On 8 April 2010 the European Space Agency (ESA) launched its CryoSat-2 spacecraft. This spacecraft is “dedicated to studying variations in our planet’s ice cover.” Today ESA announced that it has received the first scientific data from CryoSat-2 in polar orbit around Earth. ESA hopes that “by accurately measuring thickness change in both types of ice, CryoSat-2 will provide information critical to scientists’ understanding of the role ice plays in the Earth system.” Learn more about the latest data from CryoSat-2 online now here.
The European Space Agency (ESA) released images of the Rosette Nebula taken by its Herschel space telescope. This nebula is found in the constellation Monoceros and lies about 5,000 light years from our own solar system. Within this series of giant gas clouds are the seeds of new stars to be born. Learn more about the Rosette Nebula and see the latest images online now here.
Yesterday, the NASA Cassini Mission released new images taken by its spacecraft of two moons of Saturn, Titan and Dione. The images of Titan were taken on 5 April 2010 and the pictures of Dione were taken on 7 April 2010. To see the latest images of Titan link here; and, to see the latest images of Dione link here.