(Click on the pictures to enlarge them)
With my work in the Technology Transfer Office at the European Space Agency I went for one week to the North of Norway and to Svalbard (Spitsbergen) - the Arctic - to work on technology transfer to the Arctic sector. Business trips are actually a very good way to see a country.
We co-arranged a two day workshop in Tromsø. We were extremely lucky with the weather - we had basically beautiful sunshine all day - and all night.
Heading of to the workshop at the Polar Environment Centre, Tromsø. |
Midnight on the top of Storsteinen. Tromsø below.
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Evening falls as we pass a hilly area on the way to Somarøy outside Tromsø. |
After Tromsø we headed off to Longyearbyen, Svalbard (Spitsbergen). 78 degrees north.
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Svalbard has unique geological features. The different hardness in the rock-types has lead to different speed of erosion for this mountain (close to Longyearbyen). |
Adventdalen, Longyearbyen. |
David and I, at the very edge of Longyearbyen. |
Svalbard has only two settlements of any size (in addition a handfull of very small settlements with less than 50 persons). What is unique is that one of the major settlement is Norwegian, and the other is Russian. This is due to the Svalbard-treaty that although placed Svalbard under Norwegian supervision, made it possible for other countries to exploit its resources.
Coal heaps in Barentsburg. Ready to be freighted to Russia and Europe. |
Svalbard Satellite Station is owned by Kongsberg Satellite Services, but is also used for tracking and downloading data from European Space Agency satellites.
The largest antenna at Svalbard Satellite Station - from the outside... |
...and from the inside. |
The light on Svalbard is amazing. Especially on this day, on the ship from Longyearbyen to Barentsburg, when the sun just about piecered through the clouds - and everything was bathed in silver. Naturally this photo can not do the real thing any justice.
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