European Space Agency (ESA), Paris, France

An ESA-developed camera transmitted live-streaming 3D images for the first time in the history of space travel. On 6 August, NASA astronaut Ron Garan operated the Erasmus Recording Binocular (ERB-2) camera in Europe's Columbus laboratory, showing the International Space Station as never before in high-definition quality . While talking about the work on board the Station, he enhances the sense of depth and presence by playing with an inflatable Earth globe.

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In this edition of Space we look back at the past 50 years of space in Europe; five decades of discovery, drama and innovation that have had a profound impact on how we see ourselves and our planet. Historian John Krige gives his insight on how Europe's space sector has evolved, while veteran space scientists recount their experiences in major missions and launches.

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A look back at 2014 for Europe in space, a year that will be remembered as the 'Rosetta' year when for the first time one has landed on a comet. 2014 has been a very busy year with many missions and achievements for ESA.

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After a very fruitful 2014, there is no time to rest, another busy space year is already underway. Rosetta will still be the star of the show, but there are also exciting new missions in most space domains: from Earth Observation to Human Spaceflight, satellite communications and navigation.

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Lightning illuminates the area they strike on Earth but their flash can be seen from space too. This timelapse was made from 49 images taken 400 km above Earth in 2012 by an astronaut on the International Space Station travelling at 28 800 km/h. At these distances a camera flash is pointless, but our planet moves by so quickly images can end up being blurred.

ESA’s Nightpod camera aid compensates for the motion of the Station. The target stays firmly centred in frame so the final image is in focus. Astronauts can set up the device to take ultra-sharp images automatically using off-the-shelf cameras.

The steady progression of frames seen in this video with the target staying in centre frame would be nearly impossible without Nightpod.

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Join us for a hangout with ESA Astronaut Tim Peake and Rosetta Project Scientist Dr Matt Taylor as they discuss robotics in space missions. Join in by sending us your questions on Twitter using #RobotsInSpace or post them in the comments below.

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In preparation for his 10-day Iriss mission to the International Space
Station in September this year, ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen is at
ESA's technical centre, ESTEC, in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, visiting
the Telerobotics and Haptics Laboratory. Andreas catches up with Andre
Schiele, head of the laboratory, to learn more about the robotics
activities he will be participating in during his mission.

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In preparation for his 10-day Iriss mission to the International Space Station in September this year, ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen is at ESA's technical centre, ESTEC, in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, visiting the Telerobotics and Haptics Laboratory. In this second part of his video diary, Andreas meets Bill Carey to talk about the Meteron project. Andreas will participate in Meteron during his ISS mission.

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ESA performed the first-ever demonstration of space-to-ground remote control with force feedback and live video on 3 June 2015, as NASA astronaut Terry Virts orbiting Earth on the International Space Station shook hands with ESA telerobotics specialist Andre Schiele in the Netherlands.

Terry was testing a joystick that allows astronauts in space to ‘feel’ objects from hundreds of kilometres away. The joystick is a twin of the one on Earth and moving either makes its copy move in the same way. The joystick provides feedback so both users can feel the force of the other pushing or pulling.

The test occurred as part of the Haptics-2 experiment programme, overseen by ESA’s Telerobotics and Haptics Laboratory in the ESTEC technical centre in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. An hour was devoted to the test, which faced some technical hurdles on the day. Once contact was established with the ISS, the haptics software on the ISS side needed to be reinstalled. This was achieved with only a short time to spare, then a scheduled loss of signal with the Station meant only a few minutes were left. But both the astronaut in orbit and the Telerobotics Lab team on the ground were determined to make the test happen.

The success verified the communications network, the control technology and the software behind the connection. Each signal from Terry to Andre had to travel from the International Space Station to another satellite some 36 000 km above Earth, through Houston mission control in USA and across the Atlantic Ocean to ESTEC in the Netherlands, taking up to 0.8 seconds in total both ways – but the system automatically adjusts to time delays or data packet loss.

One day, astronauts orbiting Mars might use evolved versions of this system to control rovers on the ground to perform human-like tasks on the surface – without being there.

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2015 began and ended with two pioneering missions: IXV, the Intermediate Experimental Vehicle, proving Europe's ability to return autonomously from space, and LISA Pathfinder, which set out in December to test the technologies needed to detect gravitational waves and, with them, a new way to look at our Universe! But a lot has happened in between... More European astronauts have visited space and more satellites are beefing up Galileo and ESA's Earth Observation programme!

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2016 has been an incredible year for the European Space Agency. With astronauts visiting the ISS, Galileo deployment going at full speed and initial services declared. Or pioneering missions such as ExoMars. ESA is once again proving it is at the forefront of cutting edge technology and that its missions are an enrichment for the whole of humanity.

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ESA can look back at a fulfilling year. It has been a year marked by new Earth Observation missions to analyse and protect our planet, in particular the completion of the first wave of Copernicus Sentinel satellites and the launch of Aeolus. Galileo also reached an important milestone - there are now 26 satellites in orbit. Other achievements include the October launch of BepiColombo, the ESA-JAXA mission to study Mercury, and the almost continuous presence of ESA astronauts on the International Space Station.

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ESA is the only space agency in the world that covers the whole range of space activities. We're exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe. We're monitoring space and protecting our planetary environment. We're making space accessible and developing the technologies for the future, and we're also using space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth.

In November 2019, European ministers in charge of space activities will gather at the Space19+ conference in Seville, Spain, to decide on ESA’s vision for the future of Europe in space. Space19+ will be an opportunity to direct Europe’s ‘next generation’ ambitions in space, and address the challenges facing not only the European space sector but also European society as a whole.

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Launched in December 2013, the Gaia mission is revolutionising our understanding of the Milky Way. The space telescope is mapping our galaxy in unprecedented detail – measuring the position, movement and distance of stars.

At a meeting in Groningen in the Netherlands, scientists have been discussing the challenge of processing and visualising Gaia data.

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As the year comes to a close, it is once again time to look back and reflect on some of the achievements and highlights of European spaceflight. The new Gaia star catalogue and the launch of Cheops are keeping ESA at the forefront of space science, as will Solar Orbiter, being prepared for launch next year. The Copernicus programme continues to be the largest Earth observation programme in the world, with ESA preparing even more missions. On the Space Station, Luca Parmitano became the third European to command an ISS expedition. During his second mission, he made some of the space programme's most complex and demanding spacewalks. At the end of 2019, the ESA Space19+ ministerial conference agreed to give ESA its largest budget ever and expressed continued support for Europe’s independent access to space with Ariane 6 and Vega-C.

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