http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/space_time/esa/ European Space Agency News. Read all about ESA initiatives and programs, see space images. en-us Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:05:02 EST Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:05:02 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/space_time/esa/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215123838.htm Astronomers have found a cluster of young blue stars surrounding a mid-sized black hole called HLX-1. The discovery suggests that the black hole formed in the core of a now-disintegrated dwarf galaxy. The findings have important implications for understanding the evolution of supermassive black holes and galaxies. Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:38:38 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215123838.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120213143016.htm New images from the Planck mission show previously undiscovered islands of star formation and a mysterious haze of microwave emissions in our Milky Way galaxy. The views give scientists new treasures to mine and take them closer to understanding the secrets of our galaxy. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:30:30 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120213143016.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120207151800.htm ESA's Mars Express has returned strong evidence for an ocean once covering part of Mars. Using radar, it has detected sediments reminiscent of an ocean floor within the boundaries of previously identified, ancient shorelines on Mars. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:18:18 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120207151800.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120203092421.htm The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has taken a picture of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 1073, which is found in the constellation of Cetus (The Sea Monster). Our own galaxy, the Milky Way, is a similar barred spiral, and the study of galaxies such as NGC 1073 helps astronomers learn more about our celestial home. Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:24:24 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120203092421.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120203092006.htm Mars may have been arid for more than 600 million years, making it too hostile for any life to survive on the planet’s surface, according to researchers who have been carrying out the painstaking task of analyzing individual particles of Martian soil. Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:20:20 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120203092006.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125093504.htm A new analysis of radar data from NASA's Cassini mission, in partnership with the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency, has revealed regional variations among sand dunes on Saturn's moon Titan. The result gives new clues about the moon's climatic and geological history. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:35:35 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125093504.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120118201225.htm The High Frequency Instrument aboard the Planck space telescope has completed its survey of the remnant light from the Big Bang explosion that created our universe. The sensor ran out of coolant on Jan. 14, as expected, ending its ability to detect this faint energy. Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:12:12 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120118201225.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120118200606.htm In 1995, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope took an iconic image of the Eagle nebula, dubbed the "Pillars of Creation," highlighting its finger-like pillars where new stars are thought to be forming. Now, the Herschel Space Observatory has a new, expansive view of the region captured in longer-wavelength infrared light. Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:06:06 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120118200606.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109192644.htm The James Webb Space Telescope marked a year of significant progress in 2011 as it continues to come together as NASA's next generation space telescope. The year brought forth a pathfinder backplane to support the large primary mirror structure, mirror cryotesting, creation of mirror support structures, several successful sunshield layer tests and the creation of an assembly station within NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's cleanroom. Achievements were also made in the areas of flight and communications software and the propulsion system. Mon, 09 Jan 2012 19:26:26 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109192644.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111223105435.htm No team of reindeer, but radio signals flying clear across the solar system from NASA's Cassini spacecraft have delivered a holiday package of glorious images. The pictures, from Cassini's imaging team, show Saturn's largest, most colorful ornament, Titan, and other icy baubles in orbit around this splendid planet. Fri, 23 Dec 2011 10:54:54 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111223105435.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111223091449.htm Every year for Christmas, the North American Air Defense Command NORAD posts an animation on their website, in which the exact flight path of Santa Claus' sled led by reindeer Rudolf is precisely located. By analyzing observational data, the GFZ scientists were able to determine the orbit of satellites, which are flying at an altitude of 23222 km, for the first time to a few decimeters. Fri, 23 Dec 2011 09:14:14 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111223091449.