Copernical Team
Video: Orbital badminton in 360 degrees
Experience an orbital badminton match on the International Space Station ISS in 360° as ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer challenges his crewmates and Japanese spaceflight participants Yusaku Maezawa and Yozo Hirano.
Together with Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin, the Japanese spaceflight participants joined the current Expedition 66 crew for a short-term stay of 12 days on the ISS.
While their stay on the ISS focuses on scientific and operational activities, the astronauts on board the Space Station also enjoy recreational activities that provide an important balance for the crew and offer opportunities for intercultural exchange and team building.
Matthias was launched to the International Space Station on Crew Dragon Endurance as part of Crew-3 at 02:03 GMT/03:03 CET Thursday 11 November 2021. His ESA mission on board is known as Cosmic Kiss and will see him live and work for approximately six months in orbit.
Explore further
Integrated photonics meets electron microscopy
The transmission electron microscope (TEM) can image molecular structures at the atomic scale by using electrons instead of light, and has revolutionized materials science and structural biology. The past decade has seen a lot of interest in combining electron microscopy with optical excitations, trying, for example, to control and manipulate the electron beam by light. But a major challenge has
Say hello to a record-setting isotope
In collaboration with an international team of researchers, Michigan State University has helped create the world's lightest version, or isotope, of magnesium to date. Forged at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at MSU, or NSCL, this isotope is so unstable, it falls apart before scientists can measure it directly. Yet this isotope that isn't keen on existing can help resear
NASA selects 4 university teams for aviation projects
NASA's research focus on sustainable aviation will get some big help from teams of university faculty and students recently selected to participate in the agency's University Leadership Initiative (ULI). ULI gives the academic community an opportunity to support NASA's aeronautical research goals and provide students with valuable experience in solving real-world technical challenges.
Quantum marbles in a bowl of light
Which factors determine how fast a quantum computer can perform its calculations? Physicists at the University of Bonn and the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology have devised an elegant experiment to answer this question. The results of the study are published in the journal Science Advances. Quantum computers are highly sophisticated machines that rely on the principles of quantum
China receives data from newly launched resource satellite
The China Remote Sensing Satellite Ground Station has successfully received the first data transmitted from the newly launched resource satellite ZY-1 02E, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) said Monday. The ground station in Beijing's Miyun District tracked and received the downlink data from the 5-meter optical satellite in two receiving tasks that lasted about nine minutes and five m
China launches final rocket of the year into orbit
China launched a Long March 3B carrier rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province early on Thursday morning, marking the completion of the country's annual launch schedule. The rocket blasted off at 12:43 am and carried an experimental satellite, named Communication Technology Demonstrator 9, into a geosynchronous orbit, according to a statement published by China
Iran launches three new satellites into low earth orbit
Earlier in December, a state news agency reported that four satellites were undergoing final preparations for launch. One of them was set to replace a satellite launched two years ago, but which had failed to stay in orbit. Tehran has launched a rocket carrying three satellites into space, Iranian Defence Ministry spokesman Ahmad Hosseini has revealed. According to him, a domestically deve
US voices 'concern' on Iran space launch but favors talks
The United States voiced concern Thursday about Iran's new space launch, saying it would help the clerical state's missile program, but indicated it was still pursuing diplomacy to return to a nuclear deal. "The United States remains concerned with Iran's development of space launch vehicles, which pose a significant proliferation concern," a State Department spokesperson said after Iran ann
USTRANSCOM expands cooperative research to explore space cargo
U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) entered into its third cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA), on December 17, 2021, with Blue Origin to explore the possibility of someday using rockets to transport cargo and people. "Today, industry is energetically shaping space into a practical transportation mode--a trustworthy complement to our traditional global mobility opti