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From Antarctica to Mars

There is something in the frozen lands of Antarctica that lures her. Vinciane Debaille cherishes forgotten rocks that have landed in the midst of the white desert. More than 250 martian meteorites have fallen under the scrutiny of this geochemist who dates rocks using natural radioactivity to understand how planets formed and evolved.

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Science

A game changer for the Solar System

Half a century ago humans stepped on the Moon for the first time. The lunar rocks the Apollo astronauts bought back to Earth are still being investigated and analysed by researchers all over the world. As lab techniques improve, new revelations help us better understand our natural satellite.

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Science

The martian link

She feels at ease in the lab, surrounded by microscopes to unveil the inner secrets of rocks. As she swings back and forth between a meteorite sample, the eyepiece and the screen, she is looking for the organic compounds that will tell her more about life in the Universe.

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Science

Mars revisited

If aliens looked for life on a future Earth with its oceans and fertile lands lost to time, where would they start?

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Science

A Sherlock Holmes for Mars

The crime scene is an impact crater and the mystery is an elusive one for scientists – detecting life’s fingerprints on Mars.

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International Space Station

Power spacewalk series draws to a close

Last Thursday, NASA astronauts Chris Cassidy and Bob Behnken performed the 11th spacewalk in a three-and-a-half-year effort to upgrade the International Space Station’s power system.

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Spaceship EAC

Spaceship EAC: 3D printing parts for the Moon

Swedish master student Billy Grundström is undertaking a 6-month internship at ESA’s European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany, where he’s 3D printing parts from simulated Moon dust and a bio-additive in preparation for lunar living.

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International Space Station

Bye, bye, Earth views

For half a decade, cameras mounted outside ESA’s laboratory on the International Space Station streamed video to the world – offering mesmerising views of our planet, much like an astronaut’s gaze. NASA’s High Definition Earth Viewing project put commercial “off-the-shelf” cameras out in space...

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