| European Space Agency (ESA)
EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY NEWS | | | URL | http://www.esa.int/esaCP/index.html | | | Contact | Contact through website | | Location | Online / International | | Info | The ESA portal features the latest news in space exploration, human spaceflight, launchers, telecommunications, navigation, monitoring and space science. | | Lastupdate | 2008-04-17 11:58:57 (308) | |
Current news from European Space Agency (ESA)
Ministers meet to define the role of space in delivering Europe's global objectives
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/europe_and_ESA_flatten_S.jpg" align="right" /> ESA PR 44-2008. Ministers in charge of space activities within the now 18 ESA Member States and Canada will meet in The Hague (the Netherlands) on 25 and 26 November to implement the European Space Policy, setting out the start of future programmes and taking decisions on the next phases of on-going programmes.
ESA supports efforts to protect public health and safety
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/Telemedicine_01b_small,0.jpg" align="right" /> A consortium of Portuguese and Italian companies, led by the Portuguese National Health Institute and with the support of ESA, is developing a Health Early Warning System designed to enable timely detection and tracking of emerging threats to public health and safety via satellite.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights reaches space as the ISS gets ready for crew of six
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/shuttle15nov2008-small,12.jpg" align="right" /> The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was carried into space early this morning with the successful launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
OK Space: opening new horizons
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/euronews_2008-11-13_Horizons_S.jpg" align="right" /> Space exploration - the big scientific missions, manned flights, technology which grows ever more complex - in short, a great adventure. But that's not all, space has given rise to a number of applications, devices and inventions that we use in our everyday lives.
Czech flag raised over ESA
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/Czech_Rep_Flag_Zoom_S.jpg" align="right" /> A historic event took place at ESA sites across Europe today - the flag of the Czech Republic was hoisted alongside those of ESA's other Member States, officially symbolising the country becoming ESA’s 18th Member State.
Space software to control digital TV broadcasting
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/000_Par1567813_S.jpg" align="right" /> Imagine how difficult it is to control a spacecraft thousands of miles away, ensure it arrives at the right location and then get the scientific and photographic equipment up and running. To do this highly sophisticated software is needed; software that can also be used on Earth to manage equally complex TV terrestrial broadcasting.
Lunar spacecraft reaches its final orbit
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/nac_moon_S.jpg" align="right" /> India’s Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft successfully reached its final operational orbit around the Moon on 12 November 2008. The spacecraft is now circling the Moon at an altitude of about 100 km.
GENSO - Call for Proposals for new students or teams
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/groundSt_S.jpg" align="right" /> The ESA Education Office is currently looking for student teams to fill the following vacancies in the Global Educational Network for Satellite Operations project.
ESA’s ‘treasure trove’ on YouTube
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/youtube_video_S.jpg" align="right" /> ESA is launching its own YouTube site in a new initiative to communicate even more widely with the general public by using the latest social media channels.
Chandrayaan-1 now in lunar orbit
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/chyaan1-2_S.jpg" align="right" /> Chandrayaan-1, the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) lunar orbiter, was captured into orbit around the Moon on 8 November. One day later, the spacecraft performed a manoeuvre that lowered the closest point of its orbit down to 200 km from the Moon.
Step closer to crew selection for simulated Mars mission
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/DSC_2948_small,0.jpg" align="right" /> The crew selection for a simulated Mars mission moved a step closer to completion recently with ESA's last eight candidates being put through extensive medical screening in Moscow. Two of the European candidates will be chosen to join four Russian crew members on a 105-day study due to start in March next year.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights flies into space
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/udhr_60_logo_S.jpg" align="right" /> ESA PR 43-2008. “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a sprit of brotherhood”, states Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
Space tech improves public transport in rural areas
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/SATELBUS_S.jpg" align="right" /> Many rural areas face a lack of public transportation connections. Although the need of public transportation services is undeniable, allocating buses on scheduled routes and times is financially unjustifiable. The Canadian-Belgium ‘SatelBus’ project solves this by creating an efficient ‘bus on demand’ service.
