Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Artificial Intelligence Boosts Science From Mars
Artificial intelligence being used at the European Space Operations Center is giving a powerful boost to ESA's Mars Express as it searches for signs of past or present life on...
ESA and Inmarsat sign innovative Alphasat satellite contract
ESA PR 34-2007. ESA and Inmarsat Global Ltd announce on Friday 23 November in Paris the formal signature of the contract for Alphasat satellite, one of the world's largest telecommunications...
Vega main engine test in Kourou
A prototype of the P80 rocket motor, which will power the first stage of ESA's new small launcher - Vega, was successfully tested on 4 December at the Guiana Space Centre,...
Hinode: new insights on the origin of solar wind
Spectacular images and data from the Hinode mission have shed new light on the Sun's magnetic field and the origins of solar wind, which can disrupt power grids, satellites and...
Integral discovers the galaxy’s antimatter cloud is lopsided
The shape of the mysterious cloud of antimatter in the central regions of the Milky Way has been revealed by ESA’s orbiting gamma-ray observatory Integral. The unexpectedly lopsided shape is...
Deep valleys of Candor Chasma
Mars Express took snapshots of Candor Chasma, a valley in the northern part of Valles Marineris, as it was in orbit above the region on 6 July 2006.
Space Sentinels: new ‘tools’ in space to improve European environment and security policies
ESA PR 12-2008. ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain and European Commission Director General for Enterprise & Industry Heinz Zourek today signed in Brussels an agreement which establishes the allocation of...
Mars and Venus are surprisingly similar
Using two ESA spacecraft, planetary scientists are watching the atmospheres of Mars and Venus being stripped away into space. The simultaneous observations by Mars Express and Venus Express give...
Icy Promethei Planum
Promethei Planum, an area seasonally covered with a more than 3500 m thick layer of ice in the martian south polar region, was the subject of the High Resolution Stereo...
Mars Express reveals the Red Planet’s volcanic past
A new analysis of impact cratering data from Mars reveals that the planet has undergone a series of global volcanic upheavals. These violent episodes spewed lava and water onto...
GOCE Media day at ESA/ESTEC
ESA PR 17-2008. ESA’s Gravity field and steady state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) satellite is designed to provide unique models of the Earth’s gravity field and of the geoid, on...
Cosmic engines surprise XMM-Newton
XMM-Newton has been surprised by a rare type of galaxy, from which it has detected a higher number of X-rays than thought possible. The observation gives new insight into the...
Contract signed for ESA’s Sentinel-3 earth observation satellite
ESA PR 22-2008. The European Space Agency and Thales Alenia Space today signed a €305 million contract to provide the first Sentinel-3 earth observation satellite, devoted to oceanography and land-vegetation...
Toulouse centre stage for space exploration
Toulouse will be the European capital of space and its applications when it hosts 'Toulouse Space Show '08' – an international space exhibition for both business and the general public...
From Mars to the Earth: Studying ice beneath the surface
A technique being used by the European Space Agency at Mars could prove invaluable for studying the stability of Antarctic ice sheets here on Earth. In preparation, a new ESA...
Ariane 5 - second launch of 2008
Yesterday evening, an Ariane 5 ECA launcher lifted off from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana on its mission to place two telecommunications satellites into geostationary transfer orbits.
Herschel spacecraft assembly complete
The mirror of the Herschel telescope has now been assembled with the payload and service module, completing the spacecraft structure - an important milestone in the days following through to...
GIOVE-B spacecraft in good health
After its successful launch by a Soyuz Rocket from Baiknour on 27 April and accurate insertion into its target orbit by the Fregat autonomous upper stage, GIOVE-B is now completing its...
Leaping dolphins collide; one dies
A dolphin died over the weekend at a SeaWorld sister park after colliding with another dolphin during a guest interaction program.
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Ling Ling, Japan's oldest giant panda, dies
Japan's oldest giant panda, Ling Ling, a longtime star at Tokyo's largest zoo and a symbol of friendship with China, died Wednesday of heart failure, zookeepers said.
Watching Galaxies Grow Old Gracefully
In the early 1900s, Edwin Hubble made the startling discovery that our Milky Way galaxy is not alone.
Astronomers Say Moons Like Ours Are Uncommon
The next time you take a moonlit stroll, or admire a full, bright-white moon looming in the night sky, you might count yourself lucky.
Voyager 2 Proves Solar System is Squashed
NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft has followed its twin, Voyager 1, into the solar system's final frontier, a vast region at the edge of our solar system where the solar wind...
Mars Rover Investigates Signs of Steamy Martian Past
SAN FRANCISCO - Researchers using NASA's twin Mars rovers are sorting out two possible origins for one of Spirit's most important discoveries, while also getting Spirit to a favorable spot...
New NASA Mission to Reveal Moon's Internal Structure and Evolution
The Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory, or Grail, mission, will fly twin spacecraft in tandem orbits around the moon for several months to measure its gravity field in unprecedented detail.
Mars Orbiter Examines 'Lace' and 'Lizard Skin' Terrain
SAN FRANCISCO - Scrutiny by NASA's newest Mars orbiter is helping scientists learn the stories of some of the weirdest landscapes on Mars, as well as more familiar-looking parts of the Red...
NASA Satellites Help Lift Cloud of Uncertainty on Climate Change
New findings from NASA's CloudSat and other Earth observing satellites offer important insights into this year's record reduction of Arctic sea ice, global rainfall patterns and the effects of pollution...