Globe 24/04: Journey into space

75 million kilometres: That’s how close ESA’s Solar Orbiter was to the Sun when it took this image in 2022. Captured at a resolution of more than 83 million pixels, it shows our star in unprecedented detail. The outermost part of the Sun’s atmosphere, the corona, reaches a temperature of around 1 million degrees Celsius – and no spacecraft has ever ventured so close as the Solar Orbiter. Over the course of two decades, ETH physics professor Louise Harra was involved in every phase of the project. (Image: ESA & NASA / Solar Orbiter / EUI team; data processing: E. Kraaikamp (ROB))

The view from space – and what it tells us

Category: Earth and Planetary Sciences

Earth-observation satellites deliver data for a wealth of applications – from monitoring climate change and documenting war crimes to planning disaster relief and assessing snow depth. ETH researchers are also big beneficiaries.

Launch of space systems degree programme

Category: Space research

Few courses of study at ETH Zurich have attracted quite as much attention as the new Master in Space Systems. Teachers and students strapped in for the programme’s launch this autumn.

Why we need space exploration

Category: Space research

Thomas Zurbuchen, Director of ETH Zurich Space, explains how Switzerland can do a better job of exploring and exploiting space – and how there’s still enormous potential to be tapped.

Nature’s classroom

Category: Culture and sport

The Teaching Diploma in Sport at ETH Zurich pushes the students to their limits. Blending outdoor education with the romance of camp life, the course sees students brave cold water and river rapids. A glance into a programme one of its kind in Switzerland.

The quest to explore space

Category: Space research

ETH Zurich is involved in a number of space missions – from satellite-based searches for signs of life on exoplanets to the hunt for gravitational waves with the LISA space antenna. These projects rely on strong partnerships with the aerospace industry.

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Inspired by space: Getting smart ideas off the ground

Category: Spin-offs and patents

Space start-ups in Switzerland enjoy the support of ESA BIC Switzerland, a business incubation centre set up by ESA and run by ETH Zurich. The programme helps researchers take their first steps towards commercial success.

Biometrics for artworks

Category: Machine learning

The SmartStamp app is used to verify the authenticity of artworks.

From loop jumps to quantum leaps

Category: Quantum sciences

Bettina Heim won the Swiss figure-skating championships before developing an interest in quantum computing. She studied physics at ETH and now develops software for the computers of the future.

“Exercise and social interaction are key stress relievers”

Category: Neurosciences

Neuroscientist Johannes Bohacek investigates the molecular basis of stress in the brain. He originally wanted to become a psychotherapist.

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