ESA Archives - SlashGear

Massive solar storm creates stunning auroras around the Earth

Shane McGlaun | Oct 20, 2021

On October 9, a massive solar storm resulted in a coronal mass ejection (CME) being thrown into space and set on a path towards Earth. When material from the CME arrived at Earth and collided with the magnetosphere, it created some beautiful auroras in parts of the world that don't typically see that phenomenon. A CME is essentially an explosion on the sun that expands into the solar system and speeds up the solar wind.

NASA is making its guest list for the James Webb Space Telescope launch

Satsuki Then | Oct 9, 2021

There has been some controversy surrounding the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) of late, with some wanting NASA to change its name. However, NASA has stuck to its name and has now begun to invite the press and other VIPs to witness the launch of the JWST. Currently, the launch is scheduled for December 18, 2021.

BepiColumbo mission shares its first image of Mercury

Shane McGlaun | Oct 3, 2021

BepiColumbo is a joint ESA-JAXA mission that is currently in space conducting operations. Recently, the ESA shared an image of the planet Mercury taken on October 1, 2021. The image was snapped as the BepiColumbo spacecraft flew past Mercury for any gravity assist maneuver.

ESA kicks off an all-female water tank spaceflight study

Shane McGlaun | Sep 27, 2021

The ESA has announced it's beginning a study this week that will involve an all-female crew of 20 women. The women will lay in a waterbed for five days in a dry immersion study aiming to re-create the effects of spaceflight on the human body. Study participants lay in a container similar to a bathtub that is covered in a waterproof fabric.

The groundbreaking James Webb Space Telescope just got its launch date

Chris Davies | Sep 8, 2021

NASA has set a launch date for the James Webb Space Telescope, setting the long-anticipated successor to Hubble on its final countdown to unprecedented views of our galaxy and the greater universe beyond. It's been a long road to get to a 2021 launch window for Webb, which has been in development since 1996.

Here’s what comes next for NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope

Chris Davies | Aug 27, 2021

The James Webb Space Telescope has passed its final ground tests, though the biggest challenge for NASA's de-facto Hubble replacement is still ahead. What could be the most intricate example of astronomical origami so far not only promises an unprecedented view of the universe, but a bold example of how scientific imagination can figure out how to work around the practical limits of space flight.

BepiColombo mission shares a new image of Venus

Shane McGlaun | Aug 11, 2021

JAXA and the ESA are currently operating a joint mission called BepiColombo that flew by Venus on August 10, 2001. The images below were shared by mission controllers showing a black-and-white close-up of Venus as the spacecraft flew past the planet conducting a gravity assist maneuver. ESA says the image was snapped at 13:57:56 UTC by the spacecraft's Mercury Transfer Module Monitoring Camera 3.

ESA conducts its first test of the European Ground System – Common Core software

Shane McGlaun | Aug 2, 2021

ESA has announced that it has successfully operated a spacecraft using its new so-called "space brain." The software is officially called European Ground System - Common Core (EGS-CC). The space agency says the software will be the brain of all European spaceflight operations in the years to come.

Astronaut shares photos of Progress 77 and Pirs burning up in the atmosphere

Shane McGlaun | Jul 29, 2021

Astronaut Thomas Pesquet is currently aboard the ISS and often has his Nikon D5 camera handy. The astronaut has in the past shared some beautiful images of the Earth from orbit. Recently, he shared some images of the Russian DC1 Pirs docking module and the Progress 77 cargo spacecraft burning up in the atmosphere.

ESA proves carbon fiber reinforced plastic rocket tanks are viable

Shane McGlaun | Jul 29, 2021

ESA has made a breakthrough in its Future Launchers Preparatory Program, finding that carbon fiber reinforced plastic tanks are viable for rockets. The new work builds on earlier studies and has demonstrated a new design for a small-scale tank made of unique carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP). The material is leakproof when used with liquid hydrogen and is also compatible with liquid oxygen without using a metal liner.

Hubble telescope discovers evidence of water vapor on Jovian moon Ganymede

Shane McGlaun | Jul 27, 2021

Jupiter is an interesting planet and has multiple moons orbiting it. The largest moon orbiting Jupiter is called Ganymede, and it's very large indeed. In fact, Ganymede is the ninth largest object in the solar system, in addition to being the largest moon orbiting the planet. Scientists speculate that Ganymede may hold more water than all of Earth's oceans.

NASA & ESA partnership sounds “all-hands-on-deck” climate change alarm

Chris Davies | Jul 14, 2021

NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) are teaming up to tackle climate change, inking a new strategic partnership that will see the collected observations of Earth from space released freely. The collaboration comes amid ominous predictions for how changing global temperatures and rising sea levels will expand flooding, accelerate fires, and see even greater extremes in weather conditions.