There is an unexplained force in the darkness. It's changing our universe and forcing galaxies farther and farther apart, stretching the very fabric of outer space and dragging planets farther away.

It is, to this day, a mystery to modern science. A mystery which some believe could mean the death of planet earth and, ultimately, the universe.

This enigma, referred to by scientists as “dark energy”, is just one of the mysteries that lie outside the confines of the atmosphere, in space. Albert Einstein called it his, “biggest blunder”, when he described it in 1917, yet in 2002 scientists using the Hubble Space Telescope discovered evidence  that within the blackness of space there was indeed an energy acting against gravity and pulling everything further and further apart.

Yet while we now know it exists, the mystery of dark energy is far from solved. What is it? How was it formed and, most importantly, where does it come from? Adam Reiss, an astrophysicist and professor at John Hopkins University in America, said, “Dark matter is like a force we've never encountered before … It's an energy that seems to come from empty space.”

This mystery of dark energy is one that newly upgraded Hubble  Telescope will hope to unravel in the coming years, after this weeks successful mission to both repair and upgrade the 19-year-old satellite. But how many other mysteries lie beyond our planet? Kingston university's Students for the Exploration and Development of Space Group (KUSEDS) brainstormed a list of mysteries still unresolved: Could humans inhabit another planet? Is there life outside of earth? How did the universe begin? What is dark matter? What lies beyond our view? How did we get here?

Earlier this year, LiveScience.com - http://www.livescience.com/strangenews/090507-top10-greatest-mysteries.html – conducted a similar survey to discover their own readers greatest scientific mysteries. Unsurprisingly, matters of space dominated the poles. Mysteries included; Where is the rest of the universe? Is there a theory of everything? Do Aliens Exist? How did the Universe begin?

While space often offers more questions than it does answers, scientists behind the mission to upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope, have predicted “shock and awe” at what it's freshly updated telescope will discover.

David Leckrone, senior project scientist at the NASA Goddard Centre, spoke prior to Monday's launch, saying “Hubble is a public facility. Any astronomer around the world can write a proposal to observe at the Hubble Space Telescope. Couple that global intellect with that set of tools and you produce shock and awe.”

Already, the Hubble Space Telescope has solved some of the great mysteries of space such as the age of the universe – 13.1 billion years old. Matt Mountain, Director of the space telescope science institute said, “It's still doing great service but nothing like what it will be capable of with a full upgrade.” With it's recent upgrade and a plethora of new technology on the way, surely it is only a matter of time before the mysteries that riddle the world of 2009 are solved.

Growing interest too from British groups such as the British Space Organisation (BSO) helps promote the cause. Robin Hawkes, Chief Technical Officer at the BSO, said “Our goal is to encourage British space activity and raise awareness of what the UK has to offer in terms of skills and services, as well as promoting space exploration to a younger demographic.

“The UK has such a strong Space industry and has a variety of related courses at Universities all over the country. We want to utilise this solid groundwork by encouraging more young people to move into the Space industry and help further our understanding of Space as a global entity.”

Kingston University currently has a program of Aerospace Engineering, and specifically a course tailored to those wanting to get in involved with discovering the mysteries of space: Astronautics and Space Technology, described as “the study of subjects related to the design, build and operation of space vehicles (satellites, probes and manned spaceships) for spacecraft and space missions.”

Mr Hawkes and the BSO are also looking into the future of space technology, “It hasn't been around long, so looking 50 years into the future is an incredibly exciting thought. I'm pretty certain we'll be seeing developments in the commercial sector of Space flight. With companies such as Virgin Galactic already planning such services and expanding to multiple space-ports across the world, we won't have to wait long to see it … A mission to Mars will most definitely happen, although what country will send someone there first is still up for grabs.”

“I'm one of those people that doesn't believe we are alone out there and I hope we solve that question in the coming years. One of the biggest mysteries is that of the origin of Space, the Universe and ourselves. We've recently sent up a satellite to measure radiation from around the big bang in hopes to to understand what happened. I think I could rest happy if we finally discovered how it all came to be.”

Despite the widespread optimism in the scientific community, sceptics argue that an upgraded Hubble will not provide any more information than is already available. Steven Beckwith, the former director of the Space Telescope Science Institution at the John Hopkins University in Baltimore, said  “The new instrument will let us zero in on a a few ideas but I don't think it will give us the answers.”

Work is already underway on finding Hubble's successor. Engineers and scientists from  European Space Agency (ESA) on Thursday launched the Herschel Space Observatory. Coined, by the ESA, as the “largest space telescope ever built” the 3,300kg telescope will use infrared technology to send images from previously unseen corners of the galaxy back to earth. Jean-Jacques Dordain, ESA Director General, said, “The technology on board these satellites is unique, and the science these satellites will do is fantastic.”

However, the Herschel Space Observatory is merely a pacifier for the legions of researchers and space fanatics desperate for answers to the unresolved mysteries of the universe. The James Webb Space Telescope, a new £3 billion, 6,200kg 'super-satellite' built by both NASA and the ESA, is to be launched in 2013 as a long term replacement to the Hubble Telescope. It promises to shed light on the very beginning of existence, explain how stars and planets are formed and, most significantly, will help explore and examine the role of “dark energy” in the universe.