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26 The Messenger 147–March 2012 motions, and improved astrophysical parameters for each star, the survey will quantify the formation history and evolution of young, mature and ancient Galactic populations. The precision astrometry will be provided by the Gaia “Galactic census”, with the first astrometric data release likely to occur in 2016, in time for the full analysis of the complete Gaia-ESO Survey data.

The Gaia-ESO Survey is among the largest and most ambitious ground-based surveys ever attempted by European astronomy. The Survey consortium involves some 300 scientists in over 90 institutions (see the list of team members). This large allocation of telescope time, which followed a very detailed scientific and managerial peer review, is a robust measure of the strength and originality of the scientific case, the high legacy value of the Survey dataset, the appropriateness of the methodology being utilised, and the project implementation and management structure. There are two survey CoPIs, Gerry Gilmore and Sofia Randich, leading the Milky Way and calibration aspects, and star cluster aspects, respectively. The important synergy from covering all Galactic components is a joint responsibility and opportunity.