Deep Impact and Other Spacecraft Find Clear Evidence of Water on Moon
New data from the Deep Impact spacecraft and the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3), an instrument aboard India's recently ended Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, provide, for the first time, clear evidence that water exists on the surface of the Moon. view more (2009-09-25)
B2MIN9: Beagle 2 Teams Continue Efforts To Communicate With The Lander
Scientists are still waiting to hear from the Beagle 2 lander on Mars. Two attempts to communicate with Beagle 2 during the last 24 hours - first with the 250 ft (76 m) Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire, UK, and then this morning with the Mars Odyssey orbiter - ended without receiving a signal. Despite this outcome, two... view more... (2003-12-27)
Solar flares set the Sun quaking
Data from the ESA/NASA spacecraft SOHO shows clearly that powerful starquakes ripple around the Sun in the wake of mighty solar flares that explode above its surface. The observations give solar physicists new insight into a long-running solar mystery and may even provide a way of studying other stars. view more (2008-04-21)
'Over The Moon' At Saturn
UK scientists involved in the Cassini space mission were 'over the Moon' after the spacecraft's 100,000 km per hour white knuckle ride courtesy of Saturn's gravity which successfully completed the critical manoeuvre to place Cassini in orbit around the ringed planet. 'I've waited 15 years for this moment,' said Dr Andrew Coates of the UK's... view more... (2004-07-01)
Setting stars reveal planetary secrets
Watching the stars set from the surface of the Earth may be a romantic pastime but when a spacecraft does it from orbit, it can reveal hidden details about a planet's atmosphere. view more (2007-11-06)
CU-Boulder scientists ready for NASA's MESSENGER Mission flyby of Mercury
NASA will point a power-packed $8.7 million University of Colorado at Boulder space instrument at some of the last unexplored terrain in the inner solar system when the MESSENGER spacecraft whips within 125 miles of Mercury's surface Jan. 14 at a mind-boggling 141,000 miles per hour. view more (2008-01-11)
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission Status
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, launched on Aug. 12, has completed one of the first tasks of its seven-month cruise to Mars, a calibration activity for the spacecraft's Mars Color Imager instrument. view more (2005-08-18)
U of M physicist reads the history of the solar system in grains of comet dust
Four years ago, NASA's Stardust spacecraft chased down a comet and collected grains of dust blowing off its nucleus. When the spacecraft Comet Wild-2 returned, comet dust was shipped to scientists all over the world, including University of Minnesota physics professor Bob Pepin. view more (2008-01-04)
First Cluster apogee burn completed
The long, complex process required to elongate the orbits of the first twoCluster spacecraft has begun. The Cluster mission control centre at the European Space Operations Centre(ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany, has confirmed that the apogee raising manoeuvre #1was completed successfully early this afternoon. At 13.21 CEST today, the main engine of... view more... (2000-07-17)
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)
Second Cluster pair soar into the skies above Baikonur
At 17.13 local time (13.13 CEST) today, the second pair of Cluster spacecraft lifted off from pad 6 at Baikonur Cosmodrome aboard a Soyuz-Fregat launch vehicle. On a scorching summer afternoon, with temperatures well over 40°C, conditions were perfect for this second act in the Cluster launch drama. Topped by a giant fairing emblazoned with a... view more... (2000-08-09)
Cluster hits the magnetic bull's-eye
ESA's spacecraft constellation Cluster has hit the magnetic bull's-eye. The four spacecraft surrounded a region within which the Earth's magnetic field was spontaneously reconfiguring itself. view more (2006-07-19)
Rosetta warms up for Mars swing-by
This month the team working on ESA's Rosetta mission have been particularly busy. Activities are underway to set the spacecraft's trajectory and prepare the on-board instruments ready for the next major mission milestone: the swing-by of planet Mars in February 2007. view more (2006-11-30)
PROBA images available on web
ESA`s first small satellite PROBA for in-orbit technology demonstration is now well under way and turning out great pictures of the Earth. "We are very happy with PROBA and the results from this small satellite. It has now been in orbit for eight months and platform, instruments and ground segment are performing well," says Frederic Teston,... view more... (2002-07-03)
Cassini cameras spot powerful new lightning storm on Saturn
Following the recent detection of Saturnian radio bursts by NASA's Cassini spacecraft that indicated a rare and powerful atmospheric storm, Cassini imaging scientists have spotted the storm in an unlikely fashion: they looked for it in the dark. view more (2006-02-15)
Follow Rosetta's final Earth boost
ESA's comet chaser Rosetta will swing by Earth for the last time on 13 November to pick up energy and begin the final leg of its 10-year journey to comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. ESA's European Space Operations Centre will host a media briefing on that day. view more (2009-11-05)
Rim of Crater Huygens on Mars
These images, taken by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on board ESA's Mars Express spacecraft, show the eastern rim of the Martian impact crater Huygens. view more (2004-10-19)
Rosetta closes in on Earth - a second time
ESA's comet chaser, Rosetta, is on its way to its second close encounter with Earth on 13 November. The spacecraft's operators are leaving no stones unturned to make sure Earth's gravity gives it the exact boost it needs en route to its destination. view more (2007-11-09)
ESA develops a smarter way to travel through space
As scientists demand more from space missions travelling to other worlds and beyond, traditional rocket technologies are beginning to show shortcomings. In response, ESA are helping to develop a new type of rocket engine, known as solar-electric propulsion, or more commonly, an ion engine, that can mark a whole new era of space exploration.... view more... (2002-06-11)
Iowa State engineer develops technology to quickly find leaks in spacecraft
Tiny meteors flash through space. There's spacecraft debris flying around, too. And so there's a risk that objects just a few millimeters across could pierce the thin aluminum skin of spacecraft such as the International Space Station orbiting 220 miles above Earth. view more (2007-10-03)
|
|
