Astronomy

Most movies follow one of six emotional arcs. Which one sells the most tickets?

Video: 00:09:13

Meet Andrea Patassa—test pilot, aviator, passionate outdoor adventurer, and Member of ESA’s Astronaut Reserve. 

In this miniseries, we take you on a journey through the ESA Astronaut Reserve, diving into the first part of their Astronaut Reserve Training (ART) at the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) near Cologne, Germany. Our “ARTists” are immersing themselves in everything from ESA and the International Space Station programme to the European space industry and institutions. They’re gaining hands-on experience in technical skills like spacecraft systems and robotics, alongside human behaviour, scientific lessons, scuba diving, and survival training. 

ESA’s Astronaut Reserve Training programme is all about building Europe’s next generation of space explorers—preparing them for the opportunities of future missions in Earth orbit and beyond. 

This interview was recorded in November 2024. 

You can also listen to this episode on all major podcast platforms. 

Keep exploring with ESA Explores! 

The emission nebula, known as Sh2-284, is an immense region of gas and dust that fuels new star formation. It lacks elements heavier than hydrogen and helium, much like the environment of the early universe.

Image: Inner space engineering

Isar Aerospace is preparing to launch its Spectrum rocket from a base in Norway, which would make it the first orbital launch from continental Europe outside Russia

Isar Aerospace is preparing to launch its Spectrum rocket from a base in Norway, which would make it the first orbital launch from continental Europe outside Russia

Tololo Totality

President Donald Trump is threatening steep tariffs on virtually all imports. Here’s what that means and what economics research suggests would be the impact

Stone tools are considered the first form of technology devised by ancient humans – but they might not have been invented from scratch

Stone tools are considered the first form of technology devised by ancient humans – but they might not have been invented from scratch

Defining the word “moon” is harder than you might think

A neurosurgeon who has acted as a consultant for Severance explains the science behind the show’s brain-altering procedure—and whether it could ever become reality.

The Mars water debate continues. A team of scientists suggests vast oceans of water may not be locked within the Red Planet's crust, despite InSight lander data.

Tutankhamun ruled ancient Egypt shortly after a period of religious instability, and objects from his tomb suggest he took advantage to invent new funerary rituals

Tutankhamun ruled ancient Egypt shortly after a period of religious instability, and objects from his tomb suggest he took advantage to invent new funerary rituals

Image: The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains.

Astronomers have discovered filaments of matter swirling tornado-like around the heart of the Milky Way, home to the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*.

Many of us have a brain that is older than our years. But there are plenty of things you can do to counteract this, says neuroscience columnist Helen Thomson

Many of us have a brain that is older than our years. But there are plenty of things you can do to counteract this, says neuroscience columnist Helen Thomson

It’s looking more and more as if dark energy, the mysterious factor that scientists say is behind the accelerating expansion of the universe, isn’t as constant as they once thought. The latest findings from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, or DESI, don’t quite yet come up to the level of a confirmed discovery, but they’re leading scientists to rethink their views on the evolution of the universe — and how it might end.