Archive | Science

A local cosmic celebrity was recently pictured among the multitude of stars and Solar System bodies surveyed by ESA’s Gaia satellite: Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, currently accompanied by another ESA spacecraft, Rosetta. To source

ESA’s Rosetta spacecraft has made the first in situ detection of oxygen molecules outgassing from a comet, a surprising observation that suggests they were incorporated into the comet during its formation. To source

News, images and updates about ESA’s technology demonstrator, making the first steps to observing gravitational waves from space To source

Two comets collided at low speed in the early Solar System to give rise to the distinctive ‘rubber duck’ shape of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, say Rosetta scientists. To source

Spectacular new images of the Veil Nebula from Hubble To source

Space Science Image of the Week: This whirling mix of galaxy arms, bright cores and shining blue gas makes up Arp 194, a turbulent galaxy group in Ursa Major To source

Planck portrays stellar birth and magnetic turbulence in the Orion Molecular Cloud To source

A complex network of isolated hills, ridges and small basins spanning 1400 km on Mars is thought to hide large quantities of water-ice. To source

The UK-led Beagle-2 Mars lander, which hitched a ride on ESA’s Mars Express mission and was lost on Mars since 2003, has been found in images taken by a NASA orbiter at the Red Planet. To source

Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the pioneering Huygens mission to Saturn’s moon Titan, the first successful landing on an outer Solar System world To source

ESA’s Venus Express has ended its eight-year mission after far exceeding its planned life. The spacecraft exhausted its propellant during a series of thruster burns to raise its orbit following the low-altitude aerobraking earlier this year.  To source

Rosetta’s lander has completed its primary science mission after nearly 57 hours on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. To source

After achieving touchdown on a comet for the first time in history, scientists and engineers are busy analysing this new world and the nature of the landing.  To source