Most stars today can be found in giant, dead ellipticals which have long been considered by scientists the end of an evolutionary line for galaxies. How these galaxies formed and died so quickly has been an open question. The ConTExt project provides an explanation that is already paving the way to a new generation of astronomical studies.
Studying neutron star systems could tell us a great deal about the universe. However, finding these distant objects and extracting data is a challenge. To address this, an EU-funded project has developed groundbreaking models based on gravitational waves, earning a researcher a prestigious award in the process.
EU-funded researchers have gleaned important insights into the composition, topography and activity of a comet, helping scientists prepare for the next close encounter with these icy, dusty remnants from the formation of the solar system.
A 40kg lunar buggy developed by EU-funded researchers could enhance our understanding of the origins of the solar system and make future manned missions to the moon more feasible.
An EU-funded project carried out research into a hybrid propulsion engine that can transfer satellites into orbit more cost-effectively and with less pollution than other systems, ensuring Europe has independent, environmentally friendly access to space.
The European Union has established stringent requirements for the monitoring from space of man-made greenhouse gases (GHGs). An EU-funded project is developing a miniaturised spectrometer to be mounted on small satellites. This will enable scientists to meet the specifications for GHG monitoring and ultimately help us to better understand climate change.
EU-funded scientists set out to significantly advance humankind's knowledge of the planet Venus using data from powerful Earth-based telescopes and the Venus Express spacecraft.
Need to retrieve a few tonnes of cargo from Mars? Send some seriously heavy gear into deep space? Fly out sufficient mass to deflect an asteroid? Current spacecraft would not be nearly big or powerful enough, say EU-funded researchers who have looked into a possible next-generation design based on nuclear electric propulsion.
The biggest archive of celestial objects ever created is being made accessible to researchers and space enthusiasts for probing the depths of the Milky Way, assisted by advanced data mining and analysis tools developed by an EU-funded project.
What would it be like to live on Mars? Much like Earth, maybe, in due course - but the pioneers who will one day head out there will face a deeply hostile environment upon arrival. EU-funded researchers have developed a habitat for simulated space missions in suitably challenging locations down here on Earth. It can also support research in extreme conditions.
