European Space Agency

Week in images: 21 - 25 March 2022 Discover our week through the lens View the full article

Video: 00:01:00 The James Webb Space Telescope (Webb) will observe the Universe in the near-infrared and mid-infrared – at wavelengths longer than visible light. By viewing the Universe at infrared wavelengths with an unprecedented sensitivity Webb will open up a new window to the cosmos. With infrared wavelengths it can see the first stars and galaxies forming after the Big Bang. Its infrared vision also allows Webb to study stars and planetary systems forming inside thick clouds of gas and dust that are opaque to visible light. The primary goals of Webb are to study galaxy, star and planet formation in the Universe. To see the very first stars and galaxies that formed in the early Universe, we have to look deep into space to look back in time (because it takes light time to travel from there to here, the farther out we look, the further we look back in time). The Universe is expanding, and therefore the farther we look, the faster objects are moving away from us, redshifting the light. Redshift means that light that is emitted as ultraviolet or visible light is shifted more and more to redder wavelengths, into the near- and mid-infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum for very high redshifts. Therefore, to study the earliest star and galaxy formation in the Universe, we have to observe infrared light and use a telescope and instruments optimised for this light like Webb. Star formation in the local universe takes place in the centres of dense, dusty clouds, obscured from our eyes at normal visible wavelengths. Near-infrared light, with its longer wavelength, is less hindered by the small dust particles, allowing near-infrared light to seep through the dust clouds. By observing the emitted near-infrared light we can penetrate the dust and see the processes leading to star and planet formation. Objects of about Earth's temperature emit most of their light at mid-infrared wavelengths. These temperatures are also found in dusty regions forming stars and planets, so with mid-infrared radiation we can see directly the glow of this slightly warm dust and study its distribution and properties. Webb is an international partnership between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). View the full article

Image: We spy from way up high an ESA astronaut dangling from the International Space Station. Matthias Maurer performed his first spacewalk during his Cosmic Kiss mission yesterday with fellow astronaut Raja Chari of NASA. Extravehicular activity or EVA 80 lasted 6 hours and 54 minutes and was not without some excitement. An hour into the spacewalk, the camera and light assembly on Matthias’ helmet needed some readjustments, which Raja was able to fix using some wiring. The duo were then able to carry on with the tasks, which included installing hoses on a radiator beam valve module that helps regulate Space Station system temperatures, replacing an external camera on the Station’s truss and installing a power and data cable on the Bartolomeo science platform outside ESA’s Columbus module. Matthias’ first task involved routing an ethernet cable along the Space Station’s handrails for the camera installation. He then made his way to the Columbus module to install a data and power cable for Bartolomeo. Bartolomeo is the first European commercial facility to be positioned outside the International Space Station. Built and operated by Airbus, it will offer a high-speed data feed and a unique view of Earth and deep space. Thanks to Matthias’ efforts yesterday, the facility is ready for full operations. Finally, Matthias and Raja worked together to install a new camera. Overall, the duo accomplished all main tasks and headed back to the airlock after nearly seven hours outdoors. Matthias did exceptionally well on his sortie and returned to the Space Station safe and sound. Follow Matthias on his Cosmic Kiss mission on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube the Cosmic Kiss mission page and in regular Space Station updates from ESA. View the full article

The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over Carrara – an Italian city known especially for its world-famous marble. View the full article

Image: Solar Orbiter tracks solar features during closest approach View the full article

Solar Orbiter’s latest images shows the full Sun in unprecedented detail. They were taken on 7 March, when the spacecraft was crossing directly between the Earth and Sun. View the full article

Danish ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen has been assigned a long-duration mission to the International Space Station and is expected to fly as the pilot of a Crew Dragon spacecraft in mid 2023 or early 2024. View the full article

Using data from ESA’s Gaia mission, astronomers have shown that a part of the Milky Way known as the ‘thick disc’ began forming 13 billion years ago, around 2 billion years earlier than expected, and just 0.8 billion years after the Big Bang. View the full article

Image: Turning astronaut urine into fuel on Mars View the full article

With extreme weather events threatening to be more frequent and more severe as the climate crisis takes grip, it’s never been more important to have fast and accurate forecasts. ESA and Eumetsat are working hard to ensure that there will be a constant stream of weather data from space for the next decades and that these data will arrive faster and be more accurate compared to what we have today. It is therefore fitting that on World Meteorological Day, ESA can be assured that the first of the next generation weather satellites, Meteosat Third Generation Imager, has passed a critical set of tests, paving the way for it to be launched in December. View the full article

A newly released Android app will turn your smartphone into an instrument for crowdsourced science. Leave it by your window each night with your satnav positioning turned on and your phone will record small variations in satellite signals, gathering data for machine learning analysis of meteorology and space weather patterns. View the full article

Tune in to ESA Web TV channel 2 from 12:30 CET (11:30 GMT) this Wednesday 23 March to watch ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer’s first spacewalk, known as US EVA 80, live from the International Space Station. View the full article

