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A pioneer reflects on ESA's thirty years

20 May 2005

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On 4 October 1957, Sputnik 1 was hurled into orbit atop a modified intercontinental ballistic missile, from Launch Pad 1 at Baikonur.

Credits: S.P.Korolev RSC Energia

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Astronaut Ed White moves away from his Gemini 4 capsule as his golden tether unreels from a black bag in which it was kept until he emerged from the spacecraft. He somersaulted away for most of the tether's length, then maneuvered back with the aid of an oxygen rocket gun. This picture was made by White's fellow astronaut, James McDivitt, June 8, 1965, with a Hasselblad camera.

Credits: AP Photo/NASA

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ESA's ten-instrument Envisat environmental satellite has been observing the Earth for three years. Envisat’s solar panels measured 10 x 4 x 4 metres when inside the Ariane launcher but then unfolded in space to an incredible 25 x 7 x 10 metres.

Credits: EADS Astrium

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