The Open University

Icy dunes on Pluto: spacecraft reveals new details about planet’s surface

1 June 2018

When Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto in 1930, he could not have known that he was opening a whole field of science that is only now coming into its own: the study of planetary landscapes, or comparative planetary morphology. Since the announcement of Pluto’s discovery, the body has been a subject of much speculation: even from […]

Asteroids and bringing space rocks back to Earth

11 May 2018

Professor of Planetary and Space Science, Simon Green, is interviewed by the Space Boffins about asteroids, space rocks, and the next international space missions that academics at The Open University are contributing towards. Speaking about the next space missions, which will focus on collecting asteroid samples, Professor Green, said: “Only the most robust [asteroids] objects survive to the […]

Mars and the ice-filled crater on its surface

26 April 2018

An ice-filled Martian crater is visible in the first photographs of Mars transmitted from the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO). After a year of extremely dangerous aerobraking, the ExoMars TGO began transmitting photographs of the surface from its camera system, known as CaSSIS (Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System). The first photograph taken by the ExoMars TGO […]

Mysterious red spots on Mercury get names – but what are they?

23 April 2018

Mercury is the closest planet to the sun, but far from being a dull cinder of a world, it has instead turned out to be a real eye opener for geologists. Among the revelations by NASA’s MESSENGER probe, which first flew past Mercury in 2008 and orbited it between 2011 and 2015, is the discovery […]

OU research to support small businesses in boosting the UK space industry

18 April 2018

The Open University (OU) is part of a consortium of UK universities and organisations to be awarded almost £5 million to support small businesses in enhancing innovation and research in the UK space industry. The grant of £4.8 million from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) will provide small and medium-sized businesses with […]

Remembering inspirational physicist and author Stephen Hawking

14 March 2018

We are extremely saddened to hear that world-renowned physicist Professor Stephen Hawking passed away today. Famous for his work with black holes and relativity, Professor Hawking inspired many people to look beyond our planet and understand space and the universe better. Despite living for many years with motor neurone disease, his achievements are remarkable. His […]

Search for methane on Mars starts as ExoMars Mission reaches final orbit

13 March 2018

After a year of extremely dangerous aerobraking, the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) will reach its final orbit and start collecting data from the atmosphere of Mars. Onboard the Orbiter is an instrument developed by academics from The Open University. Nadir and Occultation for MArs Discovery (NOMAD) will ‘sniff’ the atmosphere for methane – a […]

A huge asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs, but what danger do smaller ones pose?

19 January 2018

A small asteroid passed relatively close to Earth this month, having been discovered just six days earlier. This might sound scary, but it’s unusual that such an object would actually collide with the Earth. Each year about 50,000 tonnes of extraterrestrial material (rocks and dust) hits our planet. This comes as tiny pieces – even […]

Discovery of cigar-shaped asteroid from outer space could help unveil secrets of extrasolar worlds

21 November 2017

It came from outer space … and went back there two weeks later, having astonished and excited astronomers and planetary scientists. A cigar-shaped object, less than half a kilometre long and barely bright enough to be detected by the world’s most powerful telescopes, payed us a flying visit in October this year – reminding us […]

£3 million mission to understand the dangers of space weather

1 November 2017

A team of international scientists, including academics from the OU, have been awarded £3 million to develop an instrument to research how the Earth’s atmosphere responds to powerful solar winds. The funding, which is from the UK Space Agency, will support academics collaborating on SMILE (the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer), a European Space […]

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