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<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-theme-font:
minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">Dear
colleagues.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span
style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">It
is with
profound sadness that we must announce to you the passing our
colleague, Dr.
Richard Biancale, geodesist, recently retired from the CNES in
September 2018,
and most recently working at the GFZ (Oberpfaffenhofen) with Dr.
Frank
Flechtner on GRACE Follow-On. We were informed of his death on
Monday February 4,
2019 from a heart attack while skiing in the Alps. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-theme-font:
minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin"> </span></p>
<p class="Default"
style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span
style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">Richard
had a
long and distinguished career in Space Geodesy. He received his
Ph.D. in 1978
from the University Pierre and Marie Curie in Paris (France)
while working
under Professor Christoph Reigber at the Technical University of
Munich
(Germany). He worked as a research scientist at the University
of Sao Paulo, at
the DGFI (</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span
style="font-size:
11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New
Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">Deutsches Geod</span></i><i
style="mso-bidi-font-style:
normal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New
Roman";
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-ansi-language:
DE" lang="DE">ätisches Forschungsinstitut</span></i><span
style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New
Roman";
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">) in
Munich
(Germany), and at CERGA (</span><i
style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">Centre
d'Etudes et de Recherches en Géodynamique et Astronométrie</span></i><span
style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">)
Grasse
(France), before joining the French Space Agency, the CNES
(Toulouse, France)
in 1982 as a scientific engineer. </span></p>
<p class="Default"
style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span
style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin"> </span></p>
<p class="Default"
style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span
style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">Under
the
direction of Mich</span><span
style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:
minor-latin;mso-ansi-language:FR" lang="FR">el Lefebvre, </span><span
style="font-family:
"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:
minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">one of his first
jobs at the CNES
was to define the DORIS tracking system for the TOPEX/Poseidon
mission. Since
1984 he was very involved in the French-German cooperation on
gravity field
modeling, first with the GRIM models, and then with the EIGEN
models after the
launches of CHAMP and GRACE. He served as the scientific manager
of the Stella
laser geodetic satellite, launched in 1993.<span
style="mso-spacerun:yes">
</span>Under the direction of Dr. Georges Balmino, he became
chief of the
“Terrestrial and Planetary Geodetic Department” of the CNES in
1992. He
received his “Habilitation” in 2006 and starting in 2008 served
as Executive
Director of the Groupe de Recherche de G</span><span
style="font-family:
"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:
minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-ansi-language:FR"
lang="FR">éodésie
Spatiale </span><span
style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-theme-font:
minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">(GRGS),
a French national group that gathers 120 researchers from
organizations
involved in Space Geodesy studies.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">
</span></span></p>
<p class="Default"
style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span
style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin"> </span></p>
<p class="Default"
style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span
style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">Over
the
course of his career he has supervised and inspired more than a
dozen Ph.D
students and served as a mentor to many colleagues and young
scientists.
Understanding the importance of training the next generation of
scientists in
satellite geodesy, he has taught geodesy for over 25 years at
engineer schools
(e.g. ENSG </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span
style="font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">[Ecole
de la
G</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-ansi-language:FR" lang="FR">éomatique</span></i><i
style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">/National
School of Geographic Sciences]</span></i><span
style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:
minor-latin">, ENSTA </span><i
style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">[École
Nationale Supérieure de Techniques Avancées]), </span></i><span
style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">at
universities
(e.g. Paris VI), and short training courses (e.g. GRGS Summer
School).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p>
<p class="Default"
style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span
style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin"> </span></p>
<p class="Default"
style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span
style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">Throughout
his career<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span
style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>he has worked assiduously to
improve the
quality of geodetic data, and to advance the science obtained
from these data.
He was a strong proponent of the need for improving the
International
Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF), supporting the contributions
to the IDS,
IGS, ILRS, IVS and IERS.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He
has
participated and led national and international proposals for
new innovative
space missions that would continue to advance the contribution
of geodesy to
science and society.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Most
recently,
before and after his retirement from CNES, he worked to advance
the proposal
for the Tahiti Geodetic Observatory, a fundamental station
including VLBI, SLR,
GNSS and DORIS whose geographic location would be of prime
importance to the
ITRF and to the mm-level goals of the Global Geodetic Observing
System (GGOS)
in the next decade.</span></p>
<p class="Default"><span style="font-family:"Times New
Roman",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman""> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"> </span></p>
<p class="Default"><span style="font-family:"Times New
Roman",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman""> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span
style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">As<span
style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>many of his colleagues
noticed, Richard
Biancale<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>had a joie de
vivre. He was
charming, free, passionate and cheerful man who embraced life
whether it was in
a fine restaurant after a scientific meeting, sailing around the
Mediterranean
or across the Atlantic on his catamaran, “RaphyO<sup>2</sup>”,
or visiting
interesting cultural or natural locales.<span
style="mso-spacerun:yes">
</span>As his colleagues, we were all privileged to enjoy his
friendship. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We lament
this tragic loss. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-theme-font:
minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span
style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">To
his
family, including wife, Irmtraud, and four children, Raphaël,
Philipp, Johannes
& Joselyne, we extend our deepest sympathy and most
heartfelt condolences.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span
style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span
style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">Sincerely,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span
style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin"><br>
Frank Lemoine</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><i
style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span
style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:
minor-latin"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></i><i
style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:
"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:
minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin"><span
style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>(NASA Goddard Space Flight
Center, Greenbelt,
Maryland, U.S.A)</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span
style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">Laurent
Soudarin </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span
style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin"><span
style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:
minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">(Collecte
Localisation Satellites,
Ramonvile-Saint Agne, FRANCE)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span
style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">Jean-Michel
Lemoine & Pascale Ferrage</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span
style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin"><span
style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span
style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span><i
style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:
"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:
minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">(Centre Nationale
d’Études Spatiales,
Toulouse, FRANCE)</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span
style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">Jean-Paul
Boy</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><i
style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:
"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:
minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin"><span
style="mso-spacerun:yes">
</span>(EOST, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, FRANCE)</span></i></p>
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