The visionary behind the European Space Agency

In October 2012, the founding father of the European Space Agency was honoured when a spacecraft named after him was sent to the international space station.

Within the probe – called the Edoardo Amaldi Automated Transfer Vehicle – was a letter which had been written by Edoardo in 1958 detailing his plans for an organisation which would bring together the continent’s greatest minds in space science. It was in response to the brain drain Europe was facing in the years prior when its best scientists were flying off to work at NASA.

His grandson, Andrea Amaldi, talks to Natasha Fernandes about the moment his grandfather’s letter was sent into space and the role he played in translating it on behalf of the visionary behind the European Space Agency.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

(Photo: ESA's ATV-3, Edoardo Amaldi, blasts off on March 23, 2012 from the European space centre at Kourou, French Guiana. Credit: JODY AMIET/AFP via Getty Images)