Planck and Herschel

Exclusive Interviews

The Planck and Herschel spacecraft are scheduled to launch onboard the same Ariane 5 rocket on 16 April. To accompany a six page review featured in this month's issue of Astronomy Now on the science and logistics behind these two impressive missions, we get the lowdown from the scientists that have helped to plan, build and organise the mission, as well as those who will be processing the data as the results begin to flood in.

David Southwood (Director of Science and Robotic Exploration at the European Space Agency) talks to Emily Baldwin about the Planck and Herschel missions at the IYA opening ceromony in Paris, January 2009.

Robert Wilson (co-recipient of the 1978 Nobel Prize in Physics) talks to Keith Cooper and Emily Baldwin on his discovery, and his hopes for the Planck mission.

Bill Reach of NASA's Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, talks to Keith Cooper on his role in processing Planck data for the Early Release Compact Source Catalogue.

Goran Pilbratt, Herschel Project Scientist, talks to Emily Baldwin about the logistics and goals of the Herschel Space Observatory.

Emily Baldwin talks to three research groups about their proposals for Herschel observing time projects:

Bill Dent on gas in protoplanetary systems

Thomas Mueller on the survey of the Transneptunian region

Suzane Madden and Maud Galametz on the interstellar medium and dwarf galaxies