In part 2 of the Mars500 video diary Romain Charles shows us around the control room, the medical facility where the crew do experiments, and where they sleep and eat. Catch a glimpse of his Russian crewmates preparing lunch - see what's for dinner and what's growing in the greenhouse.

As the ISS circles Earth, it has begun tracking individual ships crossing the seas beneath. An experiment hosted by ESA’s Columbus module is testing the viability of monitoring global traffic from the Station’s orbit hundreds of kilometres up.

Ten past and present ESA astronauts will be at the ILA international aerospace show at Berlin’s Schoenefeld on Friday 11 June. At the same time, ESA will continue its presence on its shared stand.

It’s harsh, demanding, isolated and even hostile, but a unique place: Concordia research station in Antarctica. ESA is now looking for someone with medical training to join the next crew to overwinter in Concordia.

Mars500, the first full-length simulated mission to Mars, started today in Moscow at 13:49 local time (11:49 CET), when the six-man crew entered their ‘spacecraft’ and the hatch was closed. The experiment will run until November next year.

About to be shut away from the outside world, the Mars500 volunteers still get to have fun. Their duties will include regular playing of video games – though with a serious purpose.

ESA’s Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli will soon visit the International Space Station, and he needs your help to name his mission.

ESA and its partners are launching a new kind of fitness initiative using the example of space explorers to promote exercise and healthy nutrition to young people worldwide. 'Mission X: Train Like an Astronaut' is boarding now in eight countries.

ESA PR 10-2010 The first full-duration simulation of a human mission to Mars is about to begin. After closing the hatch, the crew of six will remain in their 'spacecraft' for 520 days. The media are invited to witness the 'launch' of this historic Mars500 mission.

On the occasion of the Open Day at the European Institutions in Brussels on 8 May, ESA astronaut Frank De Winne met the President of the European Union, Herman van Rompuy, and handed over a very special European flag.

Space Shuttle Atlantis lifted off on Friday evening with an important hardware delivery from Europe to the International Space Station: spare portions of the European Robotic Arm and the first Russian payloads to use the arm.

ESA's new astronaut candidates enjoyed a taste of space last Friday during a special aircraft flight in Bordeaux, France. A modified Airbus A300 offered a glimpse of their future working conditions, as well as providing microgravity for science experiments.

The second of ESA’s ATV automated cargo craft has been cleared for shipping to the launch site in Kourou. Its launch on an Ariane 5 to the International Space Station is scheduled for late this year.

ESA is providing many innovative and inspiring aids to teachers to enhance their curriculum with space related subjects. Now ESA is inviting educators to a summer workshop at ESTEC in the Netherlands this summer from 28 to 30 June 2010.

The simulated flight to Mars is almost ready to depart! Selection of the full crew is still under way, but the Europeans have now been chosen: Romain Charles and Diego Urbina.

Last Wednesday ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain met Antonio Tajani, Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of Industry and Entrepreneurship, in Brussels, on the occasion of the visit of ESA astronaut Frank De Winne and his crewmates, Roman Romanenko and Bob Thirsk.

Astronaut Christer Fuglesang, a veteran of two spaceflights, has a new mission: on 1 May he took up a new job heading the ESA department in charge of the scientific exploitation of the International Space Station.

ESA astronaut Frank De Winne and his OasISS mission crewmates Roman Romanenko and Bob Thirsk were welcomed on Monday at ESA’s Columbus Control Centre near Munich. The centre supported De Winne’s six-month mission on the International Space Station in 2009.

A special exhibition opened on Monday at the EU Parliament in Brussels: 'European Amateur Radio Benefiting Society – Emergency Communications, Education and Space' shows how ham radios on the ground and in space can help Europeans in many different ways.

ESA astronaut Frank De Winne and his crewmates Roman Romanenko and Bob Thirsk will be on tour in Europe to present highlights of their historic mission.