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Mission	Previous	Current Top Article
AIM Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere AIM's two-year mission is to study Polar Mesospheric Clouds, the Earth’s highest clouds, which form an icy membrane.			Spacecraft to Study Clouds at Edge of Space Arrives at Vandenberg March 12, 2007 The AIM spacecraft will fly three instruments designed to study polar mesospheric clouds located at the edge of space, 50 miles above the Earth's surface in the coldest part of the planet's atmosphere.
Cluster ESA/NASA Mission The four Cluster spacecraft carry out 3D measurements in the Earth's Magnetosphere.			Solitary Waves In Translation Mar. 07, 2007 Swooping through space are solitary waves, which in theory do not change form or lose energy as they go along. These waves, which exist on Earth in different media, have been detected and explained for the first time in space thanks to Cluster data. In theory, these solitary waves, called solitons, propagate endlessly maintaining their shape and form as well as velocity, which means that they do not lose energy with time.
COROT COROT is a CNES project with ESA participation. The other major partners in this mission are Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Germany and Spain.			COROT started its science mission Feb. 09, 2007 COROT, the satellite to probe into the interiors of stars and to look for extra-solar planets, has completed its in-orbit verification and started its science observations on 3 February this year.
DAWN Dawn is to become the first spacecraft ever planned to orbit two different bodies after leaving Earth, will orbit Vesta and Ceres, two of the largest asteroids in the solar system.			The Prius of Space Sept. 13, 2007 "Dawn will be history's first mission to go out into the solar system, orbit and explore a distant body, and then go on to a totally different celestial body and explore that one," said Dawn project manager Keyur Patel of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. "To do all that you need a spacecraft with a lot under the hood."
Foton M3 Foton M3 is scheduled to launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazahkstan in September 2007. The capsule will spend 12 days orbiting the Earth			Foton-M3 Experiments Return To Earth Sept. 26, 2007 The reentry capsule for the Foton-M3 spacecraft, which has been in low-Earth orbit for the last 12 days, successfully landed this morning in an uninhabited area 150 km south of the town of Kustanay in Kazakhstan, close to the Russian border, at 09:58 CEST, 13:58 local time.
GALEX Mapping the history of star formation in the universe.			Galaxy Evolution Explorer Celebrates Five Years in Space Apr. 28, 2008 Since its launch five years ago, the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) has photographed hundreds of millions of galaxies in ultraviolet light. M106 is one of those galaxies, and from 22 light years away, it strikes a pose in blue and gold for this new commemorative portrait. The galaxy's extended arms are the blue filaments that curve around its edge, creating its outer disk.
GIOVE-A - B GIOVE-A and -B are being built in parallel to provide in-orbit redundancy and secure the mission objectives. They provide complementary capabilities.			GIOVE-A Test Campaign Completed Aug. 17, 2007 The test campaign using the large antenna at Chilbolton Observatory to analyzes the navigation signals transmitted by GIOVE-A, the first Galileo satellite, has been successfully completed.
Herschel ESA's infrared space telescope launch in 2008			Herschel passes a new milestone Feb. 21, 2007 The heart of ESA's infrared space telescope, Herschel, has successfully completed a vital round of tests. The cylindrical cryostat will now be loaded with the spacecraft's instruments before more tests and Herschel’s eventual launch in 2008.
INTEGRAL The International Gamma Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (Integral) is the most sensitive gamma-ray observatory ever launched.			Integral: Stellar winds colliding at our cosmic doorstep Feb. 20, 2008 ESA’s Integral has made the first unambiguous discovery of high-energy X-rays coming from a rare massive star at our cosmic doorstep, Eta Carinae. It is one of the most violent places in the galaxy, producing vast winds of electrically-charged particles colliding at speeds of thousands of kilometers per second.
LCROSS The Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, mission to look for water on the moon will be a 'secondary payload spacecraft.			Northrop Grumman-Designed Spacecraft to Detect Lunar Water Ice Passes Critical Design Review, Moves Into Production Phase Feb. 28, 2007 The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) successfully completed critical design review, giving Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) the green-light to complete building flight hardware for the mission.
Mars Express Mars Express, so called because of the rapid and streamlined development time, represents ESA's first visit to another planet in the Solar System.			Mars radar opens up a planet’s third dimension Apr. 17, 2008 ESA’s Mars Express radar sounder, MARSIS, has looked beneath the Martian surface and opened up the third dimension for planetary exploration. The technique’s success is prompting scientists to think of all the other places in the Solar System where they would like to use radar sounders. No matter how accurate a camera is, it can only map a planet’s surface.
MESSENGER The MESSENGER mission, spacecraft, and science instruments are focused on answering six key outstanding questions that will allow us to better understand Mercury as a planet.			Mercury Features Receive New Names Apr. 28, 2008 The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has approved new names for features on Mercury and agreed on a new theme for fossae on the planet. These newly christened features were discovered from images taken by the MESSENGER spacecraft during its first flyby of Mercury in January.
