science wire

Galileo FOC These pictures give the first detailed views of the next batch of Galileo satellites, the first of which has already been delivered to ESA for rigorous testing in simulated space conditions. The first Galileo Full Operational Capability (FOC) satellite was delivered to ESA's ESTEC technical centre in Noordwijk, the Netherlands on 15 May.

20 June 2013 Gaia, ESA's billion-star surveyor, will be launched into space towards the end of this year.

Explore the formation of the first stars and tinker with the evolution of tiny microbes this week at a free exhibition in central London.

Jean-Jacques Dordain presents to President François Hollande the ESA pavilion Jean-Jacques Dordain, ESA Director General, presents to François Hollande, President of France, the ESA pavilion at the Paris Air & Space Show, 21 June 2013.

Cambridge, MA - On June 7, 2011, our Sun erupted, blasting tons of hot plasma into space. Some of that plasma splashed back down onto the Sun's surface, sparking bright flashes of ultraviolet light. This dramatic event may provide new insights into how young stars grow by sucking up nearby gas. The eruption and subsequent splashdown were observed in spectacular detail by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory.

August, 2011, saw the dazzling appearance of the closest and brightest Type Ia supernova since Type Ia's were established as "standard candles" for measuring the expansion of the universe. The brilliant visitor, labeled SN 2011fe, was caught by the Palomar Transient Factory less than 12 hours after it exploded in the Pinwheel Galaxy in the Big Dipper.

19 June 2013 Satellites are making it possible to transfer money between remote locations in sub-Saharan African countries that are otherwise unconnected to the outside world.

18 June 2013 The most detailed record of cloud motion in the atmosphere of Venus chronicled by ESA's Venus Express has revealed that the planet's winds have steadily been getting faster over the last six years. Venus is well known for its curious super-rotating atmosphere, which whips around the planet once every four Earth days.

Jessica Meir, who earned a doctorate in marine physiology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego in 2009, has been selected in the newest group of space explorers by NASA.

Images taken from space have indicated that some of the world's unmonitored volcanoes may not be as peaceful as we might like to think. Satellite radar has shown that the surfaces of a number of volcanoes within the East African Rift are deforming - inflating and deflating.  "Deformations such as these are typically attributed to magma accumulating and moving underground," said Dr Juliet Biggs , Lecturer in the School of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol, "and are often interpreted as pre-eruptive activity.

18 June 2013 ATV Albert Einstein , Europe's supply and support ferry, docked with the International Space Station last Saturday.

17 June 2013 With the exhaustion of its helium coolant, Herschel's science mission ended on 29 April.

17 June 2013 With the exhaustion of its helium coolant, Herschel's science mission ended on 29 April.

Tributes from European space explorers 16 June 2013 Valentina Tereshkova was born in Maslennikovo, near Yaroslavl, in Russia on 6 March 1937.

15 June 2013 ESA's fourth Automated Transfer Vehicle, Albert Einstein , completed a flawless rendezvous with the International Space Station on 15 June when it docked smoothly with orbital outpost at 14:07 GMT (16:07 CEST).

14 June 2013 ESA's fourth Automated Transfer Vehicle, ATV Albert Einstein , is set to conduct an autonomous docking with the International Space Station on 15 June.

14 June 2013 Satellites are being used to promote agriculture in one of the world's poorest countries.

13 June 2013 ESA's Proba-V has become the first satellite to pick up aircraft tracking signals, allowing aircraft across the globe to be followed in flight from space.

11 June 2013 As cinema owners worldwide begin to embrace new digital technologies via satellite, audiences are being given more ways to enjoy an evening at the movies.

Services Calendar 11 June 2013 European scientists do not hesitate when offered a ticket to weightlessness on Earth. Despite the confusion of losing track of up and down, repeated periods of microgravity can push their experiments to the limit on Europe's 'Zero-G' Airbus A300. Parabolic flights are the only way to run such experiments on humans without leaving Earth's atmosphere.