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111215095237.htm Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 has captured this image of a giant cloud of hydrogen gas illuminated by a bright young star. The image shows how violent the end stages of the star-formation process can be, with the young object shaking up its stellar nursery. Thu, 15 Dec 2011 09:52:52 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111215095237.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111213165028.htm In 16 years of data observations, the Solar Heliophysics Observatory (SOHO) -- a joint European Space Agency and NASA mission -- made an unexpected claim for fame: the sighting of new comets at an alarming rate. SOHO has spotted over 2100 comets, most of which are from what's known as the Kreutz family, which graze the solar atmosphere where they usually evaporate completely. Tue, 13 Dec 2011 16:50:50 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111213165028.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111213164414.htm NASA's Cassini spacecraft successfully completed its closest-ever pass over Saturn's moon Dione on Dec. 12, slaloming its way through the Saturn system on its way to a close flyby of Titan. Cassini is expected to glide about 2,200 miles (3,600 kilometers) over the Titan surface on Dec. 13. Tue, 13 Dec 2011 16:44:44 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111213164414.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111212100155.htm In an action-packed day and a half, NASA's Cassini spacecraft will be making its closest swoop over the surface of Saturn's moon Dione and scrutinizing the atmosphere of Titan, Saturn's largest moon. Mon, 12 Dec 2011 10:01:01 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111212100155.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111207105419.htm Astronomers have obtained the best images ever of a star that has lost most of its material to a vampire companion. By combining the light captured by telescopes at the European Southern Observatory's Paranal Observatory they created a virtual telescope 130 meters across with vision 50 times sharper than the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. Surprisingly, the new results show that the transfer of mass from one star to the other in this double system is gentler than expected. Wed, 07 Dec 2011 10:54:54 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111207105419.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111121114903.htm Lightning storms on planets like Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars may also produce "sprites," bursts of electric energy. Scientists have re-created the atmospheres of these planets to produce artificial "sprites," and the research could lead to a new understanding of electrical and chemical processes on these planets. Mon, 21 Nov 2011 11:49:49 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111121114903.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111111095110.htm New observations indicate that the asteroid Lutetia is a leftover fragment of the same original material that formed the Earth, Venus and Mercury. Astronomers found that the properties of the asteroid closely match those of a rare kind of meteorites found on Earth and thought to have formed in the inner parts of the solar system. Lutetia must, at some point, have moved out to its current location in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Fri, 11 Nov 2011 09:51:51 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111111095110.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111110094842.htm Using its infrared vision to peer nine billion years back in time, astronomers have uncovered an extraordinary population of tiny, young galaxies that are brimming with star formation. Thu, 10 Nov 2011 09:48:48 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111110094842.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111108213256.htm NASA plans to add an unmanned flight test of the Orion spacecraft in early 2014 to its contract with Lockheed Martin Space Systems for the multi-purpose crew vehicle's design, development, test and evaluation. This test supports the new Space Launch System that will take astronauts farther into space than ever before. Tue, 08 Nov 2011 21:32:32 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111108213256.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111108212639.htm The latest image released from Mars Express reveals a large extinct volcano that has been battered and deformed over the eons. By Earthly standards, Tharsis Tholus is a giant, towering 8 kilometers above the surrounding terrain, with a base stretching over 155 x 125 km. Yet on Mars, it is just an average-sized volcano. What marks it out as unusual is its battered condition. Tue, 08 Nov 2011 21:26:26 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111108212639.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111106142036.htm The record-breaking simulated mission to Mars has ended with smiling faces after 17 months. Mars500's six brave volunteers stepped out of their 'spacecraft' Nov. 4, 2011 to be welcomed by the waiting scientists -- happy that the venture had worked even better than expected. Mars500, the first full-length, high-fidelity simulation of a human mission to our neighbouring planet, started 520 days earlier, on 3 June 2010, at the Institute of Biomedical Problems in Moscow. Sun, 06 Nov 2011 14:20:20 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111106142036.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111104091652.htm Scientists have observed a quasar accretion disk -- a glowing disk of matter that is slowly being sucked into its galaxy's central black hole. Their study makes use of a novel technique that uses gravitational lensing to give an immense boost to the power of the telescope. The precision of the method has allowed astronomers to directly measure the disk's size and temperature across different parts of the disk. Fri, 04 Nov 2011 09:16:16 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111104091652.