Dellingr: the little CubeSat that could

Zipping through the sky 250 miles up is a shoebox-sized bundle of detectors and electronics named Dellingr. The namesake of the mythological Norse god of the dawn, Dellingr is among a new breed of spacecraft known as a CubeSat. ...

The satellite on the edge of space

GOCE (pronounced go-chay), the Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer, was one of ESA's most remarkable missions. Operating in the lowest-ever orbit of any Earth observation satellite, GOCE was on the edge ...

The scientific value of aurora photos by astronauts

Some of the most wonderful pictures taken by astronauts from space are of aurora dancing over our planet. Now the photos are more than just pretty pictures thanks to an ESA project that makes them scientifically usable.

Eye-opening numbers on space debris

Orbital debris, otherwise known as "space junk", is a major concern. This massive cloud that orbits the Earth is the result of the many satellites, platforms and spent launchers that have been sent into space over the years. ...

How much radiation damage do astronauts really suffer in space?

Space is a really inhospitable place to live – there's no breathable air, microgravity wastes away your bones and muscles and you're subjected to increased doses of radiation in the form of high-energy charged particles. ...

Biological field stations: Keeping a pulse on our planet

A recent BioScience paper provides the first comprehensive inventory of the world's biological field stations. Its authors report 1,268 stations are operating in 120 countries—from the tropics to the tundra, monitoring ...

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