Video: 00:04:15 ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti will return to the International Space Station in April 2022. Her second space mission is known as Minerva. Inspired by Roman mythology, Samantha says the Minerva mission name and patch pay homage to the competence and sophisticated craftmanship of all those who make human spaceflight possible. Samantha will travel to the Station alongside NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Bob “Farmer” Hines and Jessica Watkins. Collectively known as Crew-4, the astronauts will be launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. When Samantha arrives at the Station, her Minerva mission officially begins. This will see her live and work aboard the orbital outpost for approximately five months. During this time, she will support over 35 European and many more international experiments in orbit. Samantha will also hold the role of US Orbital Segment (USOS) lead, responsible for operations within the US, European, Japanese and Canadian modules and components of the Space Station. As her launch draws closer, Samantha continues her training with International Space Station partners. Stay tuned for the latest updates from her mission and visit the mission web page for more information. Access the related broadcast quality video material. View the full article

Data from the Tropomi instrument onboard the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite has been used to detect methane plumes over some of Europe’s largest methane-emitting coal mines. View the full article

Image: New picture, but a familiar face. ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer took this image of Earth’s natural satellite, the subject of exciting news this week, from the seven-windowed cupola of the International Space Station. Down on Earth, the rocket that will launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft with the European Service Module to the Moon has been moved to the launchpad in Florida, USA, for its first full test before the Artemis I launch later this year. The Space Launch Systems rocket (SLS), aka the Moon rocket, left the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at around 23:00 CET (22:00 GMT) on 17 March on a 6.5 km trip to Launchpad LC39B. Traveling at a maximum speed of just 1.3 km/h, the 6.5-km voyage took 12 hours to complete on a specially designed crawler vehicle. In the preceding months the Orion spacecraft with European Service Module had been placed on top of the rocket. The first Artemis mission will send Orion to the Moon and back, farther than any human-rated spacecraft has travelled before. ESA’s European Service Module is the powerhouse that fuels and propels Orion and provides everything needed to keep astronauts alive with water, oxygen, power and temperature control. Matthias posted this image to social media, saying “The Moon. So close, yet so far – but not for much longer!” With the rocket out on the launch pad, NASA and ESA are a step closer to our destination. Matthias added, “As I took these Moon shots from Cupola, I couldn't help but imagine what it would feel like to fly in Orion to the Gateway, propelled by the European Service Module.” It’ll be a while before that happens. In the meantime, Matthias has a lot to keep him busy during his Cosmic Kiss mission, including his first spacewalk next Wednesday 23 March. Alongside NASA’s Raja Chari, he will have a variety of tasks, including installing a power & data cable for Europe's external science platform Bartolomeo. Make sure to follow Cosmic Kiss on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube the Cosmic Kiss mission page and in regular Space Station updates from ESA. View the full article

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Week in images: 14 - 18 March 2022 Discover our week through the lens View the full article

Video: 00:08:04 One of the many milestones in the leadup to the launch of Artemis is its rollout: this is when a crawler will carry the SLS rocket with Orion and ESM from the Vehicle Assembly Building to launchpad 39B. NASA’s John Giles gives us a tour of the crawler and explains the adaptations made to this “wonderful piece of machinery” since it was first built for the Apollo programme in the 1960s. ESA is playing a key role in NASA’s Artemis programme, which will bring astronauts back to the Moon. The European Service Module – or ESM – will provide propulsion, power and thermal control for the Orion spacecraft. Access the related broadcast quality video material. View the full article

ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer is scheduled to perform his first spacewalk next week, stepping outside the International Space Station on Wednesday 23 March alongside NASA’s Raja Chari. View the full article

Part of Lake Nasser, one of the largest artificial lakes in the world, is featured in this false-colour image captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission. View the full article

Video: 01:01:27 Replay of the media information session following the 306th ESA Council, held on 16 and 17 March 2022 in Paris, France. Updates were provided on ESA’s main programmes, the outcome of the 16 February Space Summit in Toulouse, upcoming missions for Earth Observation, and for ESA astronauts, the overall rollout of the Director General’s Agenda 2025 on the way to the ESA Ministerial Meeting in November 2022 as well as the implications of the current geopolitical situation on ESA’s activities. View the full article

Press Release N° 9–2022 As an intergovernmental organisation mandated to develop and implement space programmes in full respect with European values, we deeply deplore the human casualties and tragic consequences of the aggression towards Ukraine. While recognising the impact on scientific exploration of space, ESA is fully aligned with the sanctions imposed on Russia by its Member States. View the full article

The media information session following the 306th ESA Council will be streamed at esawebtv.esa.int from 16:00 CET. View the full article

Following the completion of critical mirror alignment steps, the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope team expects that Webb’s optical performance will be able to meet or exceed the science goals the observatory was built to achieve. View the full article

On 18 February, the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope was photographed by ESA’s Gaia observatory. View the full article