Copernical Team
A new type of seismic sensor to detect moonquakes
During the Apollo missions of the 1970s, several seismometers were flown to the moon, where they collected data on lunar seismic trembling for eight years. The data showed some lunar quakes were as powerful as a magnitude 5.
Unlike the Earth, the moon is not tectonically active. Lunar quakes have different origins: Some are caused by day-to-night thermal differences as the surface varies in temperature, others that occur deeper may be caused by Earth's gravitational pull, and still others are caused by the moon slowly cooling and contracting over time. Understanding how, when, and where these quakes occur is critical for planning missions to the moon, especially if permanent structures like a lunar base are to be built on its surface.
A new study demonstrates that an emerging new seismological technology called distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) would be able to measure lunar quakes with unprecedented precision. As NASA's upcoming Artemis missions plan to return to the moon to, among other research aims, deploy new seismic sensors, the study makes a case for using DAS rather than conventional seismometers.
A paper, titled "Assessing the feasibility of Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) for moonquake detection," describing the research appears in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters.
A tour of the International Space Station with Andreas Mogensen
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On the last day of his Huginn mission, ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen takes us on a tour of the place he called home for 6 months: the International Space Station. From the beautiful views of Cupola to the kitchen in Node 1 filled with food and friends and all the way to the science of Columbus, the Space Station is the work and living place for astronauts as they help push science forward.
Juice’s first year in space: “it’s real now”
One year since the launch of ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice), we catch up with core team members Claire Vallat, Giuseppe Sarri, Olivier Witasse and Ignacio Tanco.
From memories of launch day to hopes for the future, they talk honestly about the ups and downs of flying a space mission, and reveal how they’re ensuring that Juice will be a huge success.
ESA astronaut class of 2022 graduation ceremony
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As they reach the end of one year of rigorous basic astronaut training, ESA astronaut candidates Sophie Adenot, Rosemary Coogan, Pablo Álvarez Fernández, Raphaël Liégeois, Marco Sieber and Australian Space Agency astronaut candidate Katherine Bennell-Pegg will receive astronaut certification at ESA’s European Astronaut Centre on 22 April 2024.
The group was selected in November 2022 and began their training in April 2023.
Basic astronaut training provides the candidates with an overall familiarisation and training in various areas, such as spacecraft systems, spacewalking, flight engineering, robotics and life support systems, as well as survival and medical training.
Following certification, the new
Week in images: 08-12 April 2024
Week in images: 08-12 April 2024
Discover our week through the lens
ESA astronaut graduation: launching into the future
One year of basic training will soon bear fruit for ESA’s astronaut candidates Sophie Adenot, Pablo Álvarez Fernández, Rosemary Coogan, Raphaël Liégeois, Marco Sieber and Australian Space Agency astronaut candidate Katherine Bennell-Pegg.
On 22 April 2024, these astronaut candidates will receive their certification at ESA's European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany, officially becoming fully fledged astronauts eligible for spaceflight.
EarthCARE mission card for portal
EarthCARE - ESA's cloud and aerosol mission
Planet Labs Introduces Comprehensive Earth Data Analysis Platform
Today, Planet Labs PBC (NYSE: PL) unveiled the Planet Insights Platform, an integrated suite for developing Earth insights. This initiative represents a significant development in the integration of Planet's suite of products with Sentinel Hub, acquired last year. By merging analysis-ready Earth data with advanced cloud-based analytics, the platform facilitates efficient data analysis, streaming Vyoma Gains Additional euro 5 Million in Funding to Advance Space Surveillance Technologies
Vyoma, a company based in Germany focused on space situational awareness, has successfully obtained further funding from a space-focused fund supported by the European Investment Fund (EIF). The EIF, jointly owned by the European Investment Bank and the European Union, funds disruptive technologies across various sectors in Europe. Atlantic Labs, another major investor in Vyoma and fund manager, New diagnostic system to validate high-power laser weapon performance
The Air Force Research Laboratory, or AFRL's, Directed Energy Directorate, completed the build of its new Government Radiometrically-Accurate Instrument for Laser Evaluation Version II, or GRAILE-II, system Jan. 18, 2024. The diagnostic system will be used to validate the performance of the Department of Defense, or DOD's, most powerful high-energy laser systems.
According to Dr. Joseph Co