RICHARDSON, Texas (Feb. 14, 2005) – The former chairman of the European Space Agency (ESA), Dr. Alain Bensoussan, will discuss various ESA programs, including the Cassini-Huygens project and the future of space exploration, in a lecture at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 21, in the Davidson Auditorium in the School of Management building at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD).
The lecture is free and open to the public.
A joint endeavor of ESA, NASA and the Italian space agency, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI), Cassini-Huygens is a sophisticated spacecraft being sent to orbit Saturn for four years and study the ringed planet’s largest and most interesting moon, Titan. The Cassini-Huygens mission is designed to answer such questions as: what is the source of methane, a compound the on Earth is associated with biological activity and is so abundant in Titan’s atmosphere?
Bensoussan currently is a distinguished research professor and director of the International Center for Decision and Risk Analysis in the School of Management at UTD. Among other things, the center conducts comparative studies in methodological and organizational aspects of risk management.
About UTD
The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor®, enrolls more than 14,000 students. The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the university’s Web site at www.utdallas.edu.