The Open University

How a new orbital moon station could take us to Mars and beyond

2 October 2017

The dream of a human habitat in orbit about the moon came a step closer on September 27, when NASA and the Russian space agency (Roscosmos) signed up to a common vision for future human exploration. The project, a follow-up to the International Space Station (ISS), involves a facility placed in orbit somewhere between the […]

Students taking part in learning exercise

OU academic shortlisted for innovation in engineering and science

28 September 2017

Associate Director for Academic Professional Development (APD), Dr Anne Adams and her team, have been shortlisted for the WISE Tech Innovation Award 2017 for inspiring technological innovations. The WISE Awards 2017 recognises the outstanding contributions to gender balance in science, technology and engineering, of individuals and organisations. The entry submitted by the all-women team […]

Mexico Earthquake: Expert reaction

20 September 2017

Prof David Rothery, Professor of Planetary Geosciences, The Open University, said: “The epicentre of yesterday’s magnitude 7.1 earthquake in Mexico was about 500 km from the magnitude 8.1 quake of 8 September. There is no direct connection between the two, although they are both consequences of the convergence of the Pacific floor (here belonging to […]

Cassini crashes: it’s time for a new mission to explore the possibility of life on Saturn’s moons

15 September 2017

NASA’s Cassini mission has made its “death plunge” into the swirling clouds of Saturn after 20 years of exploring the planet and its moons. It’s been amazingly successful, making headlines with groundbreaking discoveries throughout its journey. But today the headlines are more like obituary notices, looking back at the mission’s spectacular achievements. Cassini discovered new […]

Professor Joyce Tait appointed to the Council for Science and Technology

11 September 2017

Professor Joyce Tait has been appointed to the Council for Science and Technology, which advises the Prime Minister on science and technology policy issues that cut across the responsibilities of individual government departments. Joyce, one of five new appointments to the Council, is the Director of the Innogen Institute based at The Open University (in […]

The Docklands Light Railway: 30 years of revolutionary transport

31 August 2017

On the 30th anniversary of the Docklands Light Railway, Emeritus Professor of Transport Strategy, Stephen Potter, considers the history and impact of one of the busiest transport systems in the UK. In 2016 – 17, 122.3 million journeys were made on the DLR. To put this into context, the next busiest light rail system, […]

Volcanic emissions caused the warmest period in past 56m years – new study

31 August 2017

To predict what type of Earth lies ahead of us, we scientists usually turn to complex computer simulations. But how can we test whether these models are remotely accurate? Perhaps the best solution is to turn to instances in the geological past when Earth’s climate experienced similarly rapid warming. One such event is the Palaeocene-Eocene […]

OU to host Astrobiology Society of Britain Conference 2017

28 August 2017

The Astrobiology Society of Britain (ASB) Conference series continues its objective of education and outreach for UK astrobiology research with its seventh annual conference. Hosted at the OU in Milton Keynes, ASB7 will focus on habitability beyond the Earth. The Conference will begin at 10:30 on Wednesday 13 September 2017, with talks on biosignatures, ground-based […]

There could be snow on Mars – here’s how that’s possible

22 August 2017

Given that there are ambitious plans to colonise Mars in the near future, it is surprising how much we still have to learn about what it would be like to actually live on the planet. Take the weather, for instance. We know there are wild fluctuations in Mars’s climate – and that it is very […]

The sun’s core rotates four times faster than its surface – here’s why it matters

11 August 2017

My favourite science news is the stuff that changes the way I think about the world and our place in the universe. Many dinosaurs were covered in feathers; there’s a planet in the habitable zone around the nearest star in the night sky; the universe is expanding faster and faster but no one yet knows […]

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Category: Science, maths, computing and technology