Science and research in the space sector, together with innovative applications in fashion and technical clothing, sustainability and cuisine.
On the occasion of the Italian Space Day, the diplomatic network in India offered a wide program of events dedicated to deepening cooperation in the space sector between Italy and India. Among the various initiatives, the Consulate General of Italy in Bangalore promotes the exhibition “From the Moon to Mars – Dalla Luna a Marte”, which will be hosted until Jan. 26 at the city Science Gallery. The exhibition guides visitors through the main stages of Italy in space: from the pioneering projects by Leonardo da Vinci, to the successes achieved by the Italian Space Agency, starting with the launch, on Dec. 16 60 years ago, of the San Marco 1 satellite: Italy’s first relevant entry into modern space history.
In New Delhi, the “Living in Space” exhibition organized by the Italian Embassy and the the Institute of Culture, focused on the challenges of life in space to the crews of current and future missions. Meetings and debates let scientists and academics to discuss on different challenges: new approaches to contain and neutralize contamination in confined environments; human body adaptations during prolonged stay in low-gravity environments; microalgae culture systems for the development of new nutrients and carbon dioxide reduction.
Italian Space national Day confirmed the intense dialogue between the Italian and Indian scientific communities. The main events were attended by a delegation of visiting professors from the University of Sassari, who deepened their exchanges with Indian counterparts from the Indian Space Agency (ISRO) and India agency InSpace.
“Collaboration in space research between Italy and India presents opportunities for further growth,” noted Professor Sergio Ledda, Scientific Attaché at the Italian Embassy in New Delhi. “The panels on space food showed the possibilities of overcoming the challenges posed by life beyond Earth even in the field of nutrition”. EAT-freedom start-up gave a demonstration session by prepararing an sample of meals consumed by space crews. The demonstration was then followed by a food tasting ingredients normally used by astronauts on the international space station.
This virtuous combination of research, technique and creativity was also showcased with an exhibition of “space clothes”, focused on suits designed by Prada for the U.S. company Axiom Space.
For Alfonso Tagliaferri, Consul General of Italy in Bangalore “We live today a great moment in the collaboration between Italy and India on space; a collaboration that has been underway for some time and that has experienced an extraordinary acceleration in the last two years.”
