The Open University

Schiaparelli lander above the surface of Mars

What missing lander means for Europe’s quest to find life on Mars

20 October 2016

Researchers at the European Space Operations’ Centre in Darmstadt, Germany, had another one of those nervous days – waiting to hear first from a probe designed to land on Mars’ surface, and then from the probe’s orbiting mother ship. By the end of the day, the flight engineers and mission scientists were half satisfied – […]

Dr Manish Patel in the OU's Hypervelocity Impact Lab.

Man on a mission: How OU academic launched a career in space

15 October 2016

Dr Manish Patel was inspired by space at a young age; venturing out in the middle of the night stargazing with his dad and his telescope. He studied an MPhys in Physics and Space Science at the University of Kent, more out of interest than as a career. After that, in what he describes as “a […]

ExoMars Schiaparelli Lander simulation on Mars

OU prepares for first successful landing on Mars

13 October 2016

Academics from the OU will be among those eagerly anticipating the first ever successful landing by European space scientists on Mars. The team of scientists from the OU are part of the European Space Agency (ESA) ExoMars Mission, which will discover if methane gas exists in the atmosphere and below the surface. This will help scientists […]

Rear view of a thoughtful woman who tries to solve math problems. Math calculations on black chalk board. Thinkstock

Special award for inspiring OU professor who champions womens’ careers in maths

11 October 2016

A leading OU maths professor who has championed the career progression of women in maths in the UK is being recognised with a special award from the Suffrage Science Scheme at a ceremony at Bletchley Park on Ada Lovelace Day today (11 October). Professor Gwyneth Stallard OBE, Professor of Pure Mathematics in the OU’s Faculty […]

OU research student on how to make it in space, without actually going there

4 October 2016

Vibha Srivastava has always wanted to be an astronaut and work in space science, which wasn’t straightforward as a young women from North East India. Before joining The Open University (OU) as a PhD Researcher she studied Aeronautical Engineering at Gujarat University, and a Masters at the International Space University in Strasbourg in France, including […]

Rosetta may be crashing, but its legacy lives on here on Earth

29 September 2016

The Rosetta Mission will end with a controlled descent to the surface of Comet 67P on Friday 30th September 2016; however, its legacy will live on in applications on Earth, developed by academics at The Open University, including detecting cancer and sniffing out bed bugs. The European Space Agency (ESA) Rosetta spacecraft arrived at Comet […]

Pupils at Kings Ely Junior School try out Virtual Reality equipment

Open University and Google bring virtual reality into schools

28 September 2016

The Open University (OU) is taking school children to the Great Barrier Reef, Everest and volcanoes with new virtual reality technology in the classroom. Through virtual reality technology called Google Expeditions, students are given virtual field trips to places that may be practically difficult or impossible for them to visit – such as The Great […]

Dr Ross Burgon with the C3D2 payload during acceptance testing [Credit: Courtesy of SSC]

OU to launch its first ever in-orbit experiment for student labs

23 September 2016

A miniature camera developed by space scientists at the OU will open up a new experience for distance learning students who will be able to interact with a live space instrument. The camera will be on board the Algerian Space Agency’s (ASAL) first CubeSat Mission, which will launch on 26 September 2016. OU space scientists […]

Mordor mystery: scientists solve puzzle of the strange, dark north pole on Pluto’s moon Charon

16 September 2016

Had Pluto itself not proved to be so spectacular when NASA’s New Horizons probe flew past last year, there can be no doubt that its large moon Charon would have won more admirers. The remarkable moon has a mysterious dark-red stain over its north pole, called “Mordor Macula” by the New Horizons team – where […]

Ceres asteroid may have an ‘ice volcano’ and other signs of water, NASA mission reveals

2 September 2016

The arrival of NASA’s Dawn mission at the huge asteroid “1 Ceres” in early 2015 has turned out to have been well worth waiting for. This dwarf planet is the largest body in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter and was the first to be discovered. But, until recently, we have only had information […]

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Category: Science, maths, computing and technology