The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
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Using data from ESA's ISO infrared space telescope, astronomers have detected for the first time the element deuterium in an active star-forming region, in the Orion Nebula about 1500 light-years away. The signature of the element appears in the spectra overlaid on the optical image of the Orion Nebula. The deuterium measured by ISO's Long Wavelength Spectrometer was locked up in the primary deuterium-bearing molecule in the Universe, hydrogen deuteride (HD). Observers found in the Orion Bar one deuterium atom for every 100000 hydrogen atoms, which is consistent with other measurements in other places. This confirms that the amount of normal matter is not enough to halt the expansion of the Universe and cause it to collapse into a 'Big Crunch'. [Image Date: 1999/03] [99.04.004-001]