Building the Soyuz launch facility

Credit: esa.int

Activity is continuing at the Guiana Space Centre (Centre Spatial Guyanais - CSG), Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana, as the Soyuz launch site takes shape. Soyuz is a medium-class launcher and its performance will perfectly complement that of the other ESA launchers, Ariane and Vega.

On the spaceport's new launch pad, the infrastructure that maintains Soyuz in its erected position prior to launch is being completed. In the nearby launcher assembly and testing building (монтажно-испытательный корпус; montazhno-ispytatelniy korpus - MIK), ground support equipment for Soyuz integration is being prepared.

This new launch facility for the venerable Soyuz vehicle is located 12 kilometres northwest of the existing Ariane 5 launch complex, extending the spaceport's operational zone further up the French Guiana coastline.

The horizontal transfer of Soyuz launchers at Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana will follow the same basic procedures used for Soyuz operations at Baikonur Cosmodrome. The image shows the rollout of the Soyuz FG launcher and Soyuz TMA-15 spacecraft that lifted off from the cosmodrome on 27 May 2009 with a three-member crew for the International Space Station.

Read more: esa.int

Atlantis repairs Hubble

Credit: nasa.gov

Atlantis continued to move steadily closer to the Hubble Space Telescope today, and its crew made good use of the time to perform a thorough inspection of the shuttle’s heat shield.

Over the course of the day, five members of the seven-person crew took part in that survey, which lasted more than seven hours. Commander Scott Altman, Pilot Gregory C. Johnson, and Mission Specialists Michael Good, Megan McArthur and Mike Massimino all used the shuttle’s 50-foot orbiter boom sensor system, attached to the shuttle’s 49-foot robotic arm, at one point or another to get an up close look at the surface of the shuttle’s belly and its wing-leading edges and nose cap. The data was sent to the ground, where it will be carefully analyzed to make sure that the shuttle didn’t sustain any serious damage during Monday’s launch.

During that inspection, mission managers noted one area of damage on the forward part of the spacecraft where the wing blends into the fuselage. Initially it appears to be very minor and of no concern for the mission, however the standard expert analysis is underway.

Meanwhile, Mission Specialists John Grunsfeld and Andrew Feustel, with help from Massimino, checked out the four spacesuits that they and Good will wear for the mission’s five spacewalks.

Before the crew begins their sleep period for the night, Good and Feustel will be checking out the tools they’ll use tomorrow as they rendezvous with the Hubble, and Altman and Johnson will fire the shuttle’s engines to perfect its course to the telescope.

Rendezvous operations will begin at 6:41 a.m. Central on Wednesday, with the actual grapple of the telescope using the shuttle’s robotic arm scheduled for 11:54 a.m.

The STS-125 crew will begin its sleep period at 8:01 p.m. and awaken at 4:01 a.m. Wednesday. The next shuttle status report will be issued after that wake up call or earlier if events warrant.

Around the world in 80 telescopes: '100 Hours of Astronomy' live webcasts

On 3 April, ESA astronomers will take part in ‘Around the world in 80 telescopes’, a unique live webcast which will be part of the ‘100 Hours of Astronomy’ cornerstone project for the International Year of Astronomy 2009. Viewers will have a peek into ESA's XMM-Newton and Integral satellite control rooms in Spain.

The General Assembly of the United Nations has declared 2009 as the 'International Year of Astronomy' (IYA 2009). This global programme was initiated by the International Astronomical Union and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization with the aim of helping the citizens of the world to rediscover their place in the Universe by reconnecting to the day- and night-sky. 100 Hours of Astronomy is a cornerstone project for IYA 2009.

‘Around the World in 80 Telescopes’ is a live 24-hour video webcast that begins on 3 April at 11:00 CEST. It will take viewers to some of the most advanced ground- and space-based observatories around the world and off the planet.

Viewers can watch what’s on at an observatory in their home country or on the other side of the planet, send in questions and messages, see new images from the cosmos, and discover what astronomers are up to at that very moment.

The webcast is organised by the European Southern Observatory (ESO). The ESA segment will be hosted at at ESA’s European Space Astronomy Centre in Spain. It will provide viewers with an insight into two space observatories, XMM-Newton and Integral, an opportunity to meet astronomers working on these missions, a sneak preview at a pretty new XMM-Newton image of Messier 82, and a chance to participate in a student competition using data from the Integral satellite.

