The Ethiopian Space Science Society (ESSS) was established on 18 June 2004 under the 1960 Ethiopian Civil Code, Article 404 and on Associations Registration, Legal Notice No. 321/1966. The main objective of the Society is the dissemination of basic space science education in Ethiopian schools and the development of scientific culture in the public sector that comes along with it. ESSS, whose head office is in Addis Ababa, has a large number of registered members some of whom go to the extent of donating large sums of money and small backyard telescopes. The one you see in the picture below is one of the small telescopes recently acquired by the society from one of its members. Enthusiastic graduate students are in the process of putting its parts together for a night time viewing session.
The ESSS also supports local space science studies and related technological progress by way of monetary aid and prizes. Just recently the society has donated a 40 square kilometre piece of land to Addis Ababa University (AAU) for the construction of the dome for the 0.45 metre fully automated telescope it hopes to get from the Japanese Government. The application from the Astrophysics group at AAU for the small reflector under the Japanese Cultural Aid Program is pending.
Receive the lastest announcements, discuss space-related topics with other members.