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2011 in Germany

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2011
in
Germany
Decades:
See also: Other events of 2011
List of years in Germany

2011 in Germany are the events and situation of the Federal Republic of Germany in the year 2011, the state of its land and people in that year. In 2011 Germany was recognized for having the most positive influence in the world. In 2011 it was the largest contributor to the budget of the European Union (providing 20%) and the third largest contributor to the UN (providing 8%). Germany hosted the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup and ended conscription in the Bundeswehr. In education, Germany achieved a third best result for University rankings.

A German X-ray observatory in Space called ROSAT, last active in 1999, re-entered the Earth's atmosphere on 23 October 2011. It had been launched in 1990.

The Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) provided the framing cameras for the Dawn spacecraft, which arrived at asteroid 4 Vesta in mid-2011. The DLR, which is Germany's space agency took on Hansjörg Dittus as an executive Board member for space research and development in June.

Another space project Germany was involved with was the Mars Science Laboratory Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD), which was funded by the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters and the DLR. RAD was developed by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and the extraterrestrial physics group at Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Germany. RAD was the first of ten MSL instruments to be turned on, on the route to Mars. It will characterize the broad spectrum of radiation environment found inside the spacecraft.

In May 2011 the German Bundeswehr had 188,000 professional soldiers and 31,000 18‑ to 25‑year‑old conscripts who serve for at least six months. The German government plans to reduce the number of soldiers to 170,000 professionals and up to 15,000 short-time volunteers (voluntary military service). Reservists are available to the Armed Forces and participate in defence exercises and deployments abroad, a new reserve concept of their future strength and functions was announced 2011. As of April 2011, the German military had about 6,900 troops stationed in foreign countries as part of international peacekeeping forces, including about 4,900 Bundeswehr troops in the NATO-led ISAF force in Afghanistan and Uzbekistan, 1,150 German soldiers in Kosovo, and 300 troops with UNIFIL in Lebanon.


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