European Space Agency’s Euclid telescope takes off to seek out the universe’s darkest secrets
PBS NewsHourJul 04, 2023
The Facts
The European Space Agency on Tuesday revealed the first images captured by Euclid. The new space telescope is on a mission to study the "dark universe" — a name given to dark matter and dark energy.
Euclid was launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on July 1, and is expected to investigate the composition and evolution of the invisible and mysterious elements of the universe.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Cosmologists currently only understand about 5% of the universe; Euclid will make the other 95% accessible. This will push the boundaries of scientific knowledge, address the most pressing issues in modern cosmology, and enable a leap in our understanding of the cosmos as a whole.
Establishment-critical narrative
Space exploration is a waste of resources. European countries can solve plenty of problems that have a much more significant impact on the average person than the exploration of outer space, such as homelessness, food insecurity, and climate change, with the vast amounts of money spent on space exploration.