Second European CubeSat Workshop
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/CubeSatkitsmall.jpg" align="right" /> Following on from the successful “Vega Maiden Flight CubeSat Workshop” held at ESA/ESTEC in January 2008, which was the first CubeSat workshop to be held at European-level, the ESA Education Office is pleased to announce the Second European CubeSat Workshop one year later as planned.
Chandrayaan-1 now in lunar transfer trajectory
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/Chandrayaan-1_Earth_2_ISRO_no_text_S.jpg" align="right" /> Yesterday, following a fifth orbit-raising manoeuvre, the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft successfully settled into a trajectory that will take it to the Moon.
Germany's CESAR crowned king of rovers in ESA’s Robotics Challenge
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/cesar_S.jpg" align="right" /> A robot rover designed by a Bremen university team has won an ESA contest to retrieve soil samples from a lunar-style terrestrial crater. Eight student teams fielded rovers during the event, their progress monitored by an advanced 3-D viewer already flight-tested in space and planned for eventual deployment on the Moon.
ESA Bulletin (No. 136, November 2008)
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/bul136_cover,0.jpg" align="right" /> The November 2008 issue of the <i>Bulletin</i>, ESA’s flagship magazine, features ESA astronaut Frank De Winne on the cover. De Winne is the next European astronaut to fly to the International Space Station for a six-month mission in May 2009.
Satellites helping aid workers in Honduras
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/000_Mvd770795_S,0.jpg" align="right" /> Humanitarian aid workers responding to devastating flooding in Honduras have received assistance from space, with satellite images of affected areas provided rapidly following activation of the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters.
Hubble is back in business, and scores a perfect ‘10’
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/heic0820a_S.jpg" align="right" /> The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope is back in business with a snapshot of the fascinating galaxy pair Arp 147. The science operations were resumed on 25 October 2008, four weeks after a problem with the science data formatter took the spacecraft into safe mode.
Detecting dirty bomb material with ESA gamma-ray technology
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/033_RIA07-035140_3000_S.jpg" align="right" /> Thanks to ESA and UK technology transfer support, a British company has developed a device based on the gamma-ray detection equipment used in ESA’s Integral astronomy satellite to detect and identify the radioactive material mixed with conventional explosives in ‘dirty bombs’.
Arctic sea ice thinning at record rate
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/SeaIce3_S.jpg" align="right" /> The thickness of sea ice in large parts of the Arctic declined by as much as 19% last winter compared to the previous five winters, according to data from ESA’s Envisat satellite.
ESA’s Lunar Robotics Challenge: A tough task for the student teams
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/LRC_bremen_120.jpg" align="right" /> The Teide volcanic peak on the island of Tenerife acted as a mock-up of the Moon landscape last week, with eight European student teams tuning, testing and driving their lunar rovers in preparation for a robotics competition that took place during the dark nights of last weekend.
Man overboard rescue system wins international navigation prizes
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/ESNC-2008-Galileo-Master_S.jpg" align="right" /> Innovators Peter Hall and Christine Edwards from British company Sci-Tech were awarded this year's Galileo Masters 2008 and the EGNOS special prize in the European Satellite Navigation Competition for their novel tracking system for seamen falling overboard.
COROT directly sees ‘Sun-quakes’ in other stars for the first time
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/Star_interior_CNES_S.jpg" align="right" /> Sounding the Sun through a technique similar to seismology has opened a new era for understanding the Sun’s interior. The COROT satellite has now applied this technique to three stars, directly probing the interiors of stars beyond the Sun for the first time.
Chandrayaan-1 successfully launched – next stop: the Moon
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/chandrayaan-1_mission_phase_S.jpg" align="right" /> Chandrayaan-1, India’s first mission to the Moon, was successfully launched earlier this morning from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SHAR) in Sriharikota, India.
Viewing the Universe in a different light
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/euronews_2008-10-15_Herschel_S.jpg" align="right" /> European scientists are preparing two new windows on the Universe that will give astronomers an unprecedented look at stars forming, and the aftermath of the 'Big Bang.'
