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Space

Helium balloons are being used to carry people, experiments and satellite launchers into near space. Image courtesy of Zero2Infinity
space | open innovation | industry
16 November 2016

Space for the masses as helium balloons and remote control planes reach through the stratosphere

Space will soon be within the grasp of everyday people, small countries, researchers or start-up companies thanks to a fleet of low-cost launch vehicles under development across Europe.

Using satellite data from the EU’s Sentinel missions along with other data is helping scientists figure out how to improve shipping safety. Copyright 2016 EUMETSAT
ict | open science | policy | space | environment
10 November 2016

New trends identified by computers that scour web, satellite data

Highly sophisticated computers are mining vast amounts of data from the web, digital maps and satellite imagery to pick out trends in areas like demographics, transport and the environment.

Scientists at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the largest particle accelerator in the world, are searching for dark matter by smashing atoms together. ‘Views of the LHC tunnel sector 3-4, tirage 2’ by Maximilien Brice (CERN) is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
frontier research | space
09 November 2016

‘Good chance’ of success in dark matter hunt

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world’s biggest particle smasher, stands a good chance of discovering the elusive particle or particles, known to scientists as dark matter, that make up five-sixths of the mass of the universe, researchers say.

Space engineers are working out how to bring back and store samples from Mars. Image credit: ‘Mars atmosphere 2’ by NASA is in the public domain
space
13 September 2016

Talks underway for world’s first alien life form facility in Europe

The world’s first alien life form containment facility is under discussion in Europe as the European Space Agency (ESA) looks at ways to bring a sample back to earth from Mars.

The collision of dense stars may have led to the formation of gold and other heavy elements. Image credit: Pixabay/ Public domain
space
04 August 2016

Gold could have come from colliding stars

If you are wearing a gold ring on your finger, it may well have started life in the collision of two neutron stars - small celestial objects that are formed when massive stars collapse.

By collecting gravitational wave data at facilities such as LIGO in the US, researchers can better understand the constantly changing nature of the universe. Image credit: LIGO Caltech
space | open to the world
31 May 2016

What’s next for gravitational waves?

The sooner-than-expected discovery of gravitational waves, announced in February, has given a new impetus to scientists in the field, who are now working to make sense of what it means not only for their research but also for our understanding of Einstein’s theory of general relativity. 

Researchers are using quantum theories to better understand the behaviour of black holes such as the GX 339-4 binary system. Artist’s impression courtesy of ESA/ATG medialab
space
29 March 2016

Holograms and missing dimensions – the upside-down world of black holes

At the extremes of mass, energy, gravity and space-time – black holes still present a mystery for scientists, yet the key to finding a way forward is reconciling gravity, described by Albert Einstein’s general relativity, and the behaviour of subatomic particles modelled using so-called quantum theory.

Researchers are using the notoriously dry environment of the Atacama desert in northern Chile to test sensors that could detect any potential Martian bacteria. Image courtesy of the NASA ARADS project.
space
21 March 2016

Life could exist on Mars today, bacteria tests show

Life could exist on Mars, tests on microbes have revealed, but finding it will be no easy task.

Astronauts need faster spacecraft, better radiation protection and heat shields before they can enjoy the Martian landscape in person. Image Credit: NASA/JPL
space
14 March 2016

Electric deep-space engines could bring humankind to Mars

Sending astronauts to Mars poses several large challenges, among them a long journey filled with life-threatening radiation from cosmic ray exposure and solar flares. Not to mention the fact that we haven’t yet worked out how to get them back again.

A virtual Mars could help researchers understand more about the planet’s valleys and water. Image courtesy of CROSSDRIVE
space
07 March 2016

Old Mars data paints new reality

Dozens of spacecraft have visited Mars over the years, generating untold amounts of data and expertise. Now scientists are bringing all of this together, with a hope of painting a new picture of the red planet.

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