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111101132257.htm The Boeing Co. will set up Orbiter Processing Facility-3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to manufacture and assemble its CST-100 spacecraft for launches to the International Space Station under a newly signed agreement with NASA and Space Florida. And that deal could provide a glimpse of how Kennedy's unique facilities will be used in the future. Tue, 01 Nov 2011 13:22:22 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111101132257.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111028144010.htm The European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft has revealed asteroid Lutetia to be a primitive body, left over as the planets were forming in our Solar System. Results from Rosetta's fleeting flyby also suggest that this mini-world tried to grow a metal heart. Fri, 28 Oct 2011 14:40:40 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111028144010.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111028103212.htm New information has been published about the Lutetia asteroid that was observed in 2010 and its properties. The analysis of the data collected during the spacecraft fly-by indicates that Lutetia is a dense, intact relic dating back to the birth of our solar system. Fri, 28 Oct 2011 10:32:32 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111028103212.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111019162107.htm NASA's Cassini mission will take advantage of the position of two of the three stars in Orion's belt when the spacecraft flies by Saturn's moon Enceladus on Oct. 19. As the hot, bright stars pass behind the moon's icy jets, Cassini's ultraviolet imaging spectrograph will acquire a two-dimensional view of these dramatic plumes of water vapor and icy material erupting from the moon's southern polar region. This flyby is the mission's first-ever opportunity to probe the jets with two stars simultaneously, a dual stellar occultation. Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:21:21 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111019162107.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111013091348.htm The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has been used to make an image of galaxy cluster MACS J1206.2-0847. The apparently distorted shapes of distant galaxies in the background is caused by an invisible substance called dark matter, whose gravity bends and distorts their light rays. MACS 1206 has been observed as part of a new survey of galaxy clusters using Hubble. Thu, 13 Oct 2011 09:13:13 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111013091348.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111012083630.htm For the first time, observations coordinated by the European Space Agency's space hazards team have found an asteroid that comes close enough to Earth to pose an impact threat. The space rock was found by amateur astronomers, highlighting the value of 'crowd-sourcing' to science and planetary defense. Wed, 12 Oct 2011 08:36:36 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111012083630.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111006085328.htm The European Space Agency’s Venus Express spacecraft has discovered an ozone layer high in the atmosphere of Venus. Comparing its properties with those of the equivalent layers on Earth and Mars will help astronomers refine their searches for life on other planets. Thu, 06 Oct 2011 08:53:53 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111006085328.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111006084036.htm An international team of astronomers has revealed new data about the environment surrounding one of the brightest supermassive black holes known. The scientists have discovered a corona of very hot gas, with a temperature of around ten million degrees Celsius, swirling around the black hole. They have also revealed the existence of powerful winds made of cold, dense clouds of gas surrounded by hotter, more diffuse gas. Thu, 06 Oct 2011 08:40:40 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111006084036.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111006084023.htm Electric propulsion (EP) is the future of astronautics. It can already compete successfully with chemical thrusters, especially for attitude control, orbit transfer and/or orbital station-keeping as well as for the main propulsion system for deep space missions. However, xenon, the propellant of choice in most EP devices, has a substantial drawback: its cost is very high. On the basis of the experience with plasma jet accelerators, a team of scientists and engineers from Poland has designed the Hall effect thruster optimised to work with krypton, a much more affordable noble gas. Thu, 06 Oct 2011 08:40:40 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111006084023.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111005145549.htm Astronomers have found a new cosmic source for the same kind of water that appeared on Earth billions of years ago and created the oceans. The findings may help explain how Earth's surface ended up covered in water. Wed, 05 Oct 2011 14:55:55 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111005145549.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111005110750.htm The Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Garching, together with the Observatory of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, is a major partner in the EUCLID space mission that has been selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) for the Cosmic Vision Program. EUCLID's primary goal is to study the accelerating expansion of the universe. Launch is expected by the end of 2019. Wed, 05 Oct 2011 11:07:07 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111005110750.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111005110233.htm The powerful influence of the sun motivates the European Space Agency’s next science mission. Solar Orbiter was selected for implementation, with launch planned for 2017. Scientists in Germany developed four of five sensors for an energetic particle detector, which will give new information about the activity of solar particles. Wed, 05 Oct 2011 11:02:02 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111005110233.