MER The Mars Exploration Rover mission is part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the red planet.			Shoulder Motor Balks on Opportunity's Robotic Arm Apr. 24, 2008 A small motor in the robotic arm of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity that began stalling occasionally more than two years ago has become more troublesome recently. Rover engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., are diagnosing why the motor, one of five in the robotic arm, stalled on April 14 after much less motion that day than in the case of several earlier stalls.
Mars Odyssey This orbiter is mapping the mineralogy and morphology of the Martian surface.			NASA Orbiter Finds Possible Cave Skylights on Mars Sept. 21, 2007 NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft has discovered entrances to seven possible caves on the slopes of a Martian volcano. The find is fueling interest in potential underground habitats and sparking searches for caverns elsewhere on the Red Planet.
MRO Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, launched August 12, 2005, is on a search for evidence that water persisted on the surface of Mars for a long period of time.			Orbiting Camera Details Dramatic Wind Action on Mars Jan. 24, 2008 Mars has an ethereal, tenuous atmosphere with less than one-percent the surface pressure of Earth, which challenges scientists to explain complex, wind-sculpted landforms seen with unprecedented detail in images from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
New Horizons New Horizons began its journey across the solar system to conduct flyby studies of Pluto and its moon.			NASA Spacecraft Sees Changes in Jupiter System Oct. 09, 2007 New Horizons used Jupiter's gravity to boost its speed and shave three years off its trip to Pluto. Although the eighth spacecraft to visit Jupiter, New Horizons' combination of trajectory, timing and technology allowed it to explore details never before observed.
Planck Planck will make the most accurate maps yet of the microwave background radiation that fills space. It will be sensitive to temperature variations of a few millionths of a degree			Planck Satellite On View Jan. 31, 2007 ESA’s Planck satellite, due to study relic radiation from the Big Bang, is on display for the media tomorrow in Cannes. Images of the spacecraft in all its glory will be published on the web at the end of the press conference.
Phoenix Mars Lander The Phoenix lander targets northern arctic plain region using a robotic arm to dig through the protective top soil layer to the water ice below			Spacecraft at Mars Prepare to Welcome New Kid on the Block Feb. 28, 2007 Three Mars spacecraft are adjusting their orbits to be over the right place at the right time to listen to NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander as it enters the Martian atmosphere on May 25. Every landing on Mars is difficult. Having three orbiters track Phoenix as it streaks through Mars' atmosphere will set a new standard for coverage of critical events during a robotic landing.
Rosetta Mission Rosetta will orbit comet 67P and accompany it on its journey to the Sun.			Rosetta And New Horizons Watch Jupiter In Joint Campaign Mar. 30, 2007 ESA's Rosetta and NASA's New Horizons are working together in their joint campaign to observe Jupiter. A preliminary analysis of the data from Rosetta's Alice ultraviolet spectrometer indicates that the data quality is excellent and that good science is expected to follow.
SOFIA The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy--or SOFIA--is an airborne observatory that will complement the Hubble, Spitzer, Herschel and James Webb space telescopes,			SOFIA Airborne Observatory Begins Flight Test Phase Oct. 12, 2007 NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA, has begun a series of flight tests intended to confirm the structural integrity and performance of the highly modified Boeing 747SP aircraft.
THEMIS The 2-year mission of Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions During Substorms (THEMIS) is to track these violent, colorful eruptions near the North Pole.			Launch Week Arrives for THEMIS Feb. 12, 2007 On Feb. 3, THEMIS was transported from Astrotech payload processing facility near NASA Kennedy Space Center to Pad 17-B. The five satellites and their rocket were then subjected to a combined systems check to ensure everything is ready for the flight into space on launch day. Following the test, technicians installed the Delta II rocket's protective payload nose fairing around THEMIS.
Ulysses Mission A mission to study the Sun at all latitudes.			Ulysses Mission Coming To A Natural End Feb. 22, 2007 Ulysses, the mission to study the Sun’s poles and the influence of our star on surrounding space is coming to an end. After more than 17 years in space – almost four times its expected lifetime – the mission is finally succumbing to its harsh environment and is likely to finish sometime in the next month or two.
Venus Express Venus Express is a follow on from the Mars Express mission. Many of the instruments on the mission are simply upgraded versions of those on the Mars Express platform.			Venus Express reboots the search for active volcanoes on Venus Apr. 04, 2008 ESA’s Venus Express has measured a highly variable quantity of the volcanic gas sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere of Venus. Scientists must now decide whether this is evidence for active volcanoes on Venus, or linked to a hitherto unknown mechanism affecting the upper atmosphere. The search for volcanoes is a long-running thread in the exploration of Venus. “Volcanoes are a key part of a climate system,” says Fred Taylor, a Venus Express Interdisciplinary Scientist
XMM-Newton The Mirror Modules on this x-ray observatory allow XMM-Newton to detect millions of sources, far more than any previous X-ray mission			XMM-Newton discovers part of missing matter in the universe NEW May 06, 2008 ESA’s orbiting X-ray observatory XMM-Newton has been used by a team of international astronomers to uncover part of the missing matter in the universe. 10 years ago, scientists predicted that about half of the missing ‘ordinary’ or normal matter made of atoms exists in the form of low-density gas, filling vast spaces between galaxies.