Space exploration is full of possibilities, especially when searching for signs of life. But the reality is complex. What lies behind the many decisions that have to be taken to design and run a space exploration mission? You'll find out in our new interactive resource, launched (pun very much intended) in time for World Space Week (4-10 October).

October sees the celebration of Black History Month in the UK, and this year's theme is 'Saluting our Sisters', paying homage to those women who, over the years, have spoken out and stood up. From Rosa Parks and Katherine Johnson, to Michelle Obama and Aretha Franklin, discover their stories with OpenLearn.

There's been plenty of celebration days, big news events and TV shows returning to our screens this month, and of course there's an OpenLearn item to suit every one of them!

• Strictly Come Dancing returned to our Saturday nights last week, and if you fancy learning a few moves, our Dance Skills course might help!
• We celebrated World Tourism Day, so why not test your language skills before you next jet off on your travels?
• Climate change and energy production have been in the headlines again. Our Energy in Buildings course might give you more insight into the subject.
• There was a full moon last night, known as the Harvest Moon. Check out our array of content on the Moon, and other moons, here.
• The popular Netflix series, Sex Education, began its 3rd series last week, but if you want more fact than fiction in your 'sex ed', then our Sex Stats for the British Population interactive is worth a look.

Because we're celebrating World Space Week, this month's video choice had to be from our '60 Second Adventures in Astronomy' series. We've done Mars, the Moon and the ISS already in this edition, so let's go even further afield, to Mercury, to find out how you'd pass the time on a planet where a single day lasts two years!