Earth & Solar System

The countdown is on! NASA Artemis is scheduled to launch later today, the first crewed mission to the in over 50 years.
The launch window opens just before 23:30 UK time, it could be a late night...

Artemis II: Return to the Moon! At long last, after more than 50 years, this week humans will once again be orbiting around the Moon! With the upcoming NASA Artemis II launch scheduled for April 1st, no not an April fool’s joke …

A couple of new PhD students joined our group back in October. Now they've had a few months to settle in, it is time to introduce them to the world. First up is Flo - although new to the group, Flo is not new to The University of Manchester, she studied Earth and Planetary Science as an undergraduate student in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences before starting her PhD.
You can follow Flo on Instagram at

These are not the rocks you're looking for!
We were at The Trafford Centre yesterday with The University of Manchester Faculty of Science and Engineering for a Space themed Fun Lab, and we encountered some unexpected visitors! It turns out that Storm Troopers are quite good at finding meteorites, and were the first of the day to top the Meteorite Hunt leader board. Full scores to follow...

We had a great time at the The University of Manchester on Saturday, thanks to everyone who visited us 🌝
Congratulations to Cyberz who topped the Meteorite Hunt scoreboard with 9 points 🥇
I think Team A hit a new record low with -8 points 😞
Social responsibility at The University of Manchester

We had a great time at the Schools Fair in the Manchester Museum on Monday and Tuesday. It was fantastic to talk to so many interested and enthusiastic secondary school pupils ☄️🌝