Insects on the space menu 🦗 👨‍🚀 @esa.int has gathered experts from across Europe to study whether these resilient and nutritionally rich creatures could become part of an astronaut’s meal. 🌍 Billions of people eat insects on Earth – have you eaten one before? www.esa.int/Science_Expl...

🚀 Dreaming of a career in space? @esa.int's European Astronaut Centre is looking for interns! 🌍✨ From space medicine to XR labs, media production and planetary science, this is your chance to work where astronauts train. ✅ Applications open until 30 November 2025 👉 www.esa.int/About_Us/Car...

SWOOSH! 🧹 When a meteoroid struck Mars, it triggered ~100 dust avalanches down an ancient volcano's slopes. @esa.int's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter captured the dramatic effect of the rare cascade. A new @nature.com study examines the most common causes of these streaks. www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed...

No supermarkets on the Moon? No problem. 🌕🥗 @esa.int's HOBI-WAN project is testing if bacteria can turn gases into protein-rich food in microgravity. This could make future crews more self-sufficient on missions to the Moon and Mars. The Force of science is strong 👉 www.esa.int/Newsroom/Pre...

What's it like to live on White Mars? 🇦🇶 After a year of research and resilience at Concordia station, @esa.int doctor Nina Purvis shares her experience in a new blog 🧪❄️. Discover her journey 🔗 blogs.esa.int/concordia/20...

🦿 Can you fly to space with a prosthesis? @esa.int’s FLY! project is exploring inclusive spaceflight—together with astronaut reserve member John McFall. Hear from John about the next phase of FLY!, astronaut reserve training and more in this #ESAExplores podcast 🎧 🔗 youtu.be/rYHicJCkLxA?...

🚀 @esa.int's astronaut reserve wraps up training phase two! For eight weeks, the team reunited at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne 🇩🇪 to train in spacecraft systems, operations, VR spacewalks, sea survival, firefighting and more 👩‍🚀👨‍🚀 🔗 t.co/7rKzhjEVtK

👨‍🚀 For over 25 years now, there has always been someone in space, orbiting our planet every 90 minutes aboard the International Space Station 🛰️. Now you can relive every day of this incredible journey thanks to Ben Feist and David Charney 🔗 issinrealtime.org

📡 There is a place in Europe that talks to the International Space Station every single day. 🛰️ Welcome to a day in the live of the Columbus Control Centre, our direct link to Europe’s space laboratory, where teams provide 24/7 support to keep science running in orbit.

Exactly 25 years ago, at 09:21 UTC, the era of continuous human presence on the International @Space_Station began. Since Crew One took up residence in 2000, 21 @esa.int astronauts have lived and worked on this orbital outpost, conducting essential research to benefit life on Earth.

🌌 In space no one can hear you scream. At Concordia you can, but no one is close enough to answer 😱 ❄️ Over 500 km from the nearest humans, this Antarctic outpost is more remote than the International Space Station. 🔊 Listen to the haunting sounds of isolation this Halloween, captured by Dr Purvis.

🔥 Turning up the heat As part of their training programme, @esa.int's astronaut reserve suited up for fire emergency drills, learning to stay calm, act fast and protect their crew for future space missions 👨‍🚒👩‍🚒 🔗 www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed...

🔊 Guess the sound! 🔴 Our engineering teams just picked up an audio signal they’re calling "Creepy Mars." 🤔 What do you think is making this squeaky noise? Drop your answer in the comments, we’ll reveal it at 16h CET! #Halloween #SpookySeason

Booooo!! 👻 It’s #SpookySeason! Can you guess what's making this candle's flame flicker? 🕯️ Is it... a) ghost b) microgravity We know it’s tricky, so we’re treating you to the answer 🎃 www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed... Happy #Halloween! 🦇

Do you wanna hear a scary story? 😱 Four astronauts. One underground mission. Total darkness. Every task demanded teamwork. Every step required trust. In space or in a cave, no one explores alone. An international crew completed @esa.int's CAVES training, living in isolation underground for 4 days.

👨‍🚀 40 years ago today, Wubbo Ockels became the first Dutch astronaut 🇳🇱 🚀 During his mission, Spacelab-D1, he orbited Earth 110 times over 168 hours 🌍 and performed over 75 experiments with his crew 🧪, controlled from the German Space Operations Centre for the first time in space history.

