Zofia: "Polish" name for a Galileo system satellite

Zofia is the name chosen for one of 27 satellites of the European Galileo system. The satellite will be named after 11-year-old Zosia ?wir from Krasnystaw, winner of the Polish edition of art contest for children, the results of which have been announced in Warsaw. Galileo is a European global satellite navigation system, designed to compete with the American GPS (Global Positioning System) and Russian GLONASS. Ultimately it will consist of 27 satellites in Earth orbit and ground components, associated with its control and use. Names for the Galileo satellites are selected in art competitions for children in individual European Union member states. The names of several satellites (for example Thijs, Natalia, Tara and Milena) have already been selected in previous editions organised in countries including Belgium, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Estonia. It is now officially known that the satellite "representing" Poland will bear the name Zofia, which is the name of the winner of the Polish edition, 11-year-old Zosia ?wir. Her work, collage entitled "A trip to the Galaxy of Jesters", has been very highly evaluated not only in terms of art, but also scientifically. "We have a richness, diversity of space and celestial bodies. There are galaxies, stars, planets, moons, even a comet. The main planet is blue, probably covered the ocean, the author appears to know that life in the universe could be found where water is in the liquid state" - emphasised one of the jury members, astronomer at the University of Warsaw Igor Soszy?ski. In an interview with journalists Zosia admitted that until now she was "not very interested in the cosmos", but this time the competition title "Space and Aeronautics" intrigued her. For her work she used materials including paint, coloured paper, and plastic fragments of chocolate box moulds. She used them to depict a rocket, stars, blue planet and aliens. "I think that creatures from outer space are friendly" - she said. At the results announcement ceremony at the European Commission Representation in Warsaw, Zosia received a diploma, a model of the satellite, to which she lends her name, and a painting set. The competition was announced in autumn 2011 in 27 EU countries. It was open for 9 to 11 years old children. More than 800 works were submitted in the Polish edition, 30 of which qualified to the finals. Apart from Soszy?ski, the works were evaluated by painter, teacher of drawing and painting, and the founder of Atelier foundation Teresa Starzec, and a young actress known from the TV series "Recipe for Life" and a lover of painting Aleksandra Radwa?ska. Teresa Starzec admitted that she was surprised by the artistic level of works. "For years I have been following what was happening in schools, and I thought that arts knowledge passed to children was very poor. But the level of entries was excellent. There was a diversity of matter, sense of colour, composition; the natural sense children at this age have has not been lost" - she emphasized.