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Spaceship EAC is based at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany. This initiative unites students and professionals from across Europe to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing the future of human and robotic exploration.

(English) LEGO bricks from space dust

(English) The team of ESA’s Spaceship EAC initiative revived their LEGO-building skills and 3D-printed the famous bricks from lunar regolith and meteor dust, providing a glimpse into how future construction on the Moon might look.

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(English) EAC experiments take off in hypogravity

(English) Have you ever wondered how researchers test space equipment or conduct experiments in low gravity conditions before going to space? One way to achieve this is through parabolic flights, which offer short periods of reduced gravity. These flights started as a way to train astronauts, but now are mainly used for scientific experiments and testing new technologies.

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(English) Virtual reality brings ESA’s Argonaut Moon lander to life

(English) A team of students and researchers are using virtual reality (VR) to bring ESA’s Argonaut lunar lander concept to life at the European Astronaut Centre. Argonaut is a lunar lander that will deliver scientific instruments and cargo to the Moon at the end of this decade. Interns and scientists involved in the simulations are part of ESA’s Extended Reality (XR) laboratory, German Aerospace Centre DLR and the Spaceship EAC initiative.

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(English) Earth Days: Cards on the table

(English) Every day is Earth Day. In April, ESA hosted a workshop as part of the ESA Earth Day 2023. The three-day event at the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany, promoted sustainability and the use of space in line with the UN sustainable development goals.

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(English) Mining lunar minerals with terrestrial fungi

(English) Filamentous fungi may not be the first thing most people think of when it comes to mining, but they could be the answer to construction on the Moon. João Figueira, a Master’s student with the University of Porto, Portugal, has been working with ESA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Aerospace Medicine, to uncover how a unique biomining method could mould Europe’s next steps in space.

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(English) Home of ESA astronauts to host piece of the Moon

(English) A piece of the Moon, escorted by astronaut to ESA’s European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany, will soon serve as a public symbol of Europe’s next off-Earth adventure.

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(English) Spaceship EAC: turning up the heat on lunar dust

(English) “Heat for one minute. Then, remove from the microwave and leave to rest before constructing your lunar habitat.” This, or something similar, could be part of an astronaut’s instructions in the future, as microwaves are used to process lunar regolith on the Moon.

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(English) Spaceship friendship: forward to the Moon together

(English) At ESA's European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany, the Spaceship EAC initiative brings a team of young professionals and researchers together to advance the future of human and robotic space exploration. It is a lofty challenge that is gathering momentum, with new Spaceship sites in Toulouse, France and the UK.

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