Set your own course for the stars
To get around, satellites sailing through space use the same tools that ancient mariners used to navigate the inhospitable oceans - the stars. However, soon, instead of sending back details of their position to experts here on Earth, spacecraft will be able to calculate and adjust their course all by themselves. ESA now has special software that... view more... (2002-11-12)
New theory on largest known mass extinction in the history of the earth
Did volatile halogenated gases from giant salt lakes at the end of the Permian Age lead to a mass extinction of species? view more (2009-03-31)
Giant Impact Near India -- Not Mexico -- May Have Doomed Dinosaurs
A mysterious basin off the coast of India could be the largest, multi-ringed impact crater the world has ever seen. And if a new study is right, it may have been responsible for killing the dinosaurs off 65 million years ago. view more (2009-10-16)
The first new mineral with post-spinel structure is approved by CNMNC of IMA
Xiete is the first new mineral with post-spinel structure found by a Chinese-American team from the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, which has recently been approved by the Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification of the... view more... (2008-09-12)
Red dust in planet-forming disk may harbor precursors to life
Astronomers at the Carnegie Institution have found the first indications of highly complex organic molecules in the disk of red dust surrounding a distant star. view more (2008-01-04)
European meeting in Athens fuels future space exploration missions to Mars, Moon
A European Science Foundation (ESF)-led workshop sponsored by the European Space Agency (ESA) has enabled 88 scientists from 11 European countries to agree on science goals for future Europe's planetary exploration programme; providing the continent with an ambitious roadmap to examine Mars and the Moon. view more (2007-06-01)
OECD develops policy recommendations for a new generation of large projects in astronomy
The OECD Global Science Forum has developed findings and recommendations regarding future large projects in astronomy. Some of the recommendations are directed towards the international scientific community, others pertain more to the work of government funding agencies. Among the conclusions are: the need for a globally-coordinated scientific... view more... (2004-10-15)
Features of early Martian environment and presence of water drive search for life forms
olar energy and winds, collisions with asteroids and comets, and changing magnetic fields have all altered the environment of Mars, a planet that may have been able to support life during its history. view more (2009-04-17)
UK astronomers take control of the time domain
Although there are numerous telescopes - both large and small - examining the night sky at any one time, the heavens are so vast and so densely populated with all manner of exotic objects that it is extremely easy to overlook a significant random event. Fortunately, a new generation of scientific instruments is now enabling UK astronomers to... view more... (2004-02-09)
Earth and Moon through Rosetta's eyes
ESA's comet chaser mission Rosetta took these infrared and visible images of Earth and the Moon, during the Earth fly-by of 4/5 March 2005 while on its way to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. These images, now processed, are part of the first scientific data obtained by Rosetta. "The Earth fly-by represented the first real chance to... view more... (2005-05-03)
Linking With The Future
Exploring and using space is the biggest adventure facing mankind. Finding innovative ways for ESA to continue doing this is the role of the Advanced Concepts Team (ACT) at ESA's European Space Technology Research Centre (ESTEC). It is their job to look into the future and identify ideas which could enable missions that currently sound like... view more... (2004-07-08)
How the Moon produces its own water
The Moon is a big sponge that absorbs electrically charged particles given out by the Sun. These particles interact with the oxygen present in some dust grains on the lunar surface, producing water. view more (2009-10-15)
A UK Flotilla To Study Earth-Grazing Asteroids
On 30 June 1908, the seemingly endless forests of Siberia received an unwelcome and unexpected visit by an intruder from deep space. As it plunged headlong through the Earth's atmosphere, the incoming asteroid exploded a few miles above the tree tops, flattening the forest over an area about 50 km (30 miles) in diameter. If the 60 metre (200 ft)... view more... (2003-04-01)
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