Locked in a giant tin can for months on end, isolated from the outside world, it is a claustrophobe’’s worst nightmare, In Moscow, scientists are trying to find out how well humans would survive the 18-month journey to the Red Planet. This is a vital experiment if a long-held dream to put human [...]

Informa: esa.int/esaCP/SEMLETJTYRF_index_0.html

ESA’s GOCE satellite was formally declared ready for work at 01:00 CET on 20 March. During the critical Launch and Early Orbit Phase beginning with separation from its booster on 17 March, GOCE was checked out to confirm that all of its control systems are operating normally.

Informa: esa.int/esaCP/SEMZ8TJTYRF_index_0.html

Mars Express has uncovered geological evidence suggesting that some depositional process, revealed by erosion, has been at work on large scales in the equatorial regions of the planet. If so, this would provide another jigsaw piece to be fitted into the emerging picture of Mars’ past climate.

Informa: esa.int/esaCP/SEM8MQJTYRF_index_0.html

After liftoff 17 March, ESA’s GOCE spacecraft is performing very well, having achieved an extremely accurate injection altitude of 283.5 km, just 1.5 km lower than planned. The Mission Control Team is now working round-the-clock shifts to implement a series of critical check-out procedures.

Informa: esa.int/esaCP/SEMOKLJTYRF_index_0.html