Building a safer space together
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/space_safety_S.jpg" align="right" /> The conference ‘Building a Safer Space Together’, taking place in Rome from 21 to 23 October, is an invitation to reflect and exchange information on the essential aspects of space safety on a global basis.
ESA closes in on the origin of Mars’ larger moon
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/Image1_409-20081008-5870-6-nd3-02-PhobosSeries_S.jpg" align="right" /> European space scientists are getting closer to unravelling the origin of Mars’ larger moon, Phobos. Thanks to a series of close encounters by ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft, the moon looks almost certain to be a ‘rubble pile’, rather than a single solid object. However, mysteries remain about where the rubble came from.
GOCE launch postponed
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/goce_diary6_cleanroom_S.jpg" align="right" /> The foreseen 27 October launch date of GOCE has had to be postponed to allow the enquiry board time to conclude its work.
A new launch date will be announced here as soon as possible.
2008 ozone hole larger than last year
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/ozone_20081007_S.jpg" align="right" /> The 2008 ozone hole – a thinning in the ozone layer over Antarctica – is larger both in size and ozone loss than 2007 but is not as large as 2006.
Space tech helps to reach long-jump world record
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/000_Hkg1671518_S.jpg" align="right" /> German athlete Wojtek Czyz, running with a space-tech enhanced prosthetic leg, set a new world record at the Paralympics 2008 in Beijing, reaching an amazing 6.50 m and beating the previous world record by 27 cm.
ATV: the next step
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/euronews_2008-10-02_ATV_S.jpg" align="right" /> Europe's ATV - the Jules Verne - ended its first mission with a controlled break-up over the Pacific. Its developers are already thinking about the future of Automated Transport Vehicles, and hope to develop a craft that can not only return to earth intact, but can also carry a crew of astronauts.
GOCE team gearing up for new launch date
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/DSC00073_S.jpg" align="right" /> ESA and European industries have updated the planning of the preparatory activities for a new tentative launch date of 27 October 2008 for the GOCE satellite.
Successful re-entry marks bright future for ATV
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/iss017e015496_S.jpg" align="right" /> ESA PR 41-2008. Europe’s first Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) Jules Verne successfully completed its six-month ISS logistics mission today with its controlled destructive re-entry over a completely uninhabited area of the South Pacific.
Space technology solutions for earthly industry applications: Security
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/ETTC-2008-Materialica-tradefair-entrance_S.jpg" align="right" /> The space industry is one of today’s most powerful technology innovation drivers. New programmes such as space missions to Mars and the moon push the boundaries of technology development. Aimed at industry, the second European Technology Transfer Conference will present technology spin-off opportunities during the Materialica tradefair in Munich, 13-14 October.
Lava deposits in Mangala Fossae
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/406-010908-4117-6-co-01-MangalaFossae_S.jpg" align="right" /> The High Resolution Stereo Camera obtained images of the Mangala Fossae trough, a system of outflow channels on Mars that bears evidence of lava deposition and catastrophic floods.
Closing in on new astronauts
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/s116e06268_S.jpg" align="right" /> Following a first stage of psychological testing, there are now only 192 highly talented individuals still in with a chance of becoming the new astronauts in ESA's European Astronaut Corps.
Emergency support for Jules Verne ATV successfully given by Artemis
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/artemisteam_120x120.jpg" align="right" /> Artemis, ESA's data relay satellite, successfully answered the call for emergency services from the ATV Control Centre due to anticipated outages at the NASA Space Centre in Houston, Texas.
Mars polar cap mystery solved
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/MG_SP_Fig02a_S.jpg" align="right" /> Scientists are now able to better explain why Mars’s residual southern ice cap is misplaced, thanks to data from ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft - the martian weather system is to blame. And so is the largest impact crater on Mars – even though it is nowhere near the south pole.