11 June 2013 The module carrying the telescope and scientific instruments of ESA's Euclid 'dark Universe' mission is now being developed by Astrium in Toulouse, France.

Astronomers know that gravity from Saturn's various moons tug at the planet's rings and make spirals in them. But the catalyst for certain spiral patterns has been difficult to pin down. Now, two Cornell astronomers have determined the source: Saturn itself. The entire planet can vibrate like a bell within periods of a few hours, and these oscillations cause gravitational tugs that, in turn, create the spiral patterns in the rings.

10 June 2013 The face-on Pinwheel spiral galaxy is seen at ultraviolet wavelengths in this image taken by ESA's XMM-Newton space telescope.

7 June 2013 As parts of central Europe are battling with the most extensive floods in centuries, forecasters are hoping that ESA's SMOS satellite will help to improve the accuracy of flood prediction in the future.

6 June 2013 The European Space Agency has partnered with Sony Pictures International to support the release of their latest blockbuster, After Earth .

6 June 2013 ESA's fourth Automated Transfer Vehicle, Albert Einstein , was launched into orbit last evening from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

6 June 2013 ESA's fourth Automated Transfer Vehicle, Albert Einstein , was launched into orbit last evening from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

5 June 2013 The first rule of DIY: know where your tools are. Astronauts on the International Space Station are about to have that task made a lot more simple, with a purpose-designed 3D-printed toolbox due for launch today on ESA's latest ATV resupply spacecraft.

Indianapolis, IN - Most skygazers recognize the Orion Nebula, one of the closest stellar nurseries to Earth.

Indianapolis, IN - If you had a time machine that could take you anywhere in the past, what time would you choose? Most people would probably pick the era of the dinosaurs in hopes of spotting a T. rex. But many astronomers would choose the period, four and a half billion years ago, that our solar system formed.

5 June 2013 A novel smartphone app, already being used to monitor hundreds of railway stations in Germany, can earn you money as you go about your normal day.

3 June 2013 ESA's fourth Automated Transfer Vehicle, Albert Einstein , is ready for launch on an Ariane 5 to the International Space Station on 5 June from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

3 June 2013 New global maps of Mars released on the 10th anniversary of the launch of ESA's Mars Express trace the history of water and volcanic activity on the Red Planet, and identify sites of special interest for the next generation of Mars explorers.

Scientists at the University of Glasgow's Institute for Gravitational Research (IGR) have successfully concluded extensive testing of a vital component of a future space mission.

The dramatic geological events that created opal, Australia's national gemstone, have been described for the first time by a University of Sydney researcher. The explanation underlines how the geology of Australia's Red Centre is the most similar on Earth to the geology of Mars, to the extent it could yield valuable information on that planet for a fraction of the cost of a space mission.

Cambridge, MA - Plato, the Greek philosopher and mathematician, described music and astronomy as "sister sciences" that both encompass harmonious motions, whether of instrument strings or celestial objects.

Astronaut training Related articles Services Calendar 29 May 2013 A Soyuz spacecraft launched from Kazakhstan last night safely docked with the International Space Station this morning, delivering ES

Astronaut training Related articles Services Calendar 29 May 2013 A Soyuz spacecraft launched from Kazakhstan last night safely docked with the International Space Station this morning, delivering ES

28 May 2013 NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg, Russian Soyuz commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano show they are ready for their launch to the International Space Station tonight.

27 May 2013 The Hubble Space Telescope has produced the most detailed observations ever of the Ring Nebula. This image reveals intricate structure only hinted at in previous observations and has allowed scientists to construct a model of the nebula in 3D showing the true shape of this striking object.

Expedition 36 Soyuz roll-out The Soyuz TMA-09M spacecraft is seen as it is rolled out by train to the Baikonur Cosmodrome launch pad, Sunday, May 26, 2013, in Kazakhstan.