ESA alarmed about the environmental impact of space debris

The European Space Agency (ESA) said today that the possibility that a ship be stranded in orbit after colliding with a piece of space debris, as shown in "Gravity", the next film by Alfonso Cuaron, "might happen" if waste levels continue to rise.

The ESA said in a statement that the over six thousand satellites launched since the beginning of the space age, less than a thousand remain operational while the rest have re-entered the atmosphere or in orbit is abandoned.

Astronomers first observed dark galaxies in the early universe

Astronomers has observed first dark galaxy, an early stage of galaxy formation, said the European Southern Observatory (ESO) from its headquarters in the German city of Garching, to the south.

Scientists used the long-range telescope (VLT, for its acronym in English) Cerro Paranal Observatory in Chile, which managed to detect these gas-rich galaxies that do not contain stars, noting its brightness when illuminated by light of a quasar.

Amateur first microsatellite launched in Latin America educational

Students of the Centre for Marine Technology (CETMAR) Altata 1 microsatellite launched the first amateur education in Latin America, attaining a height of 120 000 feet (36 thousand 576 meters).

The microsatellite consists of a capsule semihermética thermally insulated, equipped with onboard video cameras and photographic HD, equipped with special batteries, radio transmitters, audio and video.