Fly your picture on the International Space Station
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/FDeWinne_KSC_sm.jpg" align="right" /> School children aged 6-12 are invited to take part in a competition to design a t-shirt for ESA astronaut Frank De Winne to wear during his mission to the International Space Station next year. The winner, and all their classmates, will get to talk to De Winne in space.
Better hams with space technology
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/ham_4_S.jpg" align="right" /> Space technology is now being used to help Spanish ham experts ensure that hams awarded the highly prized ‘jamon’ label are worthy of the name. Technology used to measure the liquid shift that occurs in an astronaut’s body in microgravity has been developed to measure the water retention in cured hams.
Hurricane Ike tracked by ESA’s Envisat
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/img02_ASAR_S.jpg" align="right" /> Residents along the Gulf Coast are bracing for Hurricane Ike as it travels over the Gulf of Mexico after ripping through Cuba and Haiti. ESA’s Envisat satellite is tracking the storm, which is forecast to make landfall on the Texas coast by 13 September.
Encounter of a different kind: Rosetta observes asteroid at close quarters
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/30_Rosetta_spacecraft_S.jpg" align="right" /> ESA PR 37-2008 ESA's comet chaser, Rosetta, last night flew by a small body in the main asteroid belt, asteroid Steins, collecting a wealth of information about this rare type of minor Solar System body.
Steins: A diamond in the sky
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/Press_Steins1_WAC_small,1.jpg" align="right" /> The first images from Rosetta’s OSIRIS imaging system and VIRTIS infrared spectrometer were derived from raw data this morning and have delivered spectacular results.
Rosetta Steins fly-by confirmed
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/VUE02_01_S.jpg" align="right" /> The Rosetta control room at ESA’s European Space Operations Centre, ESOC, received the first radio signal after closest approach to asteroid (2867) Steins at 22:14 CEST, confirming a smooth fly-by.
(2867) Steins getting closer
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/20080825-0903_c_mf_S.gif" align="right" /> This animation is composed of images used for the optical navigation campaign as Rosetta followed (2867) Steins, refining its trajectory to close in on the asteroid. They were taken daily by Navigation Camera A between 25 August and 3 September.
Rosetta: Cool science at a rare target
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/VUE02_03_S.jpg" align="right" /> Steins, a rare E-type asteroid, holds clues on how the planets formed.<br><br><a href="http://esamultimedia.esa.int/multimedia/esc/esapod.xml"><img src="http://esamultimedia.esa.int/multimedia/audio/xml.gif" width="36" height="14" hspace="6" vspace="3" border="0" align="absmiddle"></a>
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Rosetta Blog now live
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/rosetta_blog_thumb_small,0.jpg" align="right" /> The <a href="http://webservices.esa.int/blog/blog/5" target="_blank">Rosetta Blog</a> is now online, and will be updated throughout the fly-by of Steins with news and information direct from ESA's European Space Operations Centre.<div style="color:#ff0000; float:right"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"><tr><td valign="middle" style="font-size:10px"><a href="http://webservices.esa.int/blog/blog/5" style="color:#ff0000">Rosetta Blog</a></td><td valign="middle" style="padding-left:4px"><a href="http://webservices.esa.int/blog/blog/5"><img src="http://www.esa.int/global_imgs/arwRp.gif" align="absmiddle" width="6" height="9" border="0" alt=""></a></td></tr></table></div>
Rosetta Steins fly-by timeline
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/HR_Steins_Orbits01_S.jpg" align="right" /> The Rosetta spacecraft control room is buzzing with anticipation as Rosetta closes in on asteroid 2867 Steins. The fly-by timeline includes a series of critical events, culminating with closest approach - expected at 20:58 CEST, 5 September 2008.
Rosetta spacecraft meets asteroid Steins
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/ROSETTA_17-01-08_S,0.jpg" align="right" /> ESA PR 35-2008. ESA’s Rosetta spacecraft will make a historic encounter with asteroid (2867) Steins on 5 September 2008. The doors of ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany, will be open to the media as of 18:00 on 5 September to follow the fly-by events.
