Mary Cruse is the science communicator at the Diamond Light Source, the UK’s national synchrotron science facility at Harwell Science and Innovation Campus

For centuries, human beings have looked up at the stars and wondered what secrets lay there. We’ve come a long way in our understanding of the solar system, yet we’ve explored less than 0.001 per cent of the universe. Despite great progress, space truly remains the final frontier.

When Neil Armstrong made his one small step back in 1969, he captured the excitement and possibility inherent in space exploration. Since then, we’ve made huge advances in the technology and engineering that supports this endeavour, and we’re now able to delve into parts of the universe that have thus far remained a mystery.

Missions like Rosetta and Tim Peake’s Principia expedition demonstrate how much space exploration has advanced – and how much scientists can learn from these endeavours.

While on the International Space Station, Peake will carry out microgravity experiments. The British astronaut will be studying the properties of metals as they melt under these unique conditions, as well as growing protein crystals and other biological matter for study back on Earth.

This work is key, because space exploration doesn’t just take place on the expedition itself. What happens afterwards can be just as important. Back on the ground, Oxfordshire’s science infrastructure is supporting research into the solar system, helping us to learn more about everything from comets, to Mars, to the origins of the universe.

Samples from space can be vital to scientists. Missions like Rosetta, and Stardust before it, are designed to gather information and samples for study back on Earth, and Oxfordshire is a hub for research of this kind.

Using the region’s cutting-edge tools and techniques, scientists have been able to study samples of comets returned from the Stardust mission. Their research has uncovered a wealth of important information, providing a window on to the outer solar system and the possible origins of life itself.

Sample return missions provide vital information and as technology advances we are likely to see new missions to comets, the moon and even Mars. But sometimes we don’t actually have to travel into space – we’re lucky enough to have the samples come to us.

Meteorites are particles from comets or asteroids that have crashed down to Earth. If they survive their journey, these fragments can provide vital clues about parts of the solar system that are otherwise out of reach.

Studying these precious samples has built up our understanding of the mysterious red planet – Mars. So far, we’ve not been able to launch a successful sample return mission to Mars, but fragments of meteorites can give us some clues as to what’s up there.

The pieces of rock tell scientists about the geology on the planet and how it compares to Earth. Research like this may ultimately shed light on how natural features, like canyons and volcanoes, came to exist on Mars.

Thanks to 21st century engineering, space scientists don’t always need an extraterrestrial object to learn about the cosmos. Equipment is now so advanced that scientists can recreate the unique conditions inside other planets, moons and stars by applying extreme pressures and temperatures to normal substances like water and oxygen.

This helps us to uncover complex information about the environment and composition of celestial objects from hundreds of millions of miles away.

When it comes to space science, there’s still a great deal left to discover. It may be that the universe is infinite, in which case we will never fully know what’s out there. But while space may be the final frontier, Oxfordshire-based research is proving that science can help us to explore further, understand better and probe deeper into the mysteries of the universe.