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• Russia, Europe ink deal on new manned spacecraft

  - 2008-05-14

  MOSCOW AFP — The Russian and European space agencies have signed a deal to build a six-seat manned spacecraft to travel to the Moon, a Russian space official said Wednesday. Russian space agency Roskosmos and the European Space Agency "on Tuesday signed an accord on the creation of a...

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• Europe set for billion-euro gamble with comet-chasing probe

  - 2007-02-23

  PARIS AFP — A European comet-chasing spacecraft is set for a nail-biting close encounter this weekend with Mars. The billion-euro (1.3-billion-dollar) probe Rosetta will come within 250 kilometers (156 miles) of the Red Planet's surface, using Martian gravity to correct its course in one of the longest and costliest...

  Tags: Agence France-Presse, Earth, Engineering, European Space Agency, kilometer, spacecraft

• Irish project aims to bring art to space, and space to Earth

  - 2005-08-28

  DUBLIN AFP — Space Synapse, an Irish project at the cutting edge of both art and scientific research, wants to install an interactive work of art on board the International Space Station within the next two years. Its aim -- to give the world a means of communicating with...

  Tags: Agence France-Presse, Earth, European Space Agency, spacecraft

• Heads up, it's Europe's comet-chaser

  - 2005-03-03

  PARIS AFP — Weather permitting, European astronomers should get a good view of Rosetta, a spacecraft designed to rendezvous with a comet in deep space in one of the most ambitious ventures in space exploration. The billion-euro (1.3-billion-dollar) craft, launched just over a year ago, will be passing overhead...

  Tags: Agence France-Presse, Earth, Europe, European Space Agency, kilometer, Robots, spacecraft, Sun Microsystems Inc.

• It's only rock 'n' roll, but we launched it

  - 2004-11-19

  PARIS AFP — When the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft completes its journey to Saturn's moon Titan in January, its probe will carry out many missions -- among them, to boldly blast rock 'n' roll music where none has been heard before. The US-European vessel, run by NASA, the European Space Agency...

  Tags: Agence France-Presse, European Space Agency, music, spacecraft

• Europe's Moon probe ready for lunar orbit

  - 2004-09-28

  PARIS AFP — Europe's first probe to the Moon will be injected into lunar orbit in November, the European Space Agency ESA announced to mark the first anniversary of the spacecraft's launch. SMART-1 "is in excellent health and preparing for the manoeuvres that will bring it into orbit around...

  Tags: Agence France-Presse, Benefits, European Space Agency, HEALTHCARE, Leadership, SOFTWARE, spacecraft, Strategy

• Bad weather forces 24-hour postponement of Europe's comet-chaser

  - 2004-02-26

  KOUROU, French Guiana AFP ? The launch Thursday of Rosetta, a European spacecraft designed to chase and land on a comet, was postponed by 24 hours because of bad weather, officials said. High altitude winds prompted mission controllers to scrub the launch 20 minutes and 40 seconds before the...

  Tags: Agence France-Presse, Construction, European Space Agency, spacecraft

• Last hours tick by for launch of Europe's comet-chasing probe, Rosetta

  - 2004-02-25

  KOUROU, French Guiana AFP ? Tense mission controllers at Europe's space base here were running through their final checklists ahead of the pre-dawn launch of a decade-long, unmanned mission to explore a comet. The Ariane 5 rocket was scheduled to blast off at 0736 GMT, although the crucial final...

  Tags: Agence France-Presse, Earth, European Space Agency, kilometer, spacecraft, Sun Microsystems Inc.

• European spacecraft detects ice at Martian pole

  - 2004-01-23

  DARMSTADT, Germany AFP ? The European orbiter Mars Express has detected frozen water at Mars' South Pole, mission officials revealed. "We have identified water ice on the South Pole," European Space Agency ESA scientist Vittorio Formisano said Friday as he unveiled preliminary data garnered by the unmanned spacecraft. ...

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• So far so good, as Europe's mission to Mars clears vital hurdle

  - 2003-12-25

  DARMSTADT, Germany AFP ? Europe's exploration of Mars cleared an important hurdle Thursday as an unmanned spacecraft packed with sensors was placed into orbit, although scientists were kept on tenterhooks as to the fate of a probe sent down to search for life on the Red Planet. Replete with...

  Tags: Agence France-Presse, Earth, European Space Agency, spacecraft