The first Dutch edition of the Europlanet Science Congress (EPSC) took place from 6-11 September in The Hague. A total of 1,203 participants (149 from The Netherlands) joined the congress in the wonderful Amare venue in the heart of The Hague. Aside from the insightful and inspiring scientific programme, various activities straddled the event with …
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The Netherlands is a leader in both photonic chips and space technology. Now these two worlds meet, as two teams at TU Delft’s Faculty of Aerospace Engineering are joining forces. One develops miniature satellites, the other uses advanced photonic chips to search for signs of life. Together, they will bring a photonic sensing system from …
Read more “Life-detection chip to be tested during TU Delft PocketQube mission”
No fewer than fifteen talented researchers who have recently completed their PhDs are being given the opportunity to gain valuable research experience abroad. The Rubicon round, organised by NWO, had a budget of over 3.1 million euros. One of the Rubicon grants has been awarded to Dr. Lonneke Roelofs (Utrecht University), who currently works as …
Read more “Rubicon grant for planetary pyroclastic density currents”
A 10,000-kilogram boulder moving around and gullies that look suspiciously like rivers, not on Earth, but on Mars. Expertise Network postdoc Lonneke Roelofs explains it in a new video from the ‘Universiteit van Nederland’. For years, scientists have puzzled over this: is this evidence of water on Mars and does it mean that alien life …
In the February issue of Zenit, the national magazine for astronomy, meteorology and space research in The Netherlands, you can read all about planetary habitability, the exciting science taking place within the expertise network and the NPP. The postdocs of the Expertise Network and their colleagues have jointly written various popular science articles in this …
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After the mid-november site visit by EPSC and Copernicus representatives, the first steps are being taken for starting the local oraganisation activities for the Europlanet Science Conference in Amare, The Hague. The official website has been launched and will be updated with the developing ideas and plans in the months to come. The two co-chairs …
At a time when budget cuts are putting heavy pressure on education, Utrecht University received a remarkable donation: two thin sections and a disc of a lunar meteorite bearing the exotic name Adrar 012. The university received this gift from Roy Masin, owner of Stone Gallery in Baarn. The thin sections—ultra-thin slices of the lunar meteorite …
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The NPP joined the ESTEC Open Day on 12 October and what a success it was! This year, ESTEC celebrated its 50 year existence, drawing close to 10,000 people to the technical heart of the European Space Agency to Noordwijk, the Netherlands. The annual open day also marked the ending of the NL Space Week. …
When we send a rover to Mars, a Martian mudslide or landslide could bring a sudden end to years of hard work and investments. Scientists are therefore eager for more detailed knowledge about the nature of these landslides. But Martian gravity is much lower than Earth’s, and we don’t know how that affects mudslides on …
The oceans of several moons orbiting Jupiter and Saturn are considered among the most promising environments for finding extraterrestrial life. Buried beneath kilometres of ice, the moons’ surfaces may carry crucial information about the oceans below. Dr. Stéphanie Cazaux has received an ERC Advanced Grant to study the interaction between the moons’ oceans and their …
Read more “ERC Advanced Grant for unveiling the hidden oceans of Jupiter and Saturn’s moons”
Applying the detailed empirical understanding gleaned from the terrestrial planets of our own Solar System is crucial in our interpretation of exoplanetary systems. The Rocky World meeting series will help build the collaborations that will pave the way for the next decade of rocky exoplanet discovery and characterisation. The next Rocky Worlds 4 meeting will take place …