POLDER and the age of space Earth sciences.

Abstract

This work focuses on a polarimeter sponsored by the French space agency (CNES) placed inside Earth-orbiting satellites and launched in three different ocasions between 1996 and 2004. It draws upon the case of POLDER (as the polarimeter was named) to examine the research practices, institutions, knowledge, and visions involved in the production, archival, dissemination, and use of satellite data in several domains of the Earth sciences. I It explores and explains their transformations from the 1970s to the 2000s, when the Earth sciences space program developed, as scientific interests, technological developments, socio-economic pressures, political priorities, and cultural contexts evolved. This particular case helps illuminating diverse multiple, often in concurrence, understandings of satellite data and space technology as well as the interactions between science, technology, society and culture. It contibutes thus both to the history of space technology and of environental knowledge.

Date of Award	19 Dec 2014
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS)
Supervisor	Dominique Pestre (Director) & Isabelle Sourbès-Verger (Director)