The late science fiction author Stanisław Lem is favourite to have the first Polish satellite named after him.

Lem’s name currently tops the list in an internet poll launched on the Education Ministry web site. The vote closes at midnight tonight and the results are to be announced on October 7.

So far close to 45 percent of more than 45,000 votes cast on the webpage indicate Stanisław Lem, who died in 2006, a clear leader. In second place is space travel pioneer Ary Sternfeld, born in Sieradz, and third is 17th century Gdańsk astronomer Jan Hevelius.  

The first Polish satellite will be placed in orbit in 2011 and a second in 2013.

Both are being built by the Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences with the Copernicus Astronomy Centre in Toruń, in cooperation with space research institutes in Vienna, Graz, Toronto and Montreal.

The launch will be made from the Sriharikota spaceport in India.

The satellites are part of the international BRITE project (Bright Target Explorer Constellation), a programme carrying out continuous observation of 286 brightest stars in the sky.

The cost of the project is 14.2 million zloty (more than 3.5 million euro), Poland’s biggest outlay to astronomy and space research since 1986.

Voting for the patron of the first Polish satellite is possible here. You will be asked to type in letters into an anti-spam box before being directed to the voting area. (ek/pg)