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Friday 24 March 2023 Dublin: 7°C

# Space Exploration

Last year
2022
# Space Exploration
Chinese astronauts return to Earth after six-month mission
The capsule carrying the trio touched down at a landing site in the Gobi Desert in northern China.
Voices
Dr Niamh Shaw: Why space travel is much more than a billionaire’s pastime
The space exploration advocate makes the case for continuing to look up and learn from the cosmos.
All time
# join the conversation
Open thread: What should be a priority in space exploration?
We want to hear your hopes, dreams, and fears for the future of space exploration.
# Your Say
Poll: Who do you think is leading the modern space race?
Technological advancements have made space more accessible and affordable to private enterprises.
# tgip space
The Good Information Project: We're launching our 'space module'
The next cycle of TGIP will look at Ireland and the EU’s role in the current space race.
# Space Exploration
India's space agency says it lost contact with spacecraft minutes before planned moon landing
The country aimed to be the first to land in the Southern Polar region.
# Space Exploration
Mission to discover the mysteries of Mercury blasts off
The BepiColombo blasted off from French Guiana earlier today.
# Fly me to the moon
There's a European plan to have 100 people living on the Moon by 2040
The European Space Agency says it needs political backing.
# to boldly go
A Trinity professor will play a big role in space exploration
Professor Peter Gallagher has been appointed as an adviser to the Director of Science at the European Space Agency.
# abort abort abort
Last-minute glitch forces SpaceX rocket to cancel launch with 13 seconds left on countdown
The earliest a relaunch can be attempted is tomorrow morning.
# The Red Planet
WATCH: Spacecraft blasts off in new mission to search for life on Mars
The key goal is to analyse methane, a gas which is created in large by living microbes.
# SpaceX
Tiny steel part blamed for rocket explosion that caused $110 million damage
Back to the drawing board for Elon Musk’s company.
# under the sea
What's under the icy seas of Europa? NASA plans to find out
The hope is that a new prototype will be able to explore distant planets with potential habitable oceans.
# go where no man has gone before
If we're going to Mars, where are we going to land, live and work on the red planet?
NASA said it’s aiming to send people to Mars in 2030.
# into the beyond
This space suit isn't from a new sci-fi movie. NASA astronauts might wear this to Mars
For the first time since 1982, NASA is in the process of testing new space suit prototypes.
# Your Say
Poll: Do you think the Mars One project will succeed?
Bas Lansdorp denied the project is a sham.
# Space Exploration
These 7 days are historically the deadliest in NASA history
On this day in 1986, the shuttle Challenger exploded just 73 seconds after launch.
# match made in the heavens
Beaming the internet down from space looks like Google's next project
Reports say Google are planning a big investment in SpaceX.
# to boldly go
Did you know that the US left poo on the moon?
They did. And it was for a good reason.
# COLONISATION
'Get your ass to Mars': Buzz Aldrin wants humans to permanently occupy Mars
The second man to land on the Moon said those that travel to Mars shouldn’t envisage that they will ever return to Earth.
# Totally Worth It
The Rosetta probe comet landing cost us... €3.50 each
Hmm, that’s OK then.
# secret plans
Space exploration has a new major player in town...Google
The giant web company is spending nearly €1 billion on a San Francisco air base.
# Pungent
Comets smell like a mix of rotten eggs, horse pee, alcohol and almonds
Almonds? Ugh.
# Space race
'It's not like Star Trek': This is a big weekend for NASA's plans to land a human on Mars
The MAVEN spacecraft, a scout for human explorers, is approaching the red planet
# ultimate fireball
The most spectacular piece of rubbish you're likely to see
Space junk from a Russian rocket lit up the Australian sky.
# to boldly float
SpaceX are to launch a solar powered ship that will sail up into orbit
A few weeks into orbit, the LightSail’s wings will expand, making it visible from Earth.
Voices
Column: Look up! The Red Planet is continuing to shine brightly in the night sky
With Mars currently in opposition, and shining with an orange tinge, Conor Farrell explores our fascination with the Red Planet.
# crimea crisis
US:Russia tensions now affecting space exploration, as NASA cuts Moscow contacts
The US space agency has cut all contacts with Russia, except for cooperation on board the International Space Station.
# seeing stars
An 'extremely bright' fireball was spotted over Ireland
If you did, you weren’t alone.
# uncharted space
NASA finds 'bonanza' of 715 new planets, but how many could support life?
About four in fact.
# Space Exploration
China's Jade Rabbit dies on moon's surface
The rover experienced a mechanical control abnormality at the end of last month and has been unable to function since then.
# mission improbable
So, what are the chances we'll see an Irishman (or anybody) head to Mars?
The chances of anything coming from Mars are a million to one, as the famous song goes*. But how about the other direction?
# interstellar trekker
Is there life on Mars? Ten years on the Opportunity rover is still looking
The rover was only supposed to run for 90 days, but 10 years a 40 Martian kilometers later, it shows no signs of stopping.
# Mars One Mission
Meet the Irish man who's been shortlisted to go to Mars and never come back
Dr Joseph Roche, from Kildare, is one of 1,000 people shortlisted for the Mars One colony mission.
# the magnetic fields
European space mission to explore strange changes in Earth’s magnetism
The European Space Agency is preparing to launch three hi-tech satellites this Friday.
# Mars
India to launch first Mars mission tomorrow
The country is aiming to become the only Asian nation to reach the Red Planet.
# Galaxy Quest
Best 3D map of the centre of the Milky Way, ever...
Two groups of astronomers have used data from ESO telescopes to make the best three-dimensional map yet of the centre of our galaxy. Turns out it’s shaped a bit like a peanut…
# ISS
NASA aborts spacewalk after helmet leak
The dangerous water leak occurred in the helmet of Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano about an hour into the spacewalk.
# Space Exploration
Ayers Rock, the Andes and the Bahamas - as seen from space
Maybe we won’t miss Chris Hadfield that much? These spectacular images were taken by his replacement Fyodor Yurchikhin during his last mission on the ISS.
# KAPUT
NASA's planet-hunting spacecraft is broken - but they're determined to fix it
The planet-hunting telescope is 40 million miles from Earth and searches for Earth-like planets outside our solar system.