Georges Lemaître for ATV-5

The fifth European automatic cargo ship or ATV, Automated Transfer Vehicle, to the International Space Station is to be dubbed George Lemaître, after the Belgian physicist behind the theory of the Big-Bang. During his press conference at the beginning of the year, Jean-Jacques Dordain, Director General of the ESA, European Space Agency, stated that the fifth ATV would be the last one to be manufactured. Consequently, the names of the 5 ATV in launch order are: French writer Jules Verne (mission in 2008), German astronomer Johannes Kepler (mission in 2011), Italian physicist Edoardo Amaldi (launch scheduled on 9 March 2012), the American-Swiss (dual nationality) physicist born in Germany Albert Einstein (to be launched at the beginning of 2013) and the Belgian physicist George Lemaître.

Press release from the ESA

George Lemaître on Wikipedia

Published on 17 February 2012

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