[Courrendlin, February 2, 2024, ENGLISH BELOW] – Aux premières loges de l’exploration spatiale depuis plus de 40 ans. En ligne de mire, «Ariane», «Columbia», «Falcon» ou «Artemis». Roland J. Keller, de Courrendlin, ne vise pas les étoiles avec son objectif, mais les fusées qui s’élancent vers elles, et ce depuis plus de 40 ans. Rencontre.
Image ci-dessus : photo RKE
Décollage de la navette Endeavour STS 113 le 25 novembre 2002.
Par Josué Merçay
Le Quotidien Jurassien
Delémont (JU)
Site officiel du Quotidien Jurassien
Cet article me concernant est reproduit en PDF avec l’aimable autorisation des Editions D+P SA, société éditrice du Quotidien Jurassien.
Front Row to Space Exploration for Over 40 Years
By Josué Merçay
Le Quotidien Jurassien
Delémont, Switzerland
Dive into the extraordinary four-decade adventure of Roland J. Keller, a Swiss journalist whose passion for space exploration has taken him from the iconic Apollo missions to the forefront of the Artemis program. Witness his unique insights and experiences from the world’s major launch sites, capturing humanity’s quest to conquer the cosmos.
His passion for space exploration dates back to July 21, 1969, when he witnessed man’s first steps on the Moon via the family television set. Since then, Roland J. Keller (the J. in Jean distinguishes him from his many namesakes, he says, and also gives him a little American flair) has spent over 40 years on the rocket launch pads, mainly at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
At the age of 67, he witnessed 42 launches, including the infamous Challenger shuttle launch in January 1986. Seven astronauts perished in the explosion 73 seconds after lift-off. Editor-in-chief of Swiss Engineering (Revue Technique Suisse) for over 15 years, as well as editor and photographer for various media, including Le Quotidien Jurassien, Roland Keller has also followed and immortalized lift-offs in California, Virginia, Texas and Kourou, French Guiana, from where the Ariane rockets of the European Space Agency (ESA) are launched.
Watched all the way to the toilet
I’ve been accredited by NASA and ESA 37 times, » explains the enthusiast. The administrative procedures required by NASA are restrictive, and you have to pass through three customs posts on site. If Swiss reporters don’t go, it’s because they need a lot of patience! The man who witnessed the flight of the Curiosity rover to Mars in 2011 and the departure of a Hubble Space Telescope maintenance mission (in which Claude Nicollier took part) is often the only accredited Swiss, or even the only foreigner.
The precious sesame allows him to place his camera at a distance of 50 to 100 meters from the launch pad. He then has a prime spot to follow the take-off, around 5 km from the site. Others are content with a spot 15 km away, where they can set down their camera and watch the launch. At that distance, you need quite a telephoto lens, » points out Roland Keller. Elon Musk, the head of SpaceX, also rents launch pads at Cape Canaveral, » he explains. He separates American journalists from non-Americans. The latter are even accompanied to the toilets by attendants! »
Unexpected triggering
Roland Keller usually sets up and adjusts his camera twelve hours before takeoff. The camera is triggered by sound. « On one occasion, my setting was too sensitive, and 3,000 photos were taken before launch. There was no memory left when the time came! » While a launch represents the culmination of years of work, the time spent beforehand at NASA’s Cape Canaveral facility is particularly instructive, notes Roland Keller. He has the opportunity to obtain unprecedented information, see the equipment up close and meet engineers and astronauts. Everything is scrupulously recorded on his blog.
Next up, the photographer is once again aiming for Kourou, for the Ariane 6 launch scheduled between June 15 and July 31. Other dates tempt him this year, such as the lift-off from Cape Canaveral of Boeing’s Starliner in April (test flight with two astronauts) and SpaceX’s Starship (also manned).
Setting course for the Artemis mission
He points to a public enthusiasm for space travel that has waned in 50 years. « The Apollo program cost $50 billion and helped develop certain sectors of the American economy. Artemis will cost $300 billion to put men on the Moon, which is scheduled for 2026. But the aim of the mission is to bring equipment around the satellite and build bases. It’s a different dimension from Apollo. We’ll still have to convince the public. NASA has less money today, a lot of it is outsourced to SpaceX. »
A lot of money for our comfort
In 2023, 211 launches were successful worldwide, out of 223 attempts (SpaceX carried out 96 with its Falcon 9 rocket), says Roland Keller. Wouldn’t it be possible to use the colossal sums involved to solve problems on Earth?
At the time, the lunar program enabled significant technological development, particularly in the IT sector, » he argues. And the conquest of space met our demand for comfort, with the launch into orbit of telecommunications and GPS satellites. »
Never short of ideas, he is currently working on an editorial and visual project on the Swiss companies and institutions collaborating on the Artemis mission.