European Space Agency
The European Space Agency is an intergovernmental organization of 22 member states dedicated to the exploration of space. Established in 1975 and headquartered in Paris, ESA has a worldwide staff of about 2,200
2,331 topics in this forum
-
- 0 replies
- 371 views
Like an infant adjusting to the new world, ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet is relearning how to move around the weightless environment of space. His cradle is a familiar place though – this is Thomas’s second mission to the International Space Station, the orbiting lab where he where he broke records for science during his first six months in orbit. View the full article
Last reply by European Space Agency, -
- 0 replies
- 409 views
Hundreds of satellite images spanning over 25 years have been compiled to show the evolution of Greece’s ever-changing coastlines. View the full article
Last reply by European Space Agency, -
- 0 replies
- 467 views
First Solar Orbiter movies showing coronal mass ejections (CMEs) A pair of CMEs were detected by multiple instruments during February’s close flyby of the Sun CMEs are eruptions of particles from the solar atmosphere that blast out into the Solar System and have the potential to trigger space weather at Earth Solar Orbiter will begin its main science mission in November this year Solar Orbiter is a space mission of international collaboration between ESA and NASA View the full article
Last reply by European Space Agency, -
- 0 replies
- 350 views
Video: 00:01:56 We need a name for our new spacecraft. Its mission? To spot potentially hazardous solar storms before they reach Earth. Between them, our greatest minds have come up with ... not very much. ESA needs you. Send us your suggestions now. View the full article
Last reply by European Space Agency, -
- 0 replies
- 321 views
ESA is forging ahead with advanced developments in two flagship space transportation demonstration projects, Prometheus and Phoebus. This will benefit Europe’s new Ariane 6 launcher in the near-term, and prepare for a new generation of European launch vehicles in the next decade. View the full article
Last reply by European Space Agency, -
- 0 replies
- 671 views
View the full article
Last reply by European Space Agency, -
- 0 replies
- 412 views
Week in images: 10 - 14 May 2021 Discover our week through the lens View the full article
Last reply by European Space Agency, -
- 0 replies
- 381 views
Image: The pieces are stacking up for the launch of Artemis 1 mission around the Moon and back. The massive Space Launch Systems (SLS) rocket that will launch the first crewless test flight of the Orion spacecraft, powered by the European Service Module, is being integrated at the Vehicle Assemble Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA. Visible in this image are the twin solid fuel rocket boosters, now fully stacked atop the mobile launcher. The boosters will be mated with the rocket’s 65 m tall core stage that recently barged in to Florida aboard the Pegasus barge on 27 April after successful testing at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. Onc…
Last reply by European Space Agency, -
- 0 replies
- 385 views
The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over Qeshm Island – the largest island in Iran. View the full article
Last reply by European Space Agency, -
- 0 replies
- 459 views
Video: 00:09:36 This video summarises advice given by ESA astronauts during the ESA Astronaut Careers Fair on 22 April 2021. Samantha Cristoforetti, Thomas Reiter and André Kuipers have all flown in space as ESA astronauts and offer their perspectives on the selection process and the work and life of an astronaut. See the astronaut vacancy notice and other opportunities to work at ESA at https://jobs.esa.int Further information on the astronaut selection may be found in the Astronaut Applicant Handbook and in the astronaut selection FAQs. If your question is not answered in these documents, you have the option to email astronaut.recruitment@esa.int. Applications …
Last reply by European Space Agency, -
- 0 replies
- 456 views
Image: ESA's technical heart View the full article
Last reply by European Space Agency, -
- 0 replies
- 664 views
Image: The world’s most powerful space science telescope has opened its primary mirror for the last time on Earth. As part of the international James Webb Space Telescope’s final tests, the 6.5 meter (21 feet 4 inch) mirror was commanded to fully expand and lock itself into place, just like it would in space. The conclusion of this test represents the team’s final checkpoint in a long series of tests designed to ensure Webb’s 18 hexagonal mirrors are prepared for a long journey in space, and a life of profound discovery. After this, all of Webb’s many movable parts will have confirmed in testing that they can perform their intended operations after being exposed to the…
Last reply by European Space Agency, -
- 0 replies
- 900 views
