In the early years of the Cold War and the Space Race, the scientific community began to raise concerns that in the rush to be the first nation to reach certain milestones, irrevocable damage could be done to the Solar System... so what have we learnt and what haven't we learnt from the race to the Moon.

Our Catriona MacDonald writes for Warwick's Habitability Global Research Priority programme. Reblogged from the Habitability GRP.

University of Warwick astronomers are warning that orbital debris posing a threat to operational satellites is not being monitored closely enough, as they publish a new survey finding that over 75% of the orbital debris they detected could not be matched to known objects in public satellite catalogues.

A press release from Warwick Newsroom, highlighting work led by our Prof Don Pollaco, Dr Paul Chote and PhD researcher James Blake.

Exploring habitability, on our own world and beyond, is a research priority for the University of Warwick and an interest for Warwick's Centre for Exoplanets and Habitability. Our Ares Osborn explores one aspect of this topic - growing food on Mars.

Originally published on Warwick Knowledge Centre

Professor Don Pollaco has the job most kids want - he finds planets for a living. He has been a research scientist in astrophysics for 33 years and his interest in space was originally inspired by watching the moon landings with his dad.

So when he was asked to talk to a group of visiting VIPs the observatory on La Palma, where the University of Warwick has several research telescopes, he was stunned to find himself face to face with Neil Armstrong.

Reblogged from our series for Warwick Knowledge Centre

Many of the things we take for granted in the modern world rely heavily on satellites in space. James Blake from the Astronomy and Astrophysics Group explores the growing need to safeguard these satellites against the hazards they face on a daily basis.

Reblogged from our series for Warwick Knowledge Centre

It’s not just stars, planets and meteors that fill our night sky. Our planet is also orbited by spacecraft that you can spot – if you know where and when, explains Professor Don Pollacco, the science coordinator for the upcoming space telescope PLATO.

Reblogged from our series for Warwick Knowledge Centre