The Open University

What formed the recent Martian landscape? Latest research might have the answer

27 October 2017

Scientists from the OU have discovered a new phenomenon that could explain the long-debated mystery of how recent land features on Mars are formed in the absence of significant amounts of water. Dr Jan Raack explains more: What is this research all about? “Experiments carried out in our Mars Simulation Chamber, which is able to […]

Private companies are launching a new space race – here’s what to expect

4 October 2017

The space race between the USA and Russia started with a beep from the Sputnik satellite exactly 60 years ago (October 4, 1957) and ended with a handshake in space just 18 years later. The handshake was the start of many decades of international collaboration in space. But over the past decade there has been […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Scientists find some of Mars’ youngest volcanoes – and discover they could have supported life

26 July 2017

4000 km wide view of Mars’ (colour-coded topgraphy) Coprates Chasma. NASA/USGS/ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G Neukum), CC BY-SA It may seem that Mars was once a much more exciting planet. True, there are dust storms and possible water-seeps occurring today, but billions of years ago it was a dramatic place with huge volcanoes, a giant canyon […]

The BepiColombo spacecraft is ready to solve the many mysteries of Mercury

11 July 2017

The €1.65 billion BepiColombo spacecraft is now being unstacked for final tests after being displayed in its launch configuration to the world’s press at the European Space Agency’s Space Technology and Research Centre. The six-metre high assembly will soon be shipped to Kourou in French Guyana where it is anticipated to launch in October 2018. […]

Robotic telescopes COAST and PIRATE / Credit: Alan Cayless (The Open University)

OU brings astronomical telescopes to students in their home

5 July 2017

The OU Faculty of STEM is celebrating the inauguration of its remotely-controlled robotic telescopes, which will bring astronomy and space science to life for students whenever and wherever they are in the world. For almost half a century, the OU has been developing the latest digital technology to enhance the learning experience of students. The inauguration of […]

OU News

Category: Space