The European Space Agency (ESA) presented potential documentary topics at the Discovery Channel Producers Workshop

Berlin (ots) - During the 3rd Discovery Channel ProducersWorkshop, which for the first time took place in Europe (Berlin),gathering 250 participants (150 producers) from 21 countries theEuropean Space Agency presented two subjects for realisation ofdocumentaries. ESA is offering selected access to the information related tothe following two topics to interested producers which - throughDiscovery Channel - would develop documentary films with focus onthe European potential. Discovery Channel announced that they are putting the filmsout to competitive tender. Story 1: "Preparing for the future": Within the next two decades, human exploration mission beyondthe Earth orbit will be launched, with Europe as a prominentpartner in global future cooperation endeavours. One of thefundamental aspects of the missions will be the long durationtravel, and its effects on the human body. In order to understand these effects (e.g. radiation,weightlessness, psychological) ESA, in Cupertino with other spacepartners, is already preparing with experiments that are takingplace as we speak: sounding rockets, parabolic flights campaigns,isolation and bed rest studies, development of astronautstraining equipment, facilities for the International SpaceStation. Story 2: "How to become an European Astronaut": ESA's European Astronaut Corps, which counts today 16astronauts from all over Europe, is involved in the preparationand implementation of the world's greatest human space flightmissions of today and the future: the astronauts trained aroundthe clock at the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne,Houston (USA) or Star City (Russia) chosen after a strenuousselection process, bring their extreme skills, their experience,their personality and culture to the service of our society,performing high tech research and technology experiments inspace. This year, at least two European Astronauts will fly tothe International Space Station. ESA and Discovery Channel encourage producers to work outproposals to be submitted by June 2001. In a shared effort to bring exciting facts and stories aboutspace flight and space research to an European audience,Discovery Channel Europe hopes to start working on the first filmon an ESA subject within the year.

ots Originaltext: Discovery Channel Betriebs GmbH Im Internetrecherchierbar: http://recherche.newsaktuell.de Contact: ElenaGrifoni Head of Strategy and Communications Office Directorate ofManned Space Flight and Microgravity ESTEC Keplerlaan 1 P.O. Box299 NL - 2200 AG Noorwijk ZH Phone: +31 - (0) 71 565 5539 E-Mail:Elena.Grifoni@esa.int

ESADiscovery Channel Betriebs GmbH Susanne Meier Head ofPress & PR Robert-Buerkle-Str. 2 D - 85737 Ismaning Phone: +49 -(0) 89 - 9956 2448 Email: susanne_meier@discovery.com

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