Hubble finds dead stars 'polluted' with planetary debris [heic1309] 09 May 2013 The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has found signs of Earth-like planets in an unlikely place: the atmospheres of a pair of burnt-out stars in a nearby star cluster. The white dwarf stars are being polluted by debris from asteroid-like objects falling onto them. This discovery suggests that rocky planet assembly is common in clusters, say researchers. Read more

Cluster hears the heartbeat of magnetic reconnection 02 May 2013 For the first time, scientists have resolved the detailed structure of the core region where magnetic reconnection takes place in the magnetosphere of Earth using unprecedented wave measurements. The study, based on data from ESA's Cluster mission, has mapped different types of electrostatic waves in this region. The waves trace populations of plasma particles that are involved in the different stages of a magnetic reconnection event. Read more

Observation gives way to examination as Herschel coolant runs out 29 April 2013 The Herschel space observatory has exhausted its supply of liquid helium, after more than three years of observations and revelations about how galaxies, stars, and planets form and evolve. Ground-breaking discoveries are in store for years to come. Read more

Call for White Papers for the definition of the L2 and L3 missions in the ESA Science Programme 05 March 2013 This Call, open to the broad scientific community, solicits White Papers to propose science themes and associated questions to be addressed by ESA's next two large (L-class) missions, L2 and L3. The submission deadline for White Papers is 24 May 2013, 12:00 CEST (noon). Read more

No. 256 – Continuation of the fourteenth Earth occultation season, start of the twenty-third eclipse season, and start of surface imaging campaign 28 March 2013 This reporting period covers four weeks of Venus Express operations, from 6 January to 2 February 2013, and includes the continuation of the fourteenth occultation season, the start of the twenty-third eclipse season, and start of the Venus surface imaging campaign. Read more

Herschel Status Report - February 2013 27 March 2013 Report for period 5 to 27 February 2013
Mission operations of the Herschel space observatory continued nominally during the reporting period, with the spacecraft and subsystems all performing as expected. Read more

Herschel Status Report - December 2012 and January 2013 27 March 2013 Report for period 6 December 2012 to 4 February 2013
Mission operations of the Herschel space observatory continued nominally during the reporting period, with the spacecraft and subsystems all performing as expected. Read more

No. 255 - Start of the fourteenth Earth occultation season, completion of the tenth Atmospheric Drag Experiment campaign 12 March 2013 This reporting period covers four weeks of Venus Express operations, 9 December 2012 to 5 january 2013, and includes the start of the fourteenth occultation season, end of the tenth Atmospheric Drag Experiment campaign, and pericentre altitude raising using four orbit correction manoeuvres. Read more

No. 158 - Spin-up and entry into deep-space hibernation 30 June 2011 This report covers nine days of Rosetta mission operations: 6 to 14 June 2011. The main activities were the spin-up of the spacecraft and entry into deep-space hibernation mode. The spacecraft will remain in this state until 20 January 2014 when the hibernation exit sequence will be initiated. The next Rosetta status report will be issued towards the end of January 2014. Read more