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| Mars Express observations temporarily suspended |
| Anomalies in the operation of the solid-state mass memory system on board Mars Express have caused science observations to be temporarily halted. A technical work-around is being investigated that will enable the resumption of a number of observations and should evolve into a long-term solution. |
| Date: 31 Oct 2011 |
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| Rosetta reveals mysterious Lutetia |
| On 10 July 2010, ESA's Rosetta spacecraft flew past asteroid (21) Lutetia, one of the largest objects orbiting within the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Rosetta's encounter revealed an intriguing object which has survived since the birth of the planets, some 4.5 billion years ago. |
| Date: 27 Oct 2011 |
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| Herschel discovers tip of cosmic iceberg around nearby young star |
| Using ESA's Herschel Space Observatory to study one of the closest protoplanetary discs to Earth, astronomers have detected cold water vapour for the first time in such an environment. Located in a thin layer at intermediate depths in the disc, the cold vapour hints at a much larger reservoir of water ice hidden deeper in the disc and amounting to several thousand times the mass of water that makes up our planet's oceans. The discovery sheds new light on the presence and role of water in the early formation stages of a planetary system. |
| Date: 20 Oct 2011 |
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| Hubble survey carries out a dark matter census [heic 1115] |
| 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. |
| Date: 13 Oct 2011 |
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| Call for declaration of Interest in Science Instrumentation - Cosmic Vision Mission: LOFT |
| This Call for declaration of Interest in Science Instrumentation (CISI) is open to the European science community for enabling assessment studies of the science instruments of the LOFT mission. LOFT, the Large Observatory for X-ray Timing, has been selected for assessment following the ESA Call for a Medium-size M3 mission opportunity in the Cosmic Vision (CV) 2015-2025 plan. The European science community is invited to propose dedicated studies on science instrumentation that would potentially be provided by the ESA Member States, should the mission be adopted. The Proposal submission deadline is 18 November 2011, at 14:00 CET. |
| Date: 10 Oct 2011 |
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| Tenuous ozone layer discovered in Venus' atmosphere |
| Using observations of Venus performed with an instrument on ESA's Venus Express scientists have detected, for the first time, a tenuous layer of ozone in this planet's atmosphere. Located at an altitude of about 100 km, the layer is up to a thousand times less dense than the one found, at a lower altitude, in the Earth's stratosphere, but both are dominated by very similar chemical reactions. The discovery poses new challenges to the characterisation of planetary atmospheres, especially in the quest for biomarkers on extrasolar planets. |
| Date: 06 Oct 2011 |
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| Herschel finds first evidence of Earth-like water in a comet |
| A team of astronomers using ESA's Herschel Space Observatory have discovered the first comet containing water that is similar in isotopic composition to that in Earth's oceans. This detection, in the comet 103P/Hartley 2, shows that contrary to earlier belief, comets may well have played an important role in bringing water to our planet, and that the reservoir of Earth-like water in the Solar System is far larger than suspected. |
| Date: 05 Oct 2011 |
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| Dark and bright: ESA chooses next two science missions |
ESA PR 25 2011
The powerful influence of the Sun and the nature of the mysterious 'dark energy' motivate ESA's next two science missions. Solar Orbiter and Euclid were selected today by ESA's Science Programme Committee for implementation, with launches planned for 2017 and 2019. |
| Date: 04 Oct 2011 |
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