KSEVT press conference, 21.12. 2011

On a press conference in the meeting room of the National and University Library (NUK) in Ljubljana [location link], some fresh news on KSEVT and its proceedings have been disclosed to the general public. The conference had two major topics.

Firstly, KSEVT institute has established a term "Treasury of Modernity"; the name stands for a library of distinctive revolutionary works from the field of science and technology of spaceflight, also art and humanistics; all of them are in a way connected to the work of Herman Potočnik Noordung and all of them are being gathered for the future specialised KSEVT library. Some examples:

1. an original Hermann Oberth book Die Rakete zu den Planetenräumen (1923);
2. an original Max Valier book Der Vorstoss in der Weltenraum (1925);
3. an original Herman Potočnik Noordung book The Problem of Space Travel - The Rocket Motor (1928);
4. original issues (3) of the magazine Science Wonder Stories, in which all the vital parts of Potočnik's book were first published in English;
5. a reprinted Wernher von Braun PhD thesis (1934);
6. an original issue of the magazine Wireless World with the historically essential article on information satellites by Arthur C. Clarke (1945);
7. an original Willy Ley book Rockets, Missiles & Space Travel (1957) and many others.

Secondly, KSEVT as a building and home of all these ongoing activities, is in its last construction phase and the solemn opening is scheduled for May 2012.

Below, there are some photos of the press conference.

Baturyn in Vitanje, cooperation agreement signed

On Tuesday, August 16, 2011, a cooperation agreement to support future activities between KSEVT, ZRC SAZU (Scientific Research Centre of Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts) and Institute for History of Science and Technology (a part of the Russian Academy of Sciences) was signed. A representative of ZRC SAZU, its director, dr. Oto Luthar, signed it also as an active member of KSEVT, whereas Yuri Baturyn, russian cosmonaut and now head of the already mentioned russian institution, as a big supporter and one of the first official guests of the SSHPN/HPNMC.

The video link and two info links are all mainly in Slovene.

[article in Delo]

[brief article on 24ur.com]

GAGARIN exhibition in Ljubljana; KSEVT project update

On Wednesday, April 6, 2011, an exhibition about Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin and the 50-year mark of his historic space flight entitled "Nebo je črno, Zemlja je modra" ("The sky is black, the Earth is blue") opened at the Russian Center for Science and Culture in Ljubljana, Slovenia [location link]. The exhibition opening was accompanied by a special visitor: cosmonaut Yuri Ivanovich Malenchenko, who was born in the year when Gagarin became the first man in space. Malenchenko is one of the foremost active cosmonauts today.

The event itself also featured Iva Zupančič, a highly acclaimed Slovene actress, who relived her memories of seeing Yuri Gagarin on the day of his public reception at the Red Square in Moscow; and an excerpt of "Zvezdno mesto" ("Star City"), the opera-piece-in-making (composed by Dragana Jovanović).

This exhibition is a project of KSEVT (Cultural Center of European Space Technologies), the author of it is Miha Turšič and the co-author Dragan Živadinov, both active members of this institute. It represents a small sample of a larger exhibition which will be set in Vitanje, Slovenia, after the opening of KSEVT building in October 2011.

Opening hours are every day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., but after April 24, the exhibition will be moved to the premises of the University of Nova Gorica, Slovenia.

P.S.: Below there is a short feature video clip of the exhibition press conference, courtesy of Dnevnik Newspaper. And one other thing: KSEVT also has a new official website - here.

Introductory press conference on KSEVT, October 2010

After some delay, we bring you up to date with recent occurences regarding KSEVT building and topic layout.

On October 18, 2010, at 18.00 (CET+1), in the conference hall of Antiq Hotel, Ljubljana, there was a first and introductory press conference on KSEVT. It dealt mostly with the topics KSEVT is about to establish and research; informing a wider public with the current building course; presenting a visual and all-around image of the project and in its final part - it opened some new/old connections the project has got with the Russian space exploration experts.

Firstly, Dragan Živadinov (Delak Institute, Ljubljana) spoke of two (actually three) press conferences that are to take place some months before the opening of the KSEVT building. Two of them are going to be bigger and more complex in handling the future (and present) topics of KSEVT than this preliminary one. They will be held between April and May 2010, one covering up the composite combining of science and art, the other one speaking on the subject of "culturalisation of space", a new term that is yet to come into use. There will also be a third, solemn conference just before the official opening of KSEVT premises, scheduled around September-October 2010.

Secondly, Srečko Fijavž, Director of The Vitanje Commune Administration Board, and Slavko Vetrih, Mayor of The Vitanje Commune, spoke of the latest happenings in KSEVT building process. At this time (November 2010), the foundations are firmly in the ground and the ground floor is starting to grow on the surface. They also spoke of the activities considering KSEVT and Herman Potočnik Noordung so far, the rising rate of visitors and general interest and the installation of all these ideas into Vitanje and wider region.

Boris Balant of Studio/Atelje Balant spoke of the all-around visual scheme of KSEVT.

Miha Turšič, Director of the newly founded KSEVT institute, presented us with the plan of exhbitions in KSEVT for the period of next six years. Three permanent and twelve short-term exhibitons are planned for this time span. Also, Turšič told that KSEVT functions will be made to suit the needs of young people in all the branches of education system and also scholars and experts, familiesm, etc. The main purpose of KSEVT is not to commercialize, but to inspire people to try and understand the culturalisation of space and union of science and art.

Sergey Kostenko (Orbital Technologies) and Marsel Gubaydullin (Space Adventures) from Russia demonstrated some visual material of civilian (commercial) spaceflight and the plans for the first private space station to host space tourists from around the world.

KSEVT building start in Slovenian media

I shall (strive to) keep you up to date with all the official, web-accessible material concerning the buliding process of the highly anticipated KSEVT object.

Dnevnik (daily newspaper) --> [link]

RTV Slovenija (national television web pages) --> [link]

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Do not forget - for all the materials that have not yet been translated, there is always this simple, semi-reliable, yet sufficient tool: [link]

Signing with the constructors; first actions

After a solemn signing of the contracts with CM Celje, d.d., on August 17, 2010, at the Museum of Modern Art in Ljubljana (first three pictures), the works on the site have already commenced. The first step is the removing of the old house of culture that will get a newer, bigger dwelling on the future KSEVT premises. That phase of the process is shown in the fourth picture.

Composite declaration act on KSEVT

Another somewhat late, but no less important notice: on June 22, 2010, on the premises of the Museum of Modern Art in Ljubljana, a very important act in the materialisation of KSEVT project was signed.

Dr. Oto Luthar (second picture, center) from the ZRC-SAZU (Scientific Research Centre of The Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts) and Dr. Edvard Kobal (first picture, center) from the SZF (The Slovenian Science Foundation) signed a "composite declaration act - KSEVT" that will serve as a "letter of intent" to form KSEVT in the very near future.

On left and right - on both photos - you can find Srečko Fijavž (left), Director of The Vitanje Commune Administration Board, and Slavko Vetrih, mayor of The Vitanje Commune.

Below, a short video footage, provided by the Museum of Modern Art.