The Open University

Rising water vapour holds clues to possibility of past life on Mars

10 February 2021

An international team of researchers have observed the transport of water vapour high up into the atmosphere of the Red Planet, providing another clue in answering the mystery of when Mars might have been habitable for life. New findings from the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO), a joint mission between the European Space Agency (ESA) […]

Mars: how scientists prevent Earth’s microbes from contaminating other planets

5 February 2021

There are two planned Mars landings in 2021. First, Nasa’s Perseverance rover is due to land on the planet later this month. Then China’s Tianwen rover will follow in May. Both missions intend to search the planet for signs of life. Dr Thomas Cheney, Lecturer in Space Governance at The Open University, explains more. But […]

One step closer to building habitats on the Moon

27 January 2021

A team of lunar scientists from The Open University (OU) and the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) are making advances in building permanent structures on the Moon’s surface. OU researchers Dr Sungwoo Lim, Professor Mahesh Anand, Dr James Bowen, Dr Giulia Degli Alessandrini, Vibha Levin Prabhu and Aidan Crowley, a researcher from the EAC, investigated the […]

Ariel space mission moves one step closer to reality

17 November 2020

The European Space Agency’s (ESA) exoplanet mission Ariel, set to launch in 2029, has moved from study to implementation phase. Ariel, also known as the Atmospheric remote-sensing infrared exoplanet large-survey mission, will study what exoplanets are made of, how they are formed and how they evolve, by surveying a diverse sample of around 1000 planetary […]

Water on the Moon: research unveils its type and abundance – boosting exploration plans

27 October 2020

New study unearths water on the Moon, Open University academics James Mortimer, postdoctoral researcher in planetary science and exploration and Mahesh Anand, professor of planetary science and exploration, explain how this discovery will enhance our understanding of water on the lunar surface. The Moon was for a long time considered to be bone dry, with […]

Asteroid Bennu: successful touchdown – but the scientific mission has only just begun

21 October 2020

Following the successful touch-and-go landing on asteroid Bennu, Monica Grady, Professor of Planetary and Space Sciences at The Open University, suggests that this momentous feat is only the beginning for the OSIRIS-REx team and wider scientific community. Relief showed clearly on the faces of the team of NASA scientists and engineers as they were told: “Touchdown is […]

NASA mission to asteroid Bennu set to return with new space rock samples

9 October 2020

Space rocks returning from near-Earth asteroid Bennu on the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will bring never-before-seen samples back to Earth. Open University (OU) researcher Dr Ben Rozitis, a collaborator on the OSIRIS-REx mission, asserts that the mission, if successful, will return with a large collection of space rocks not currently represented in existing collections on Earth. Launched […]

Mars: mounting evidence for subglacial lakes, but could they really host life?

29 September 2020

David Rothery, Professor of Planetary Geosciences at The Open University, discusses the discovery of subglacial lakes on Mars and if this could lead to finding out if there was, or is, life on the planet. Venus may harbour life some 50km above its surface, we learned a couple of weeks ago. Now a new paper, published in Nature Astronomy, […]

Venus: could it really harbour life? New study springs a surprise

15 September 2020

Monica Grady, Professor of Planetary and Space Sciences, at The Open University speaks on the landmark discovery of phosphine, a rare gas, on Venus and whether this latest discovery could point to extraterrestrial life on the planet. Earth’s sister planet, Venus, has not been regarded as a high priority in the search for life. Its […]

Groundbreaking discovery could signal life on Venus

14 September 2020

Scientists from across the globe, including Dr Helen Fraser of The Open University, have detected a rare gas – phosphine – in the clouds of Venus. The landmark discovery could point to extra-terrestrial ‘aerial’ life on the planet. For decades, the scientific community has speculated that high clouds on Venus could offer a home for […]

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Category: Space