Image: Tantalus Fossae on Mars

This network of long grooves and scratches forms part of a giant fault system on Mars known as Tantalus Fossae, and is shown here as seen by ESA's Mars Express. At first glance, these features look as if someone has raked ...

Vega-C: Launcher integration begins for inaugural flight VV21

Launcher integration for the inaugural flight of Vega-C began with the P120C solid-fuel first stage being delivered to the Vega Launch Zone (Zone de Lancement Vega, or ZLV) at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana on ...

Hubble observations used to answer key exoplanet questions

Archival observations of 25 hot Jupiters by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have been analyzed by an international team of astronomers, enabling them to answer five open questions important to our understanding of exoplanet ...

Astronaut in space successfully controls ground-based rover

If man's best friend is a dog, then in the future astronauts' closest companions might well be rovers. A technique allowing astronauts in orbit to control rovers exploring planetary surfaces has been developed by a research ...

Weather satellite prepares for lightning

As one of the last milestones before liftoff at the end of the year, the first Meteosat Third Generation weather satellite is being fitted with its Lightning Imager. From geostationary orbit, 36,000 km above Earth's surface, ...

The moon, where no satnav has gone before

The test version of a unique satellite navigation receiver has been delivered for integration testing on the Lunar Pathfinder spacecraft. The NaviMoon satnav receiver is designed to perform the farthest ever positioning fix ...

Celebrating Hubble's 32nd birthday with a galaxy grouping

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope is celebrating its 32nd birthday with a stunning look at an unusual close-knit collection of five galaxies, called the Hickson Compact Group 40. This snapshot reflects a special moment ...

Image: Opening of Apollo 17 core sample, vacuum-sealed since 1972

A satisfying, audible "pop" marked a successful piercing of the sealed Apollo 17 sample container using the ESA designed and built piercing tool. The tool forms part of a gas sampling system with a gas extraction manifold, ...

Video: Ariane 6 cryo-arms test mimics liftoff

Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana is preparing for the arrival of Ariane 6, ESA's new heavy-lift rocket. The latest round of testing aims to validate the system of fuel lines and mechanical supporting arms that will keep ...

page 38 from 40