This issue of ESA?s flagship magazine, the Bulletin, carries a broad range of articles: the International Space Station is now ready for this week's launch of Europe's Columbus module; Mars Express is exhaustively studying the Red Planet from orbit; Gaia will survey our Galaxy in great detail; the Globcolour and Medspiration projects are helping to assess the state of our planet; and Soyuz vehicles will soon be launched from French Guiana.