A great event of great interest: more than 300 events, workshops, exhibitions, exhibits, conferences and students from all regions of Italy: over 180,000 visitors A scientific event of great interest: more than 300 events, workshops, exhibitions, exhibits, conferences and students from all regions of Italy: over 180,000 visitors. The public and especially the young people’s participation at the various stands of the Air Force is very high, a testimony to the great interest and curiosity for the many highly technological capabilities that the Armed Forces are also able to express for the collective, such as meteorology.
This, in essence, is the Genoa Science Festival, which opened its doors for the 13th edition on October 24 and closed them yesterday, November 2, with the participation of the Minister of Defense, Senator Roberta Pinotti, and Major Pilot Luca Parmitano, ESA astronaut for the ASI’s Volare mission and Italian Ambassador for the European Semester.
Parmitano highlighted the importance for institutions to accompany young people in their professional life path by offering them the opportunity for appropriate training programs, as happened with Parmitano himself in his military career in Aeronautics. Also present was Col. Pil. Roberto Vittori, ESA astronaut, who spoke at the conference titled “From the past to the future, a journey into space”. The Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General of the Air Squadron Pasquale Preziosa, also took part in the Festival, meeting with the staff of the Air Force at the exhibition area and expressing great appreciation for the demonstration of how the highly technological capabilities of the Armed Forces can be put at the service of the citizen.
For the Air Force, this was the first participation in the Science Festival, with highly specialized personnel in “blue” uniforms and the most advanced technological equipment available to young students and citizens.
The Air Force was present in Genoa with numerous instruments and speakers related to the theme of the 2014 Science Festival, namely “Time”, a topic presented in an educational and divulgative manner for schoolchildren and the general public, in three distinct thematic areas: “atmospheric time” for the meteorology and climatology area, “synchronicity and present time” for the flight area, and “future time” for the space-related section.
The agenda of the conferences that took place and which saw the Aeronautica Militare as the protagonist is also rich: “Exploration of aeronautical materials and for aerospace applications”. A brief excursus on the evolutionary process of the materials used by humans to fly. Organized by the Chemical Department of the Centro Sperimentale Volo. “But how did predictions work 100 years ago?” The evolution of meteorological forecasting instruments to the present day. Organized by the National Center for Meteorological and Aeronautical Climatology (CNMCA). “There are no more intermediate seasons” Weather forecasts and their impact on everyday human activities, including flight. Organized by the National Center for Meteorological and Aeronautical Climatology (CNMCA). “Suborbital Flight” Italy seen from Space. Organized by the Experimental Flight Department. “Space Situational Awareness” Presentation of a simulation that allowed the surveillance and tracking of objects detected in the LEO (Low Earth Orbit) orbit, using national, military and civilian devices (such as the National Institute of Astrophysics). Organized by the Flight Experimental Department. “Space Weather” Presentation of the scientific discipline that studies the phenomena occurring on the Sun, whose effects on Earth can have negative consequences both for the conduct of air operations and in everyday life. Organized by the Flight Experimental Department. “I am a Space Doctor!” Presentation of the effects produced on the human body in the absence of gravity. Organized by the Flight Experimental Department. The permanent laboratories operated by the Air Force have covered Meteorology with thematic areas concerning the development of instruments and future potential. On display a TacMet, tactical meteorological station, deployable in a very short time, anywhere and in any situation, such as the “Fuori Aerea” theaters and national emergencies, such as the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake (organized by the CNMCA of Pratica di Mare). Air Traffic Control with the positioning and usability of a mobile “AFIS” type tower, usable in emergency situations or operational theaters in crisis areas (organized by the 3rd Flight of Villafranca di Verona). Finally, the “Simulators” sector features the dynamic flight simulator “Frecce Tricolori” and the suborbital flight “demo” simulator.
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