Low levels of snow over the Sierra Nevada mountains in 2015

Want to follow Tim Peake? Click here for our page which has the links to his site and blog, the International Space Station and his mission details.

Space has become a busy commercial environment, with satellites providing services which make our phones work, tell us about our weather, provide TV channels and navigate us to work. In addition, it has provided spurs to our technology with much high tech hardware originating in the space programme.

Pluto

It also provides some of our most spectacular research as we explore our solar system. From knowing nothing much about the other planets, we now know they are a series of worlds, some of which may contain life, and all of which are strange and different in ways beyond our expectations or previous understanding.

Cmdr. Scott Kelly takes a selfie while spacewalking outside the ISS

The International Space Station has become the testing ground for learning about how we can live and work in space, the first step before colonising any other planets. It is also is a beacon of international cooperation.

LINKS :

European Space Agency : ESA

National Aeronautical and Space Agency : NASA

International Space Station : ISS

Russian Federal Space Agency : RFSA

China National Space Administration : CNSA

Indian Space Research Organisation : ISRO