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    NASA astronaut Sunita Williams commands test rover at ESOC
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    ESA pays tribute to ESOC's 40th anniversary12 December 2007

    ESA pays tribute to ESOC's 40th anniversary12 December 2007 In September 1967, the European Space Operations Centre was formally inaugurated in Darmstadt, Germany, to provide satellite control for the European Space Research Organisation, today known as ESA. ESOC began just a decade after the 1957 start of the...

    Happy birthday, Envisat01 March 2012

    Happy birthday, Envisat01 March 2012 In the early hours of 1 March 2002, the largest Earth observation satellite ever built soared into orbit from ESA’s launch base in Kourou, French Guiana. For a decade, Envisat has been keeping watch over our planet.

    Comet Halley's nucleus as seen by Giotto

    Giotto approach to Comet Halley15 June 2011

    Comet Halley's nucleus as seen by Giotto

    Giotto approach to Comet Halley15 June 2011 Twenty-five years ago, ESA's Giotto probe swept within 600 km of Comet Halley, obtaining the first close-up images of a comet. It revealed the first evidence of organic material in a comet and, still today, much of what we know about comets comes from...

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    Commemorating five decades of human spaceflight11 April 2011

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    Commemorating five decades of human spaceflight11 April 2011 Loading... function addViewCount() {var rUrl = "http://multimedia.esa.int/layout/set/void/dam/add_view/9087";obj = YUI().Get.script(rUrl, {});} jwplayer("pi_player").setup({flashplayer: "http://multimedia.esa.int/extension/esadam/design/standa...

    Giotto, ESA's first deep-space mission: 25 years ago11 March 2011

    Giotto, ESA's first deep-space mission: 25 years ago11 March 2011 In 1986, ESA's Giotto passed closest to the nucleus of Comet Halley and revealed the first evidence of organic material in a comet. Much of what we know about comets comes from the pioneering Giotto mission.

    Comet Halley's nucleus as seen by Giotto

    ESA remembers the night of the comet11 March 2011

    Comet Halley's nucleus as seen by Giotto

    ESA remembers the night of the comet11 March 2011 Twenty-five years ago, ESA made its mark in deep space. A small spacecraft swept to within 600 km of Halley’s comet. The Giotto probe was nearly destroyed by the encounter but what it saw changed our picture of comets forever.

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