Copernical Team
Q&A with ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer
Video:
01:01:43
Watch the replay of Matthias Maurer’s last Q&A session before liftoff!
The ESA astronaut joined from his pre-launch quarantine in the USA to discuss launch preparations and highlights of his mission, called Cosmic Kiss. Matthias will be the 600th human to fly to space.
His first launch attempt is on Sunday 31 October at 07:21 CET (06:21 GMT, 02:21 EDT) alongside NASA astronauts Kayla Barron, Tom Marshburn and Raja Chari on the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft “Endurance”.
Week in images: 25 - 29 October 2021
Week in images: 25 - 29 October 2021
Discover our week through the lens
Low-gravity simulator design offers new avenues for space research and mission training
As humanity continues its exploration of the universe, the low-gravity environment of space presents unusual challenges for scientists and engineers.
Researchers at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and the Florida State University-headquartered National High Magnetic Field Laboratory have developed a new tool to help meet that challenge—a novel design for a low-gravity simulator that promises to break new ground for future space research and habitation.
Watch live: liftoff of ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer
At 07:21 CET (06:21 GMT) Sunday 31 October ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer will be launched to the International Space Station to begin his Cosmic Kiss mission. Tune in to ESA Web TV channel two from 03:00 CET (01:00 GMT) for live coverage of the launch.
DARPA, NGA transition novel optics technology to fieldable prototypes
Materials with novel optical properties developed under DARPA's Extreme Optics and Imaging (EXTREME) program are providing new capabilities for government and military imaging systems. EXTREME, a basic research program in DARPA's Defense Sciences Office, successfully developed new optical components, devices, systems, architectures, and design tools using engineered optical materials, or metamat Scientists spot rare neutrino signal for big physics finding
Did you feel the trillions of neutrinos that just flew through your body? Probably not, because these subatomic particles rarely interact with matter. Neutrinos can travel through a lightyear's worth of lead without ever disturbing a single atom. Understanding these ghost-like particles could unlock mysteries of the universe, but how can scientists study neutrinos if they are seemingly undetecta Scientists find strange black 'superionic ice' that could exist inside other planets
Using the Advanced Photon Source, scientists have recreated the structure of ice formed at the center of planets like Neptune and Uranus.
Everyone knows about ice, liquid and vapor - but, depending on the conditions, water can actually form more than a dozen different structures. Scientists have now added a new phase to the list: superionic ice.
This type of ice forms at extremely hi Science results offer first 3D view of Jupiter's atmosphere
New findings from NASA's Juno probe orbiting Jupiter provide a fuller picture of how the planet's distinctive and colorful atmospheric features offer clues about the unseen processes below its clouds. The results highlight the inner workings of the belts and zones of clouds encircling Jupiter, as well as its polar cyclones and even the Great Red Spot.
Researchers published several papers o Jupiter's Great Red Spot is deeper than thought, shaped like lens
New studies of Jupiter's Great Red Spot released Thursday have found that while the meteorological phenomenon is deeper than originally thought, it's largely shaped like a flat lens about 10,000 miles wide.
The vortex storm, the largest of many such spots on Jupiter's surface, extends up to 310 miles below the planet's cloud tops, some 100 miles deeper than previous research indicated. Making space travel inclusive for all
In a weightless, microgravity environment like space, what do ability and disability look like? How can someone with partial sight or impaired mobility navigate in a confined space like the space station? As scientists and innovators continue to push the boundaries of spaceflight and the possibility of human life on other planets, how can we build space infrastructure that is inclusive of all hu