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111003191040.htm NASA's Cassini spacecraft successfully completed its Oct. 1 flyby of Saturn's moon Enceladus and its jets of water vapor and ice. At its closest approach, the spacecraft flew approximately 62 miles (100 kilometers) above the moon's surface. The close approach was designed to give some of Cassini's instruments, including the ion and neutral mass spectrometer, the chance to "taste" the jets themselves. Mon, 03 Oct 2011 19:10:10 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111003191040.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110929155306.htm Supermassive black holes at the hearts of active galaxies swallow large amounts of gas. During this feast they spill a lot of their 'food', which is discharged in turbulent outbursts. An international team of astronomers has revealed some striking features of such an outburst around a supermassive black hole in a distant galaxy. They found a very hot 'convertor' corona hovering above the black hole and cold gas 'bullets' in hotter diffuse gas, speeding outwards with velocities up to 700 km/s. Thu, 29 Sep 2011 15:53:53 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110929155306.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110929103053.htm Hubble's famous images of galaxies typically show elegant spirals or soft-edged ellipses. But these neat forms are only representative of large galaxies. Smaller galaxies like the dwarf irregular galaxy Holmberg II come in many shapes and types that are harder to classify. This galaxy's indistinct shape is punctuated by huge glowing bubbles of gas. Thu, 29 Sep 2011 10:30:30 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110929103053.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110927072621.htm The European Space Agency closely monitored the Sept. 24, 2011 reentry of the UARS observation satellite. The Agency’s Space Debris Office worked with NASA and international partners in a coordinated prediction and risk-assessment exercise. Tue, 27 Sep 2011 07:26:26 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110927072621.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110922144318.htm Chalk up one more feat for Saturn's intriguing moon Enceladus. The small, dynamic moon spews out dramatic plumes of water vapor and ice -- first seen by NASA's Cassini spacecraft in 2005. It possesses simple organic particles and may house liquid water beneath its surface. Its geyser-like jets create a gigantic halo of ice, dust and gas around Enceladus that helps feed Saturn's E ring. Now, thanks again to those icy jets, Enceladus is the only moon in our solar system known to influence substantially the chemical composition of its parent planet. Thu, 22 Sep 2011 14:43:43 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110922144318.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110919123930.htm NASA is testing an element of the sunshield that will protect the James Webb Space Telescope's mirrors and instruments during its mission to observe the most distant objects in the universe. The sunshield will consist of five tennis court-sized layers to allow the Webb telescope to cool to its cryogenic operating temperature of minus 387.7 degrees Fahrenheit (40 Kelvin). Mon, 19 Sep 2011 12:39:39 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110919123930.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110919123806.htm NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has reached a major milestone in its development. The mirrors that will fly aboard the telescope have completed the coating process at Quantum Coating Inc. in Moorestown, N.J. The telescope's mirrors have been coated with a microscopically thin layer of gold, selected for its ability to properly reflect infrared light from the mirrors into the observatory's science instruments. The coating allows the Webb telescope's "infrared eyes" to observe extremely faint objects in infrared light. Mon, 19 Sep 2011 12:38:38 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110919123806.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110919123301.htm With the artistry of a magazine cover shoot, NASA's Cassini spacecraft captured a new portrait of five of Saturn's moons poised along the planet's rings. Mon, 19 Sep 2011 12:33:33 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110919123301.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110919123151.htm NASA has selected two game-changing space technology projects for development. The selections are part of the agency's efforts to pursue revolutionary technology required for future missions, while proving the capabilities and lowering the cost of government and commercial space activities. Mon, 19 Sep 2011 12:31:31 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110919123151.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110913195555.htm The European Space Agency's Herschel infrared space observatory has discovered that galaxies do not need to collide with each other to drive vigorous star birth. The finding overturns this long-held assumption and paints a more stately picture of how galaxies evolve. Tue, 13 Sep 2011 19:55:55 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110913195555.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110902104746.htm The European Space Agency's Mars Express has spotted a rare case of a crater once filled by a lake, revealed by the presence of a delta. The delta is an ancient fan-shaped deposit of dark sediments, laid down in water. It is a reminder of Mars' past, wetter climate. Fri, 02 Sep 2011 10:47:47 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110902104746.