What is the next best thing to humans landing on Mars and exploring the wonders of the Red Planet? The answer: touching, imaging and analysing carefully preserved samples of Martian rock in a state-of-the-art laboratory on Earth. If all goes according to plan, this is exactly what ESA
October 27th, 2003
Invisible satellite dishes to preserve Athens skyline
Rooftop satellite receivers can look out of place with the historic surroundings of ancient cities. In the first-time participation with ESA, a Greek company is working to solve this. The project is to develop a kind of satellite receiver known as a planar array. Unlike more commonly seen parabola-shaped dishes, planar arrays pick up less interference from other satellites. Another feature is their square, flat shape.
October 15th, 2003
Ion drive versus chemical rocket
This is a simple comparison to show the difference in fuel efficiency and performance between conventional chemical rocket thrusters and ion thrusters.
October 15th, 2003
The search for life
Life on other planets is always going to be an exciting subject for debate. But how do we find out if life really exists elsewhere in the Universe? One way is to travel to the planets, either with remotely operated probes or with manned spacecraft.
September 12th, 2003
ESA announces winners of Aurora student design competition
After a keenly fought contest between teams from all over Europe and Canada, the winners of the first Aurora Student Design Competition were announced early this week. Officially launched in January 2003, in cooperation with the ESA Education Office, the competition was intended to inspire young academics who felt they could contribute innovative ideas, concepts and technologies to enhance Europe
June 13th, 2003
Preparing a human mission to Mars via Antarctica and Toulouse
A human mission to Mars may still be some time away, but scientists are already aware of the many hazards that must be overcome if the dream is to become a reality. One particular cause for concern is the potential for physiological and psychological problems that could arise from the conditions of weightlessness, isolation and confinement experienced during a journey that could last six months or more. To address these concerns ESA, in cooperation with the French space agency CNES, NASA and two Antarctic research organisations, is seeking proposals from scientists wishing to participate in two pioneering ground-based studies to simulate some of the side effects of extended periods of space flight.
June 5th, 2003
Clamps away, Mars Express eases its grip on its lander
Europe’s first mission to the Red Planet, continues its successful mission with another successful ‘high-risk’ post-launch milestone. Mars Express engineers breathed a sigh of relief this morning at the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC), in Germany. If a particularly delicate operation had not proceeded as planned, it would have been impossible to deploy the Mars Express lander, Beagle 2, on arrival at Mars.