Copernical Team
Team develops new tools to help search for life in deep space
Are we alone in the universe? An answer to that age-old question has seemed tantalizingly within reach since the discovery of ice-encrusted moons in our solar system with potentially habitable subsurface oceans. But looking for evidence of life in a frigid sea hundreds of millions of miles away poses tremendous challenges.
Ariane 6 takes next step to first flight with upper stage hot fire tests
ESA’s flagship Ariane 6 launch vehicle programme has taken a dramatic step towards first flight with the start of a series of hot fire tests of the rocket’s upper stage and its all-new Vinci engine.
Run the Solar System in 20 km
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Run the Solar System in 20 km Satellites detect methane plume in Nord Stream leak
Following unusual seismic disturbances in the Baltic Sea, several leaks were discovered last week in the underwater Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines, near Denmark and Sweden. Neither pipeline was transporting gas at the time of the blasts, but they still contained pressurised methane – the main component of natural gas – which spewed out producing a wide stream of bubbles on the sea surface.
With the unexplained gas release posing a serious question about the incident’s environmental impact, a suite of complementary Earth observation satellites carrying optical and radar imaging instruments were called
Minerva Mission highlights
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ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti will soon complete her second mission to the International Space Station, Minerva.
She was launched from Kennedy Space Center in late April, and since then has supported numerous European and international science experiments, as well as taken responsibility for all operations within the US Orbital Segment. In July 2022 she performed her first spacewalk, during which she carried out work in the Russian segment to bring the European Robotic Arm into operation. At the end of September 2022, she became the first European woman to hold the role of crew commander on the Station.
Cosmic ray protons reveal new spectral structures at high energies
Cosmic rays constitute high-energy protons and atomic nuclei that originate from stars (both within our galaxy and from other galaxies) and are accelerated by supernovae and other high-energy astrophysical objects. Our current understanding of the Galactic cosmic ray energy spectrum suggests that it follows a power-law dependence, in that the spectral index of protons detected within a certain e Supercomputer simulations reveal new possibilities for the Moon's origin
Our pioneering scientists from the Institute for Computational Cosmology used supercomputer simulations to reveal an alternate explanation for the Moon's origin, as a satellite placed immediately into orbit following a giant impact between Earth and a Mars-sized body.
The researchers created the highest resolution simulations yet produced to study the Moon's origin 4.5 billion years ago. The fountain of life: Water droplets hold the secret ingredient for building life
Purdue University chemists have uncovered a mechanism for peptide-forming reactions to occur in water - something that has puzzled scientists for decades.
"This is essentially the chemistry behind the origin of life," said Graham Cooks, the Henry Bohn Hass Distinguished Professor of Analytical Chemistry in Purdue's College of Science."This is the first demonstration that primordial molecu Africa in space: continent has a lot to gain, but proper plans must be put in place
Every year in October nearly 100 countries organise activities to mark World Space Week. The theme this year is space and sustainability. In this interview, Adejuwon Soyinka, West Africa regional editor at The Conversation Africa, asks Etim Offiong about how far Africa has come in the space age and what benefits the continent stands to gain from its investment in space technology.
Russia's SwRI creates Space Sector with two new divisions to support space research and development
Southwest Research Institute's Space Science and Engineering Division, with 465 employees in three states, has been restructured to create two new technical divisions. Dr. James L. Burch, vice president of the Space Science Division, will become Senior Vice President leading SwRI's new Space Sector organization, encompassing all three divisions.
Dr. Robin Canup will lead the new Solar Syst