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One small step EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY SCIENCE RELEASE Posted: August 10, 2002 Around the world, there is renewed interest in sending a manned mission to other planets in our Solar System. What conditions await future astronauts? Space science provides many clues. Before leaving Earth, scientists want to use robotic spacecraft to find out more about the conditions that human travellers will face once they reach some far-off destination. A flotilla of planetary exploration missions is already providing us with invaluable scientific data about other worlds. Stepping onto other planets to perform scientific investigations yourself is an old dream. However, most science done today uses robotic missions. Huge distances in space, harsh environmental conditions, and the status of current technology put strong limitations on the human exploration of space. Of the nine planets in our Solar System, Earth is the only one that is 'habitable', meaning that human beings can breathe the atmosphere and move around in reasonable temperatures. Of the other planets, the best we can hope for is that they are 'hospitable'. None of them possesses the special mixture of gases that make up the Earth's air, nor its mild temperature. The giant planets of the outer Solar System, that is, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are all gaseous. Lacking solid surfaces, they have clouds all the way down to their deep, compacted cores. Although they all have moons on which you could land, these are too far away to be within the current reach of astronauts. The nearest planet to Earth is Venus, but this world is a boiling mixture of noxious gases with a surface temperature hotter than a kitchen oven and a pressure 600 times higher than on Earth. The planet Mercury is too close to the Sun. So neither Venus nor Mercury are 'hospitable' by human standards. That leaves Mars and the Moon. Both are hospitable, with temperature ranges that are bearable and an atmosphere that is absent in the case of the Moon and not too corrosive in the case of Mars. Astronauts with proper spacesuits would be able to get by in these conditions. Both the Moon and Mars are also relatively close by to Earth, requiring journey times of less than a year. In the case of the Moon, about three days, for Mars, about nine months. Apart from these large worlds, there are also a number of smaller destinations within reach. For example, there are very many so-called near-Earth asteroids that are the leftovers of planet formation. Going there may reveal clues to how the Earth and other planets formed. Current scientific missions to other worlds in the Solar System are not only important for their absolute scientific value, but also because the information we gather prepares us for future visits by human beings. Astronauts will have to endure many hardships living and working in these places. For example, there are gravity differences compared to Earth, the lack of atmosphere to shield them from harmful solar radiation and, on Mars, the tremendous dust storms that regularly engulf the planet. Understanding as much as possible about these places is essential before we launch any human missions. ESA's current planetary missions are perfect starting points to learn about new worlds. For example, Mars Express and SMART-1 will provide vital data about the presence and the distribution of water and ice on Mars and the Moon, respectively. Another mission, Rosetta, will even drop a lander on a comet. The experience we gain with Rosetta will be invaluable for us to perfect techniques to land on near-Earth asteroids in the future. Other projects such as Mars Express, Venus Express, BepiColombo, which will go to Mercury, and Huygens, which will go to Titan, will play their part in refining environmental measurements on other worlds also. In 2001, ESA began preparing the Aurora programme, Europe's bold roadmap towards the eventual human exploration of the Solar System. While the purely scientific investigation of the Solar System continues, ESA's newest exploration programme, Aurora, will add another dimension. It will launch a number of robotic missions focused on clarifying those scientific aspects that we need to understand to make human exploration possible.
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Apollo 15 DVD - offer ends soon For a limited time only, preorder your Apollo 15 DVDs at a special discount price. Two- and six-disc editions of this unique DVD are coming soon.Hubble Astronomy Now presents Hubble: the space telescope's view of the cosmos. A collection of the best images from the world’s premier space observatory. Guenter Wendt's autobiography, The Unbroken Chain, is a ground-shaking, fumes in your nostrils account of the glory days of manned spaceflight.Apollo Collage This beautiful one piece set features the Apollo program emblem surrounded by the individual mission logos.STS-127 Patch The official embroidered patch for shuttle Endeavour's flight to finish building Japanese section of the space station.![]() Hubble Patch The official embroidered patch for mission STS-125, the space shuttle's last planned service call to the Hubble Space Telescope, is available for purchase.Project Orion The Orion crew exploration vehicle is NASA's first new human spacecraft developed since the space shuttle a quarter-century earlier. The capsule is one of the key elements of returning astronauts to the Moon.Fallen Heroes Patch Collection The official patches from Apollo 1, the shuttle Challenger and Columbia crews are available in the store.
An insider's view of how Apollo flight controllers operated and just what they faced when events were crucial.U.S. Apollo 11 special patch Special collectors' patch marking the 35th anniversary of the historic Apollo 11 moon landing is now available.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Inside Apollo mission control
An insider's view of how Apollo flight controllers operated and just what they faced when events were crucial.U.S. The ultimate Apollo 11 DVD This exceptional chronicle of the historic Apollo 11 lunar landing mission features new digital transfers of film and television coverage unmatched by any other.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Next ISS crew
Own a little piece of history with this official patch for the International Space Station's Expedition 11 crew. We'll ship yours today!U.S. Station Calendar
NEW! This beautiful 12" by 12" wall calendar features stunning images of the International Space Station and of the people, equipment, and space craft associated with it, as it takes shape day by day in orbit high above the Earth. Get e-mail updates Sign up for our NewsAlert service and have the latest news in astronomy and space e-mailed direct to your desktop (privacy note: your e-mail address will not be used for any other purpose). |
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