Europe extends three key space missions
Paris (AFP) Feb 10, 2009 The European Space Agency (ESA) on Tuesday announced it was extending successful unmanned missions to Mars and Venus as well as a satellite exploration of Earth's magnetic field. The decision would extend the Mars Express, Venus Express and Cluster missions until December 31, ESA said in a press release. Mars Express, launched in 2003, "has produced a treasure of discoveries," ESA said, pointing to radar measurements that discovered massive underground deposits of water ice and a 3-D camera that has produced stunning images of the planet's surface. Venus Express, launched in 2005, has been mapping Venus' roiling, scorching, toxic atmosphere, in a project that could help explain the mechanisms of runaway global warming. The Cluster mission, launched in 2000, comprises four satellites that are carrying out a coordinated mapping of the magnetosphere, the magnetic field that surrounds Earth and protects it from charged particles blasted out by the Sun. Mars Express and Cluster had previously been extended twice, and Venus Express once. Related Links The latest information about the Commercial Satellite Industry
DLR Zero G Flight Campaign 2009 Bonn, Germany (SPX) Feb 06, 2009 DLR as an albatross - Biologist Dr Ulrike Friedrich manages parabolic flights on behalf of DLR. "When the aircraft enters weightless conditions and you are lifted up from the floor and start to float, huge amounts of excitement hormones are released in your body", enthuses Dr Ulrike Friedrich. |
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright Space.TV Corporation. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space.TV Corp on any Web page published or hosted by Space.TV Corp. Privacy Statement |