OrbitalHub

ESA dixit:

“Through its Clean Space initiative, ESA is pioneering an eco-friendly approach to space activities. On the ground, that means adopting greener industrial materials, processes and technologies. In space, it means preserving Earth’s orbital environment as a safe zone, free of debris.

In the modern world, the quest to be environmentally friendly has been transforming the competitive landscape, as eco-friendly design turns into a new frontier of innovation. ESA is embracing this trend. Information on the environmental impact of Agency activities is, and will be, increasingly requested by ESA’s industrial, institutional and international partners, under pressure from customers, stakeholders and citizens.

Numerous analyses worldwide have shown the need for space debris removal, to contend with the proliferation of space debris. The only way to preserve key orbits for future use is to shrink the current amount of debris in absolute terms, which will require novel technologies and approaches for the removal of debris and the design of non-debris creating missions.

There is also substantial industrial potential: companies and organisations that take swift action towards meeting emerging regulations will obtain the competitive advantage of being first into the market. By fostering innovation, Clean Space aims to turn environmental challenges into opportunities for European space industry, to ensure a safer and cleaner environment both on Earth and in space.”

Video credit: ESA

NASA dixit:

“NASA takes you on the journey engineers go through to make a spacesuit. What challenges must be overcome to build a spacesuit capable of withstanding the heat, cold and the extreme environment of space? Learn about the accomplishments achieved by humans working in space, and discover two new prototype spacesuits, the PXS and the Z-2, as NASA continues to build on a 50 year legacy of spacesuits and prepares the next generation of explorers for the Journey to Mars.”

Video credit: NASA Johnson

NASA dixit:

“These 4K visualizations show the Moon’s phase and libration at hourly intervals throughout 2018, as viewed from the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Each frame represents one hour. In addition, this visualization shows the moon’s orbit position, sub-Earth and subsolar points, distance from the Earth at true scale, and labels of craters near the terminator.”

Ernie Wright (USRA): Lead Visualizer

John Keller (NASA/GSFC): Scientist

Noah Petro (NASA/GSFC): Scientist

Music Credits: Killer Tracks: “Illuminating” – Kelly McCollough; “Touching Clouds” – Kelly McCollough; “Euphoric Glow” – Andrew Skeet, Andrew Britton, David Goldsmith; “Just Beyond” – Kelly McCollough.

Video credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/David Ladd (USRA)

ESA dixit:

“It’s the perfect meeting of old and new. Astronomers have combined recent data from ESA’s Gaia mission with a simple analysis technique from the 18th century to discover a massive star cluster that had previously escaped detection. Subsequent investigations are helping to reveal the star-forming history of our Galaxy, the Milky Way. “

Video credit: ESA

ESA dixit:

“INTEGRAL (from INTErnational Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory) observes the ever-changing, powerful, and violent cosmos. It is the first space observatory that can simultaneously observe objects in gamma rays, X-rays, and visible light. The spacecraft travels in a geosynchronous highly eccentric orbit with high perigee in order to provide long periods of uninterrupted observation with nearly constant background and away from the radiation belts. Over time, the perigee and apogee have changed, as has the plane of the orbit.

In 2015, spacecraft operators conducted four thruster burns that were carefully designed to ensure that the satellite’s eventual entry into the atmosphere in 2029 will meet the Agency’s guidelines for minimising space debris. The orbital changes introduced during these manoeuvres are highlighted in blue. Making these disposal manoeuvres so early also minimises fuel usage, allowing ESA to exploit the satellite’s lifetime to the fullest.

By revealing both the diffuse emission from our Galaxy, the Milky Way, and the population of individual sources that shine brightly at these energies in our Galaxy and beyond, INTEGRAL has broadened our understanding of the high-energy Universe.”

Video credit: ESA/ScienceOffice.org

ESA dixit:

“ESA’s CryoSat and the Copernicus Sentinel-1 missions have been used to measure subtle changes in the elevation and flow of ice shelves that, in turn, reveals how huge canyons are forming underneath. Warm bottom ocean water is entering the cavity under Antarctica’s Dotson ice shelf and is stirred by Earth’s rotation. This is causing one side of the ice shelf to melt. The canyon, which has formed over 25 years, is now 200 m deep in places and the ice just above it is heavily crevassed, affecting the shelf’s future ability to buttress the ice on land.”

Video credit: ESA/University of Edinburgh–N. Gourmelen/Planetary Visions