The muon ionization cooling experiment(MICE) is a strategic R&D project

intending to demonstrate the only practical solution to prepare high brilliance

beams necessary for a neutrino factory or muon colliders.  MICE is under

development at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (UK). It comprises a dedicated

beam line to generate a range of input emittance and momentum, with

time-of-flight and Cherenkov detectors to ensure a pure muon beam. The emittance

of the incoming beam is measured in the upstream magnetic spectrometer with a

sci-fiber tracker. A cooling cell will then follow, alternating energy loss in

Li-H absorbers and RF acceleration. A second spectrometer identical to the first

and a second muon identification system measure the outgoing emittance. In the

2010-11 run the beam and most detectors have been fully commissioned and a first

measurement of the emittance of a beam with particle physics (time-of-flight)

detectors has been performed. The analysis of these data should be completed by

the time of the Conference. The next steps of more precise measurements, of

emittance and emittance reduction (cooling), that will follow in 2012 and later,

will also be outlined.