Revealed: Europe’s master plan for space technology
The European Space Agency and its 16 national delegations have come together with the European Commission and more than a hundred separate industries to develop future road maps for space technology research and development across the continent. The new ‘European Space Technology Master Plan’ consolidates the overall process for space R&D and highlights 20 separate harmonised technology areas. It was discussed at a round table at this year’s Le Bourget with key representatives from the EC, European industry and ESA.
The 2002 outbreak of phocine distemper virus, or PDV, in European harbor seals may reduce the population by more than half and that future outbreaks with similar characteristics would significantly increase the risk of population declines. Their findings are the first epidemiological data reported on the 2002 outbreak, which is still underway, and may help predict the recurrence of the outbreaks and the impact on the long-term growth and survival of the European harbor seal population.