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110827191804.htm NASA's Cassini spacecraft captured new views of Saturn's oddly shaped moon Hyperion during its encounter with a cratered body on Aug. 25. Raw images were acquired as the spacecraft flew past the moon at a distance of about 15,500 miles (25,000 kilometers), making this the second closest encounter. Sat, 27 Aug 2011 19:18:18 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110827191804.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110825164931.htm Astrophysicists have concluded that the Milky Way will have the fuel to continue forming stars, thanks to massive clouds of ionized gas raining down from its halo and intergalactic space. The Milky Way would rapidly change its gas into stars if no supply of new matter were available to replenish the gas. Thu, 25 Aug 2011 16:49:49 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110825164931.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110825090227.htm For almost 20 years astrophysicists have been trying to recreate the formation of spiral galaxies such as our Milky Way realistically. Now astrophysicists and astronomers present the world's first realistic simulation of the formation of our home galaxy. The new results show that there had to be stars on the outer edge of the Milky Way. Thu, 25 Aug 2011 09:02:02 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110825090227.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110824133711.htm A pioneering camera and spectrometer that will fly aboard NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has completed cryogenic testing designed to mimic the harsh conditions it will experience in space. Wed, 24 Aug 2011 13:37:37 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110824133711.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110819080550.htm A pioneering camera and spectrometer for the James Webb Space Telescope – the gigantic successor to the Hubble Telescope – has just completed cryogenic testing. This testing subjected the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) to the harsh conditions it will experience when it is launched into space onboard the Webb Telescope. Fri, 19 Aug 2011 08:05:05 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110819080550.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110812094921.htm A giant cosmic necklace glows brightly in this NASA Hubble Space Telescope image. The object, aptly named the Necklace Nebula, is a recently discovered planetary nebula, the glowing remains of an ordinary, Sun-like star. The nebula consists of a bright ring, measuring 12 trillion miles wide, dotted with dense, bright knots of gas that resemble diamonds in a necklace. Fri, 12 Aug 2011 09:49:49 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110812094921.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110808221203.htm Three of the major surface features on Saturn's moon Titan -- dunes, craters and the enigmatic Xanadu -- appear in a new radar image from NASA's Cassini spacecraft. Mon, 08 Aug 2011 22:12:12 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110808221203.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110801115657.htm The Herschel Space Observatory's large telescope and state-of-the-art infrared detectors have provided the first confirmed finding of oxygen molecules in space. The molecules were discovered in the Orion star-forming complex. Individual atoms of oxygen are common in space, particularly around massive stars. But molecular oxygen, which makes up about 20 percent of the air we breathe, has eluded astronomers until now. Mon, 01 Aug 2011 11:56:56 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110801115657.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110728082312.htm The orbit of ESA’s retired ERS-2 observation satellite is being lowered to reduce the risk of collision with other satellites or space debris. The goal is to leave it well below most operating polar satellites by the end of August. Thu, 28 Jul 2011 08:23:23 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110728082312.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110727135908.htm The Multilateral Coordination Board (MCB) for the International Space Station partner agencies met July 26, 2011 to discuss how to use the space station as a test bed for technologies that will enable missions beyond low Earth orbit. Wed, 27 Jul 2011 13:59:59 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110727135908.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110726101729.htm The Herschel space observatory has shown that water expelled from the moon Enceladus forms a giant torus of water vapor around Saturn. The discovery solves a 14-year mystery by identifying the source of the water in Saturn's upper atmosphere. Tue, 26 Jul 2011 10:17:17 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110726101729.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110721102135.htm Astronomers have observed unprecedented views of a ring in the center of our Milky Way galaxy with the Herschel Space Observatory. Thu, 21 Jul 2011 10:21:21 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110721102135.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110721095838.htm The Andromeda Galaxy is revealed in unprecedented detail in four archive observations. They show stars and structure in the galaxy's disc, the halo of stars that surrounds it, and a stream of stars left by a companion galaxy as it was torn apart and pulled in by the galaxy's gravitational forces. Thu, 21 Jul 2011 09:58:58 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110721095838.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110719151234.htm New observations from the Herschel Space Observatory show a bizarre, twisted ring of dense gas at the center of our Milky Way galaxy. Only a few portions of the ring, which stretches across more than 600 light-years, were known before. Herschel's view reveals the entire ring for the first time, and a strange kink that has astronomers scratching their heads. Tue, 19 Jul 2011 15:12:12 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110719151234.htm