Spacewalking is a major highlight of any astronaut’s career. But there is a downside: putting on your spacesuit means sharing some previously-worn underlayers. A new ESA study is looking into how best to keep these items clean and hygienic as humans venture on to the Moon and beyond. View the full article
Last reply by European Space Agency, -
- 0 replies
- 425 views
Week in images: 03 - 07 April 2021 Discover our week through the lens View the full article
Last reply by European Space Agency, -
- 0 replies
- 518 views
Video: 00:06:56 To celebrate the premiere of Coldplay's latest single 'Higher Power’, the band linked up for an extraterrestrial video chat with French ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who is currently on a six-month mission on board the International Space Station. A specially recorded performance of Higher Power - featuring dancing alien holograms - was beamed up to Thomas, who gave the track its very first play on board the Station. The song’s premiere followed a conversation which took in similarities between life on tour and life on the Space Station, how planet Earth looks from space and its fragility; and how Thomas listens to music in microgravity. View the…
Last reply by European Space Agency, -
- 0 replies
- 394 views
The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over Morbihan – a French department in the south of Brittany. View the full article
Last reply by European Space Agency, -
- 0 replies
- 652 views
Image: First Ariane 6 fairing at Europe’s Spaceport View the full article
Last reply by European Space Agency, -
- 0 replies
- 384 views
Image: Researchers take a group photo in front of the Air Zero G aircraft to mark the end of the 75th ESA parabolic flight campaign. The campaign was the third to take place under Covid-19 restrictions, and ran from 21 to 30 April in Bordeaux, France. Participants and coordinators adjusted to a new way of flying: PCR tests were required to enter France, as well as rapid antigen or RT LAMP tests each day for every participant. Facilities on the ground as well as on board were adapted to allow for social distancing and cleanliness requirements. Surgical masks were worn at all times, and movement was restricted during the flights. Otherwise, the parabolic flights were b…
Last reply by European Space Agency, -
- 0 replies
- 620 views
The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, Juice, has come ‘home’ to ESA’s technical centre in the Netherlands to undergo an extreme environment test in Europe’s largest thermal vacuum chamber to prepare for its journey to the outer Solar System. View the full article
Last reply by European Space Agency, -
- 0 replies
- 426 views
An X-ray telescope designed to search for supermassive black holes could be built using a novel 3D-printing technique called plasma metal deposition. View the full article
Last reply by European Space Agency, -
- 0 replies
- 471 views
Video: 00:05:04 Europe’s new launch vehicle, Vega-C, is near completion. Elements will soon be shipped to Kourou for assembly and preparation for Vega-C’s inaugural flight. This new launcher improves its Vega predecessor by offering more power and versatility at similar cost. This new design allows Vega-C to transport larger and heavier payloads into space making it a world-class competitor on the global launcher market while ensuring Europe’s independent access to space. View the full article
Last reply by European Space Agency, -
- 0 replies
- 338 views
In an alternate reality playing out at this year’s international Planetary Defense Conference, a fictional asteroid crashes over Europe, 'destroying' a region about 100 km wide near the Czech Republic and German border. The scenario was imagined, but the people who took part are very real, and the lessons learnt will shape our ability to respond to dangerous asteroids for years to come. View the full article
Last reply by European Space Agency, -
- 0 replies
- 387 views
Lithuania signed an Association Agreement with ESA on 28 April 2021. This Association Agreement between ESA and the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, builds on the successful results achieved under the previous frameworks of cooperation and enters into force for a duration of seven years. Comprising 18 Articles and two Annexes, it orchestrates the strengthening of Lithuania’s relations with ESA. View the full article
Last reply by European Space Agency, -
- 0 replies
- 410 views
Week in images: 26 - 30 April 2021 Discover our week through the lens View the full article
Last reply by European Space Agency, -
- 0 replies
- 1.1k views
One tends to think of mountain glaciers as slow moving, their gradual passage down a mountainside visible only through a long series of satellite imagery or years of time-lapse photography. However, new research shows that glacier flow can be much more dramatic, ranging from about 10 metres a day to speeds that are more like that of avalanches, with obvious potential dire consequences for those living below. View the full article
Last reply by European Space Agency,