European Space Agency

Scientists say the question-mark-shaped structure seen in a new photo from the James Webb Space Telescope is likely the merger of two or more galaxies.

Science

People are freaking out over a question mark seen in space. Scientists can explain

5:02am August 17, 2023

by Rachel Treisman

A stunning new image from the James Webb Space Telescope shows a pair of actively forming stars. But many people are more curious about the tiny question mark visible toward the bottom of the frame.

NASA's Perseverance rover took this "selfie" next to a rock where it drilled for samples. NASA wants to bring samples collected by this rover back to Earth.

Science

NASA is bringing rocks back from Mars, but what if those samples contain alien life?

12:58pm May 04, 2022

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

NASA and the European Space Agency are gearing up to bring home a pristine sample of Martian rock. But given the small chance of life on the red planet, they have to grapple with safety questions.

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The prototype rover Amalia is a copy of rover Rosalind Franklin that is set to explore Mars in the next ExoMars mission that searches for signs of life on the planet. The mission was set for 2022, but as Russia pushes ahead with its invasion of Ukraine, t

World News

A joint Europe-Russia mission to Mars is likely to be delayed because of sanctions

5:08pm March 02, 2022

by Rina Torchinsky

The mission, which had been set for this year, is a part of the ExoMars program to search for signs of life on Mars. It's likely to be delayed by nations' response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

WISA Woodsat, seen in an artist's rendering, is billed as the world's first wooden satellite. It's set to be launched from New Zealand before the end of the year.

World News

Where No Plywood Has Gone Before: A Space Agency Will Launch A Tiny, Wooden Satellite

3:18pm June 17, 2021

by Scott Neuman

In Europe, engineers are planning to send a plywood-sheathed satellite into orbit to test how well the venerable construction material holds up in space.

This undated artist rendering from the European Space Agency, shows the European-Russian ExoMars rover.

Science

Mars Rover Launch Delayed Until 2022 Over Software Tests And Coronavirus

4:15pm March 13, 2020

by Brakkton Booker

The European Space Agency and Russia's Roscosmos planned for a July launch for the ExoMars. They said "the epidemiological situation in Europe" factored into the delay.

Solar Orbiter, seen in this artistic rendering, is a collaboration between the European Space Agency and NASA to study the sun and what drives the solar wind that creates space weather that affects Earth.

Science

Polar Express: New Spacecraft Will Explore Elusive Parts Of The Sun

5:16pm February 07, 2020

by Merrit Kennedy

The Solar Orbiter, a new mission from the European Space Agency and NASA, was designed to give us our first look at the sun's poles and to gather data that might help predict space weather.

Engineer Joel Steinkraus tests solar panels on one of two CubeSats that made up NASA's Mars Cube One mission. The MarCO CubeSats — the first to be sent into deep space — flew to Mars and relayed telemetry from NASA's InSight lander.

Science

Itty-Bitty Satellites Take On Big-Time Science Missions

1:47pm October 23, 2019

by Joe Palca

CubeSats are only about twice the size of a Rubik's Cube. Once dismissed as tools for students learning the principles of aerospace engineering, they're now being used for more sophisticated missions.

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Do You Love Lying In Bed? Get Paid By NASA To Do It For Space Research

8:33pm April 14, 2019

Researchers are currently looking for candidates who will stay in bed 24 hours a day, seven days a week for 60 straight days for a study on how the body adapts to weightlessness.

The Korolev Crater in the northern lowlands of Mars is nearly 51 miles across and filled with ice. The photo was created from several images captured by the Mars Express spacecraft as it orbited the planet in April.

Science

Huge Martian Crater 'Korolev' Appears Topped With Miles Of Pristine Snow

6:11pm December 21, 2018

by Denise Couture

The European Space Agency's new images show a 51-mile-wide ice-filled depression in the surface of Mars caused by the impact of a meteorite or other celestial body.

This October 2008 photo shows Mercury during the Messenger spacecraft's second flyby of the planet. The European Space Agency's BepiColombo will take seven years to reach the innermost planet in our solar system.

Science

A Slow Trip To A Hot Planet: Spacecraft Launches For Mission To Mercury

11:27pm October 19, 2018

by Joe Palca

The European Space Agency's BepiColombo will take seven years to reach the innermost planet in our solar system, where temperatures at the surface can reach 800 degrees Fahrenheit.

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