An overview of May 18

It was a lovely, sunny day and the many children present were smiling and dreaming about the Moon. The occasion? On May 18th, the Cité de l’espace organized “Question Moon”, a special day long event, free of charge and open to all as part of the Toulouse Space Festival. 8000 people, enthusiasts and newcomers registered for the event.

”Is it him? Is he a real one?”, whispered a little boy, his eyes glued to Arnaud Prost, a French armaments engineer, a graduate of Polytechnique, a fighter pilot, professional diver and reserve astronaut for the European Space Agency (ESA). Special guest of the day, along with many other experts from the CNES or the ESA, space engineers, astrophysicists and artists, he answered the audience’s questions passionately. “It is here, at the Cité de l’espace, that space is explained to those people who do not have access to it. This is what makes this day so invaluable.”

At the heart of the event: the lunar future. Set up in the gardens through June 10th, the lunar habitat developed by the French company, Spartan Space, and just arrived from Cologne where it was used for tests with the ESA, was of great interest. Round tables, mini-conferences and improvised discussions were organized. According to Arnaud Mounier, CEO of the Semeccel - Cité de l’espace, « The goal is not only to show visitors things but also to inspire them to raise their own questions and become actively engaged in the learning process.”

Jean-Claude Dardelet, President of the Semeccel - Cité de l’espace, discussed the challenges: ”The Moon is no longer a distant dream. It is a strategic, scientific, and political step. The choices that will be made in the coming months will involve Europe. Our role here is to rigorously and passionately inform the public about these challenges.”

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©Pierre Carton