergistically by Italian industries, research bodies and universities. The ceremony took place at MIUR (Ministry of Education, University and Research), in the presence of the President of ASI, engineer Enrico Saggese, and the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force, Air Squad General Maurizio Lodovisi, who underlined the importance of involving the younger generations in scientific and technological development. In particular, General Lodovisi emphasised the fact that the Italian contribution to the mission fully represents the capabilities and potential, even in a sector of excellence such as space, of the national ‘Country System’.
