ESA

Bouncing Philae Takes Award for Breakthrough of the Year

It’s no big surprise that this year when reporters and editors of the journal Physics World came together to award the top-10 revolutionary breakthroughs of the year, that the team would have many breakthroughs to consider for the year of 2014. And though perhaps not necessarily the most technically successful mission this year, on account of the vast distances between Earth and itself as well as it bouncy landing, the team narrowed down the prospective list down to one to name the November 12, 2014 touchdown of the Philae Lander to be the most historic moment of the year.

Strange Andromeda Transmission May be First Sign of Dark Matter

While the ever elusive “dark matter” was first proposed by Swiss astronomer Fritz Zwicky in the early 1930s, a team of European scientists this week believe that they may have detected the first ever evidence of dark matter in mysterious photo emissions of the X-ray spectra, emitting from the Andromeda galaxy, the Draco dwarf galaxy, and other galactic clusters far outside our own solar system.

Comet 67P/Churyumov Gerasimenko Reveals Origins of Water May Not be From Comets

After an arduous ten year journey throughout some tough terrain of space, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Rosetta mission set records this past summer for being the first spacecraft to orbit a comet in mid-flight. And while many expected the mission to reveal a bit more insight into the behavior and composition of comets from the outer edges of our solar system, no one expected to learn exactly how Earth came to be so unique and the perfect host to life, only three planets away from our sun.

International Space Station Crewmembers Arrive, and Some Start With Tweets

Rounding out the crew of six, who have been short-staffed since the return of three members earlier this summer, three new replacements for Expedition 42 aboard the International Space Station arrived late Sunday, Nov. 23, bringing the orbiting space lab’s population back to full strength.

Philae Lander Reveals Organic Molecules on Comet 67P

For ten years, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Rosetta Mission has been on a path towards Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in hopes of finding answers to the origins of our solar system. And when the Rosetta Mission’s Philae Lander landed Nov. 12, researchers thought they’d find their answers. But with a myriad of errors and strange complications added to the mixture, the Philae Lander had a tough, short time to collect all of its data. Yet, even in spite of all the difficulties thrown into the mix, researchers at the ESA announced today that an analysis of Philae’s data reveals “organic” molecules on Comet 67P, much like those found here on Earth.

As Time Runs Out for Philae, ESA Gathers Data

It’s a $1.62 billion mission who’s fighting against the clock. For more than a decade now, researchers have been hoping that the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Rosetta Mission would give them a better understand and an unseen view of what lies beneath the surface of a comet. And now that they’re there, they fear that time is not on their side.

Philae Lander Takes a Nap, As ESA Fights Against the Clock

It’s been a 310 million mile journey from the Earth to its destination Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, so what does the famed Philae lander probe do once it’s made history by being the first to touch down on the surface of a speeding comet? The answer may surprise you.

Comet Siding Spring Captured by ISRO’s Mars Orbiter

In a week when all eyes are set to space, and all questions in the social sphere revolve around the topic of comets, India’s Space Agency ISRO doesn’t want to be counted out of the mix. And while they may not be putting a lander on a speeding comet, or orbiting one like Europe’s space agency (the ESA), ISRO was able to catch its own glimpse of one last month and has taken to the web with a new view of a cosmic passerby.

Siding Springs Comet Came in Close For a Martian Meteor Shower

Earlier last month, on Oct. 19, researchers from the world’s top space agencies were able to catch a glimpse at one of the rarest sights in space. Coming from the outer Oort Cloud, at the very edge of our solar system, young comet Siding Spring passed by Mars rather closely on its first orbit around the sun; giving Mars orbiters a show and quite a scare. But as it turns out new data collected from NASA’s satellites on the night of the event show that the best view may have in fact been from the red planet itself.

ESA Ready to Give Rosetta’s Philae the Green Light

It’s been a mission ten years in the making, and after a final green light from mission control tonight, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Rosetta Mission will deploy its handy little lander named “Philae” onto the surface of the far off Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko it met up with earlier this summer.

‘G2’ Gas Ball Survives Black Hole, and Researchers Say They Now Know Why

For years, astronomers have pondered the origins and the contents of the mysterious G2 object floating in the center of the Milky Way galaxy. Drifting towards the galaxy’s supermassive black hole, the passing cloud was thought to be composed entirely of hydrogen gas, giving it the nickname “G2”. But earlier this past summer researchers found that G2 had come in close contact with the black hole, and it survived—leading them on a new theory as to what the mysterious object could be.

Antares Rocket Launches on East Coast Tonight: Viewing and Live Stream Info

The launch of the Antares rocket carrying supplies and scientific equipment to the International Space Station was rescheduled from Monday evening to Tuesday evening due to a wayward sailboat entered the restricted zone underneath the rocket's flight path. The launch is now scheduled to 6:22 p.m. ET on Tuesday night.
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