🇵🇱🧪 From mental health to volcanic algae, Polish science soared aboard #Ignis 🚀 18 days on the International Space Station 🧬 13 experiments from Poland 🧑‍🚀 53+ hours of science ✅ 127% mission success Explore the full overview👉 esamultimedia.esa.int/docs/HRE/Ign... @esa.int @astro-slawosz.bsky.social

🌕 Robots on the Moon — almost! Eight teams from 🇨🇦 🇩🇰 🇩🇪 🇱🇺 🇵🇱 🇬🇧 tested robotic systems to dig and sort simulated Moon soil at the @esa.int - @dlr-en.bsky.social LUNA facility in Cologne, Germany. ✨ The goal? Tech for sustainable lunar living. 🔗 www.esa.int/Science_Expl...

👽 Not an alien, but condensation defying gravity. 👀 Watch liquids behave differently on the International Space Station vs Earth. 🆒 @esa.int is pioneering heat transfer tests in space with an experiment that could improve how we cool down www.esa.int/Science_Expl...

Getting ready for Antarctica ❄️ Last week at @esa.int's European Astronaut Centre, our human exploration science team met the crew who will spend the 2026 winterover at Concordia station 🇦🇶 for their "pre-baseline data collection", a series of measurements before they leave for Antarctica 🧪

👣 One small step… 🌙 Matthias Maurer steps into the future at LUNA, Europe's Moon on Earth 🌍 This @esa.int/@dlr-en.bsky.social lunar surface analogue facility is helping scientists, engineers and astronauts better prepare for our return to the Moon youtu.be/CLWkrOFH5mQ

Waving from orbit — Thomas Reiter’s historic hello from space! 👋🌍 30 years ago today, @esa.int's astronaut Thomas Reiter became the first European to perform a spacewalk during his 179-day EuroMir-95 mission. 🔗 esa.int/ESA_Multimed...

Orion on a roll 🌀 Last week, the Artemis II Orion - complete with crew module 👩‍🚀, @esa.int's European Service Module ⚡, solar arrays ☀️ + launch abort system 🛡️ - was rolled 10km to the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Next step - stacking on the SLS rocket 🚀 📸: ESA-M. Born

🚁 Helicopter training for lunar landings 🌕 @esa.int astronauts Alexander Gerst, Matthias Maurer, Samantha Cristoforetti and Thomas Pesquet graduated today from a three-week training course with the German Bundeswehr 🎓

📢 First bedrest samples arrive at @esa.int's new Exploration Biobank in Portugal. 🧪 +1400 tubes with blood, saliva, urine, stool and hair are now stored at –80°C in Europe's first biobank dedicated to human spaceflight research. www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed...

🛰️🎸#SpaceStationEarth is back! This mesmerising live show fusing music and imagery from the ISS goes on a new UK tour next year, offering audiences a unique chance to experience the awe and wonder of spaceflight. www.esa.int/Space_in_Mem... @ukspaceagency.bsky.social @spacerocksofficial.bsky.social

👨‍🚀 @esa.int's Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski kicked off the #Ignis post-flight tour, bringing space closer to people across Poland. 🇵🇱 🔭 Toruń planetarium 🌌 Hevelianum, Gdańsk 🪐 Silesian planetarium, Chorzów 🚀 Łukasiewicz Institute of Aviation, Warsaw blogs.esa.int/exploration/...

👩‍🚀 Training in progress Our astronaut reserve members are back at @esa.int’s European Astronaut Centre for phase 2 — building on the training they kicked off earlier this year. ⏪ Rewind to @astromeganne.bsky.social's first impressions in this #ESAExplores episode 🎧 🔗 esa.int/ESA_Multimed...

☢️ One day in space exposes astronauts to the radiation that people on Earth receive over a year. 👩‍🚀 Without the protection of our atmosphere, crews on the International Space Station live and work under an increased risk of cancer and degenerative diseases. #LivingInSpace #WorldSpaceWeek #WSW2025

This is not static noise 📺 It's a gel forming in space. The white & black speckles are anything but random. Understanding its behaviour in orbit has great potential for longer-lasting medicines, paint and cleaning products on Earth. More on @esa.int's Colloidal Solids: www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed...

🛰️ The biggest spacecraft to cruise to Mars will need a powerful push to enter orbit. @esa.int’s Earth Return Orbiter will rely on the thrust of its Orbit Insertion Module to perform this critical manoeuvre. 🎊 A year of quiet triumphs: blogs.esa.int/to-mars-and-...