'Mars Webcam' now online
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/MTP_44_Rotation_ani_sq.gif" align="right" /> The Visual Monitoring Camera (VMC) mounted on Mars Express was dormant after its first and only operational use in 2003. It is now back in action as the 'Mars Webcam', providing views of the Red Planet that are not obtainable from Earth.<br><br><div style="color:#ff0000; float:right"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"><tr><td valign="middle" style="font-size:10px"><a href="http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/VMC/" style="color:#ff0000">Full story</a></td><td valign="middle" style="padding-left:4px"><a href="http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/VMC/"><img src="http://www.esa.int/global_imgs/arwRp.gif" align="absmiddle" width="6" height="9" border="0" alt=""></a></td></tr></table></div>
GOCE Earth Explorer satellite to look at the Earth’s surface and core
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/goce_rotary_table_plesetsk_S.jpg" align="right" /> ESA PR 34-2008. The European Space Agency is about to launch the most sophisticated mission ever to investigate the Earth’s gravitational field and to map the reference shape of our planet – the geoid - with unprecedented resolution and accuracy.
Space sensor perks up medical analysis and environmental protection
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/Dem2_S.jpg" align="right" /> Miniaturised ceramic gas sensors, originally developed for measuring oxygen levels for spacecraft re-entry vehicles, enables improved human breath measurement apparatus, better control of heater combustion thereby reducing pollution, and higher safety in fuel cell manufacturing.
ESA prepares for November's Ministerial Meeting
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/europe_and_ESA_flatten_S.jpg" align="right" /> In November 2008, ministers responsible for space activities in ESA's Member States and Canada will gather in The Hague to set the course of Europe’s space programme over the period ahead.
Mars Express acquires sharpest images of martian moon Phobos
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/401-20080729-5851-6-na-1a-Phobos-Flyby_S.jpg" align="right" /> Mars Express closed in on the intriguing martian moon Phobos at 6:50 CEST on 23 July, flying past at 2.96 km/s, only 100 km from the centre of the moon. The ESA spacecraft’s fly-bys of the moon have returned its most detailed full-disc images ever, also in 3-D, using the High Resolution Stereo Camera on board.
European Satellite Navigation Competition with ESA special prize
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/Image-120-120.jpg" align="right" /> For the first time ESA is offering an Innovation Prize as part of this year’s European Satellite Navigation Competition. ESA has already been supporting this competition through its Technology Transfer Programme Office since the start four years ago.
Space-tech solutions for water and sustainability
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/Logo_120-Expo_Zaragoza2008.jpg" align="right" /> Tomorrow INASMET-Tecnalia and ESA are holding a workshop on space innovation for water management at an event billed as the “biggest water festival on Earth”. Expo Zaragoza 2008, the international expo on water and sustainable development, is taking place in Spain from 14 June to 14 September.
Mars Express to rendezvous with Martian moon
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/h3868_0000_S.jpg" align="right" /> Scientists and engineers are preparing ESA’s Mars Express for several close fly-bys of the Martian moon Phobos. Passing within 100 km of the surface, Mars Express will conduct some of the most detailed investigations of the moon to date.
Echus Chasma
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/398-260508-2204-6-co-01-EchusChasma_S.jpg" align="right" /> The High-Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on board ESA’s Mars Express has returned images of Echus Chasma, one of the largest water source regions on the Red Planet.
Start of Cassini's new mission
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/cassini_saturn_S.jpg" align="right" /> The Cassini mission is new two-year mission that will address new questions and bring it closer to two of its most intriguing targets: Titan and Enceladus. On 30 June, Cassini completed its four-year prime mission and began its extended mission, which was approved in April this year.<br>
<div class="full mt4"><a href="http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=43032">Full story</a></div>
Listen to Phoenix descend
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/Phoenix_S,0.jpg" align="right" /> With data recorded on board Mars Express, you can hear Phoenix descend on to the surface of the Red Planet. After being processed by the Mars Express Flight Control Team, the sounds of Phoenix descending are audible, loud and clear.
