Bristol, UK (SPX) Apr 12, 2024
Recent research provides critical new perspectives on the historical evolution of oxygen, carbon, and other essential elements on Earth, potentially aiding in the evaluation of habitability on other planets. The study, published in Nature Geoscience, was spearheaded by University of Bristol scientists who demonstrated the significant role of carbon-rich rocks in boosting oxygen production and re

Washington DC (UPI) Apr 11, 2024
NASA's eye in the sky has unexpectedly shut off, temporarily interrupting its survey of space. The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or TESS, which has been searching for planets like Earth outside of the solar system, unexpectedly went into "safe mode" Monday, NASA said. The space agency said it is investigating the cause of TESS's shutdown, which happened during routine ac

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Apr 12, 2024
In a controlled environment at the University of Stuttgart's High Enthalpy Flow Diagnostics Group (HEFDiG), a significant experiment is taking place. A reaction wheel, critical for adjusting a satellite's orientation in space, is being tested under simulated reentry conditions using a plasma wind tunnel. This device, capable of generating arc-heated gas streams at speeds of several kilometers pe

One year of basic training will soon bear fruit for ESA’s astronaut candidates Sophie Adenot, Pablo Álvarez Fernández, Rosemary Coogan, Raphaël Liégeois, Marco Sieber and Australian Space Agency astronaut candidate Katherine Bennell-Pegg.

On 22 April 2024, these astronaut candidates will receive their certification at ESA's European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany, officially becoming fully fledged astronauts eligible for spaceflight.

Week in images: 08-12 April 2024

Discover our week through the lens

One year since the launch of ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice), we catch up with core team members Claire Vallat, Giuseppe Sarri, Olivier Witasse and Ignacio Tanco.

From memories of launch day to hopes for the future, they talk honestly about the ups and downs of flying a space mission, and reveal how they’re ensuring that Juice will be a huge success.

Suit up and get ready to launch on your own amazingly realistic Moon mission! Available now in Fortnite, Lunar Horizons is a vividly immersive experience set on the Moon during a future international mission. Released on 11 April 2024, the game was created by Epic Games, ESA and Hassell, in collaboration with Buendea and Team PWR.

Image: This Copernicus Sentinel-2 image shows the delta of the Ebro River on the northeast coast of Spain.