Video: 00:03:40 On 20 July 2019, ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano was launched to the International Space Station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. During the Beyond mission he will participate in several spacewalks (EVA) to repair the dark matter hunter Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, or AMS-02. Attached to the station during the STS-134 shuttle mission in […]
Archive | ESA
Paxi on the ISS: EVA suits
Video: 00:03:56 Our alien friend Paxi went to visit American astronaut Anne McClain on board the International Space Station. Anne shows Paxi the EVA suits that astronauts wear during a spacewalk outside of the ISS. To source
Behind the scenes – space-age physics
Quietly and steadily, fundamental science for better materials on Earth runs on the International Space Station. While European commander Luca Parmitano is busy preparing for a series of complex spacewalks that take several hours of his working day in orbit, science hums in the background. To source
Bushfires rage in Australia
Image: The Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission captured the multiple bushfires burning across Australia’s east coast. Around 150 fires are still burning in New South Wales and Queensland, with hot and dry conditions accompanied with strong winds, said to be spreading the fires. In this image, captured on 12 November 2019 at 23:15 UTC (13 November 09:15 […]
Watch live: first #SpacewalkForAMS
Tune in to ESA Web TV from 12:50 CET (11:50 GMT) this Friday 15 November to watch ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano become the first European to lead a spacewalk outside the International Space Station. To source
Key methane measurements at Mars
Image: This graphic summarises significant measurement attempts of methane at Mars. Reports of methane have been made by Earth-based telescopes, ESA’s Mars Express from orbit around Mars, and NASA’s Curiosity located on the surface at Gale Crater; they have also reported measurement attempts with no or very little methane detected. More recently, the ESA-Roscosmos ExoMars […]
ESA’s Mars orbiters did not see latest Curiosity methane burst
In June, NASA’s Curiosity rover reported the highest burst of methane recorded yet, but neither ESA’s Mars Express nor the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter recorded any signs of the illusive gas, despite flying over the same location at a similar time. To source
Aircraft nose job assessed in Hertz chamber
Image: ESA test facilities can test more than just space hardware: here, the 2.0m-diameter nose of an Airbus A340 aircraft is seen in ESA’s Hertz chamber, undergoing radio-frequency testing. “We had a rare gap in our test schedule and were able to accommodate a commercial customer,” explains ESA antenna engineer Eric Van Der Houwen. “SPECTO […]
Space Talks 2019: bringing space to you
The second series of European Space Talks concluded on 31 October, in a campaign that gave thousands of people, whether enthusiasts or professionals, the chance to share their passion for space. To source
Proba-2 watches Mercury transit
Video: 00:00:27 ESA’s Proba-2 had a ring-side seat for the transit of Mercury on 11 November 2019. Proba-2 monitors the Sun from Earth orbit and was able to spot Mercury’s transit as a small black disc – seen here moving from left to right across the face of the Sun. The images in this movie […]
Leading the way
Image: Four spacewalks in the coming weeks means a lot of prep work. ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano is gearing up the first in a series of historic extravehicular activities or EVAs taking place 15 November. He is pictured here creating tape flags that will be used to mark tubes during the spacewalks. The spacewalks are […]
Proba-2 watches Mercury transit
Image: ESA’s Proba-2 had a ring-side seat for the transit of Mercury on 11 November 2019. Proba-2 monitors the Sun from Earth orbit and was able to spot Mercury’s transit as a small black disc – seen here to the right of centre as it passed across the face of the Sun. The image was […]
Proba-2 watches Mercury transit
Image: ESA’s Proba-2 had a ring-side seat for the transit of Mercury on 11 November 2019. Proba-2 monitors the Sun from Earth orbit and was able to spot Mercury’s transit as a small black disc – seen here at the far left as it begins its journey across the face of the Sun. The image […]