2011 June 19
Friday, June 24th, 20112011 June 19 
From fifty kilometers above asteroid Eros, the surface inside one of its largest craters appears covered with an unusual substance: regolith. The thickness and composition of the surfacedust that is regolith remains a topic of much research. Much of the regolith on 433 Eros was probably created by numerous small impacts during its long history. In this representative-color view taken by the robot spacecraft NEAR-SHOEMAKER that orbited Eros in 2000 and 2001, brown areas indicate regolith that has been chemically altered by exposure to the solar wind during micrometeorite impacts. White areas are thought to have undergone relatively less exposure. The boulders visibleinside the crater appear brown, indicating either that they are old enough to have a surface itself tanned by the solar wind, or that they have somehow become covered with some dark surface dust.This July, NASA’sDawn spacecraftwill orbit giant main belt asteroid Vesta.
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The final command placing ESA’s Rosetta comet-chaser into deep-space hibernation was sent earlier today. With virtually all systems shut down, the probe will now coast for 31 months until waking up in 2014 for arrival at its comet destination. 
ESA PR 20-2011. Alphabus, the world’s largest communication satellite platform, is ready to offer new opportunities for satellite operators worldwide. The platform was formally accepted for its first satellite, Alphasat I-XL on 16 June, marking an important milestone in its journey to space. 
ESA PR 17 2011 Twenty-five years ago, ESA’s Giotto spacecraft made its mark in deep space. Passing Halley’s comet at a distance of only 600 km, Giotto was the first mission to perform a close comet flyby. %7Cutmcsr%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fantwrp%2Egsfc%2Enasa%2Egov%2Fapod%2Fastropix%2Ehtml%7Cutmcmd%3Drss%3B%2B){kind=small}
Update: 22 June ESA PR 18-2011. The world’s leading air and space event, the Paris Air Show, will open its doors for a week on 20 June. The salon will include a strong ESA presence, highlighting its activities for the benefit of space experts and the general public. 
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ESA and Thales Alenia Space Italia announced an agreement today at the Paris Air & Space Show to begin building the IXV Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle for its mission into space in 2013. 
Today, the European Commission has signed an agreement confirming the transfer of funds to ESA for the initial operations of the space component for the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security programme. 