🌡️ Temperatures outside the International Space Station swing from 120°C to -160°C as it orbits Earth. 👩‍🚀 Inside, astronauts enjoy a comfortable average of 20°C. 🔄 To keep it cool, a smart thermal control system uses water & ammonia loops, air conditioning and radiators. #LivingInSpace #WSW2025

🆕Researchers combed through images from ESA's #MarsExpress & #ExoMars spacecraft to find 1039 swirling dust devils 🌪️ Using these dust devils to track raging winds on Mars, their findings include that the strongest winds blow much faster than we thought! Read more 👉 www.esa.int/Science_Expl... 🧪 ☄️

How do you use the toilet in space? 🚽🚀 The most frequently asked question in spaceflight history, answered! 😅 #LivingInSpace #WorldSpaceWeek #WSW2025

🚰 The International Space Station recycles up to 80% of its water. 👨‍🚀 Astronauts drink water recycled from their sweat, urine, and exhaled breath. 🧵 Discover how it works in this thread. #LivingInSpace #WorldSpaceWeek #WSW2025

It's lunch time in space! Would you choose dried or canned food today? 🥫🫘 Here's an overview of the food types you can eat on the International Space Station. #LivingInSpace #WorldSpaceWeek #WSW2025

📢 New episode featuring @esa's ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover! 🍿 Watch the most sophisticated laboratory set to work on Mars in action. Like a factory floor, an automated sequence drives samples through the lab. www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuh8...

Fly over Xanthe Terra with #MarsExpress 🛰️ 🔴 Travel along a valley carved out some 3.5 billion years ago 🔴 Pass by impact craters 🔴 Go over lowlands once flattened by floodwaters Enjoy the flight, and turn up the volume 🔊 www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed... 🔭 #planetsci

From inner to outer space. 🧗‍♀️🌍👨‍🚀 @esa.int astronaut Marco Sieber pauses to admire the heart of the cave he is about to explore. This journey to the centre of Earth is part of his training for the challenges of spaceflight. www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed...

How does cave exploration compare to spaceflight? 🧗‍♀️👨‍🚀 A thread 🧵👇

🎙️🌍 Happy #InternationalPodcastDay! 🌍🎙️ Celebrate with our @esa.int Explores podcast — your audio gateway to Europe’s space story 🚀✨ 🎧 Listen now on your favourite podcast platform: esa.int/About_Us/EAC... 📺 Or watch our video podcast episodes: youtube.com/@EuropeanSpa...

#OTD 29 September 1988, the MoU on cooperation on design and development of Space Station Freedom was signed by @esa.int and NASA (as was the first Intergovernmental Agreement for the Space Station signed by European countries, USA and Canada). 🔗 www.esa.int/esapub/bulle... @exploration.esa.int

Before the cave: how a crew of four astronauts prepares for the underworld. 👨‍🚀🧗‍♂️ Explore. Document. Return safely. ✅ @esa.int's CAVES training kicks off in Italy: blogs.esa.int/caves/2025/0...

🔴Moving around on Mars is tricky - its surface can be too rocky for a rover in one place, and too smooth for the navigation of a drone in another😬 During his internship with @esa.int, a robotics student investigated what would happen if a rover and a drone teamed up 🤖 🫱🏽‍🫲🏻 🚁 www.esa.int/Enabling_Sup...

🌔 Every day, Earth is bombarded by tiny asteroids, most too small to even be detected. But what if we could study those impacting the Moon? ESA's NELIOTA-III #HorizonEurope project closely monitors Moon impact flashes and just released its first observations. www.esa.int/Space_Safety...

Mars’s atmospheric mille-feuille 🔴🍰 Scientists are trying to crack the recipe behind these hazy layers above Mars's limb using high resolution images form @esa.int's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter. www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed...

❄️ “We came here to study science, but what we found was silence. A silence that breathes and watches and holds us.” @esa.int-sponsored doctor Nina Purvis voices Life in the Base, a prize-winning film from Concordia’s winterover crew 🌌🏔️ Read more 👉 blogs.esa.int/concordia/20...

✨ A patch that tells a story. From the European Astronaut Centre to the International Space Station and beyond — @esa.int’s new Astronaut Reserve Training patch celebrates: 🧭 Our training hub 🛰️ Our orbital legacy 🌟 Our future explorers Find out more 🔗 www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed...

🌚 Lunar geology lessons for Artemis. A shared passion for Moon rocks, astronaut training and geology storytelling took two NASA scientists to @esa.int's latest PANGAEA training for space explorers. Here is what they told us from a fjord in Norway 🇳🇴. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uc8A...

💪🏼🦴 Muscle weakening and bone density loss – side effects of microgravity bear many similarities to ageing 🚀👵🏽 A student from TU Delft and VU Amsterdam compared effects of ageing with those of altered gravity from a cellular perspective during her internship at @esa.int 👉 www.esa.int/Enabling_Sup...