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ESA and Argentina sign extension of Cooperation Agreement
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/argentina_article_S.jpg" align="right" /> On 8 May 2008, the Cooperation Agreement between the Argentine Republic and ESA was renewed for five years.
European Satellite Navigation Competition 2008 seeks innovative SatNav ideas
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/Galileo_constellation_120x120,0.jpg" align="right" /> Do you have a great idea for the use of satellite navigation? If so you could win one of the prizes in this year’s European Satellite Navigation Competition, supported by ESA through its Technology Transfer Programme Office.
Cassini’s grand tour of Saturn extended
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/Five_Saturn_Moons_S.jpg" align="right" /> The operations of the Cassini spacecraft, part of the international NASA/ ESA/ ASI Cassini-Huygens mission, have been extended by NASA by two years. The historic mission’s stunning discoveries and images have revolutionised our knowledge of Saturn and its moons.
Cassini 'tastes' organic brew at Saturn’s geyser moon
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/PIA10354_S,0.jpg" align="right" /> The Cassini spacecraft tasted and sampled a surprising organic brew erupting in geyser-like fashion from Saturn's moon Enceladus during a close flyby on 12 March. Scientists are amazed that this tiny moon is so active, ‘hot’ and brimming with water vapour and organic chemicals.
Ocean may exist beneath Titan's crust
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/PIA10243_S,0.jpg" align="right" /> Cassini has discovered evidence that points to the existence of an underground ocean of water and ammonia on Saturn's moon Titan. The findings were made using radar measurements of Titan's rotation.
Saturn’s moon Rhea may also have rings
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/PIA10246_S.jpg" align="right" /> The Cassini spacecraft has found evidence of material orbiting Rhea, Saturn's second largest moon. This is the first time rings may have been found around a moon.
High energy electron holes reveal unseen rings
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/PIA06105_S.gif" align="right" /> Gaps in the soup of high-energy particles near the orbits of two of Saturn’s tiny moons indicate that Saturn may be surrounded by undiscovered, near-invisible partial rings. A paper in the February issue of the journal Icarus suggests that the larger saturnian moons may not be the only ones contributing material to Saturn's ring system.
Cassini finds mingling moons may share a dark past
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/Icarus_S.jpg" align="right" /> Despite the incredible diversity of Saturn’s icy moons, theirs is a story of great interaction. Some are pock-marked, some seemingly dirty, others pristine, one spongy, one two-faced, some still spewing with activity and some seeming to be captured from the far reaches of the solar system. Yet many of them have a common thread - black ‘stuff’ coating their surfaces.
Titan’s surface organics surpass oil reserves on Earth
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/titan01-hi_S.jpg" align="right" /> Saturn’s orange moon Titan has hundreds of times more liquid hydrocarbons than all the known oil and natural gas reserves on Earth, according to new Cassini data. The hydrocarbons rain from the sky, collecting in vast deposits that form lakes and dunes.
Discovery's return marks completion of Esperia Mission
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/_SCO6886_S.jpg" align="right" /> Space Shuttle Discovery landed in Cape Canaveral, Florida this evening at 19:01 CET (18:01 UT), completing one of the most complex assembly missions to the International Space Station to date, bringing back seven crew members, including ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli.
See the ISS and Discovery in the morning sky over Europe
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/atlantisISS_dantowitz_sq.jpg" align="right" /> Early tomorrow morning there is a rare opportunity to see the Space Station flying in formation with Space Shuttle Discovery, homeward bound and due to land in Florida tomorrow evening.
Shuttle prepares to undock
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/s120e007608_S.jpg" align="right" /> After saying their farewells to the ISS crew yesterday evening, the STS-120 crew is preparing to undock from the International Space Station at 11:32 CET (10:32 UT) this morning. Space Shuttle Discovery is scheduled to touchdown in Florida at 19:02 CET (18:02 UT) on Wednesday.
