Material man

Tommaso Ghidini, heading ESA's Materials Technology section, explains how to choose materials for space missions

Making a stir

Technology image of the week: friction stir welding used to make a titanium propellant tank for…

Friction stir welding of titanium

It’s welding, but not as we know it. Only a bare sliver of glowing metal is…

Paint it black

In this video, materials specialist Tommaso Ghidini explains the challenge of preparing Solar Orbiter's sunshield to…

Galileo satellites fixed to dispenser

Two of the four Galileo satellites are shown after their installation on the multi-passenger dispenser system,…

Materials make the space mission

Tommaso Ghidini, Head of ESA’s Materials Technology section Materials make the space mission: manufacturing materials and…

Tommaso Ghidini: Materials make the space mission

Space is a not a single environment, but many: so the manufacturing materials and processes used…

Coating to help Europe’s telecom satellites keep their cool

A surface coating originally developed for medical implants is set to safeguard the next generation of…

Mars in Lanzarote

ESA’s Matthias Maurer with ESA astronauts Luca Parmitano and Pedro Duque on a field trip for…

A sinister-looking aurora over Iceland

This whirling, twisting skyscape is an arresting and somewhat intimidating sight – a perfect Halloween Space…