Fourth spacewalk to repair solar array
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/195445main_1031-03_array_damage_120.jpg" align="right" /> Astronauts on board the International Space Station are preparing for a spacewalk to repair one of the Station's solar arrays. The fourth spacewalk of the STS-120 mission is scheduled to take place on Saturday.
Second radio link-up between Nespoli and Italian students
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/s120e007553_S.jpg" align="right" /> The second amateur radio link-up between ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli and Italian students took place yesterday morning at around 8:33 CET (07:33 UT). This link-up continues the Amateur Radio on the ISS (ARISS) educational activity, which is part of the joint ESA-ASI programme of education activities for the Esperia mission.
Paolo Nespoli talks with the Italian President, Giorgio Napolitano
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/inflight31Oct_1_120.jpg" align="right" /> “Good morning Mr Nespoli <i>and nice to see you too Commander Melroy</i> [in English in the original],” that was how Giorgio Napolitano, President of the Italian Republic, started the call with the ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli and STS-120 Commander Pamela Melroy, on board the International Space Station.
Esperia Mission is extended by one day
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/s120e006445_S.jpg" align="right" /> ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli and his fellow STS-120 crew members will stay in space for one extra day. Space Shuttle Discovery is now scheduled to land on 7 November.
Nespoli talks with Italian students via amateur radio
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/s120e007227_S.jpg" align="right" /> The first amateur radio link-up between ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli and Italian students was established yesterday morning at around 9:30 CET (08:30 UT). On this occasion two classes participated: the IIS Deambrosis-Natta School, from Sestri Levante, near Genoa, and the Engineering Faculty of the University of L'Aquila.
Winners selected in ESA space art contest
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/IMG_5690_small,0.jpg" align="right" /> Pupils from all over Germany joined ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter's ground-breaking Astrolab mission by taking part in an art contest. Over 500 excellent submissions made judging a challenge and showed that European students are interested in space and potential careers as scientists, engineers and explorers.
Personal digital assistants in space
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/IMG1_small,0.jpg" align="right" /> Can tiny and ubiquitous devices like Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) be of use for space applications? The answer is a definite yes. Recent tests have demonstrated current and future uses for PDAs on board the International Space Station.
'You see all of Europe in one glance' - Thomas Reiter reports on his ISS mission
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/007_S.jpg" align="right" /> The ISS, symbol of international cooperation, became a bit more international with ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter's long-duration mission. Today, Reiter met the press for the first time since returning from the International Space Station, at ESA's European Astronaut Centre (EAC), in Cologne, Germany.
Press conference with ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter after his mission to the ISS
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/s116e07286_S.jpg" align="right" /> ESA PR 03-2007. On Thursday 18 January, a press conference will take place at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany to give media a chance to meet the ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter, of Germany, after completion of his mission following the landing of Space Shuttle Discovery on 22 December.
ESA’s pair of astronauts back on Earth
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/DSC3588_S.jpg" align="right" /> ESA PR 49-2006. Space Shuttle Discovery landed in Cape Canaveral, Florida tonight at 23:32 CET (22:32 UTC/GMT), completing one of the most complex assembly missions to the International Space Station to date, and bringing back ESA's two astronauts, Christer Fuglesang and Thomas Reiter.
Reiter starts journey home
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/s116e06542_S.jpg" align="right" /> ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter started his journey back to Earth yesterday evening when Space Shuttle Discovery undocked from the International Space Station. Reiter spent a total of 166 days living on the orbiting outpost.
Thomas Reiter joins Shuttle descent crew
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/iss014e07751_S,0.jpg" align="right" /> Early this morning, the installation of a new seat liner in the Soyuz TMA-9 spacecraft marked the end of ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter's period as a member of the Space Station's Expedition crew.
Out-of-this-world cuisine
<img src="http://www.esa.int/images/__diaporamas_ducasse_I_0000019745_t_S.jpg" align="right" /> A French master chef has taken his meals to a new location this week. London? Tokyo? New York? Not far enough for Alain Ducasse Formation (ADF). Last Sunday their meals were served to the astronauts living on board the International Space Station.
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