Live and recorded webcasts are available here:

http://www.eso.org/public/events/special-evt/100ha/index.html

GOCE: The First Earth Exploring Mission is launched today

Credit: esa.int

This afternoon, the Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) satellite developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) was lofted into a near-Sun-synchronous, low Earth orbit by a Rockot launcher lifting off from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in northern Russia.

The Russian Rockot launcher, derived from a converted ballistic missile, lifted off at 15:21 CET (14:21 GMT) and flew northward over the Arctic. About 90 minutes later, after one orbital revolution and two Breeze-KM upper-stage burns, the 1052 kg spacecraft was successfully released into a circular polar orbit at 280 km altitude with 96.7º inclination to the Equator. The launch was procured from Eurockot Launch Services, a German/Russian company based in Bremen, Germany.

With this launch, a new chapter in the history of Earth observation in Europe has begun. GOCE is the first of a new family of ESA satellites designed to study our planet and its environment in order to enhance our knowledge and understanding of Earth-system processes and their evolution, to enable us to address the challenges of global climate change. In particular, GOCE will measure the minute differences in the Earth’s gravity field around the globe.

Contact with GOCE was established via ESA’s tracking station in Kiruna, Sweden, shortly after separation. The spacecraft is now under the control of ESA’s teams at its European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany.

Read more: esa.int

A New NASA Lunar Spacecraft Ships South In Preparation For Launch on 24 of April, 2009

Credit: nasa.gov

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, spacecraft was loaded on a truck Wednesday to begin its two-day journey to NASA's Kennedy Space justify in Florida. Launch is targeted for April 24.

The spacecraft was built by engineers at Goddard, where it recently completed two months of tests in a thermal vacuum chamber. During its time in the chamber, the spacecraft was subjected to hot and cold temperatures it will experience as it orbits the moon.

The satellite's mission is one of the first steps in NASA's plan to return astronauts to the moon. LRO will spend at least one year in a low polar orbit on its primary exploration mission, with the possibility of three more years to collect additional detailed scientific information about the moon and its environment.

The orbiter will carry seven instruments to provide scientists with detailed maps of the lunar surface and enhance our understanding of the moon's topography, lighting conditions, mineralogical composition and natural resources. Information gleaned from LRO will be used to select safe landing sites, determine locations for future lunar outposts and help mitigate radiation dangers to astronauts. The polar regions of the moon are the main focus of the mission because continuous access to sunlight may be possible and water ice may exist in permanently shadowed areas of the poles.

"This is the culmination of four years of hard work by everyone on the LRO Project," said Cathy Peddie, LRO deputy project manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight justify in Greenbelt, Md. "LRO now begins its launch site processing, where it will be prepped for integration with our sister mission LCROSS, and eventually encapsulated in the Atlas V for its journey to the moon."

LRO's instruments have considerable heritage from previous planetary science missions, enabling the spacecraft to transition to a research phase under the direction of NASA's Science Mission Directorate one year after launch.

Accompanying LRO on its journey to the moon will be the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, a mission that will impact the lunar surface in its search for water ice. The LCROSS mission is managed by NASA's Ames Research justify at Moffett Field, Calif.

For more information please visit nasa.gov

Space Exploration News

I've collected some links to most interesting publications about the space explorations. Just take a look at this:

NASA TV Coverage Set for Spacewalk, Shuttle Fueling Test

NASA Television will provide simultaneous live coverage of a spacewalk by the International Space Station crew and a shuttle fueling test at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., on Tuesday, Dec. 18.
Read more: http://www.nasa.gov

NASA Targets Space Shuttle Atlantis Launch on Jan. 10

NASA's Space Shuttle Program managers have targeted Jan. 10 for the launch of shuttle Atlantis' STS-122 mission to the International Space Station.
Read more: http://www.nasa.gov

Teleconference About Space Shuttle Launch Plan

NASA will host a media teleconference with Space Shuttle Program Manager Wayne Hale at approximately 2:30 p.m. CST, Tuesday, Dec. 11, to discuss the status of shuttle Atlantis' launch on the upcoming STS-122 mission.
Read more: http://www.nasa.gov

NASA Postpones Shuttle Atlantis Launch

NASA delayed Sunday's scheduled launch of space shuttle Atlantis after a failure occurred in a fuel sensor system.
Read more: http://www.nasa.gov

Spacecraft Sees Changes in Jupiter System

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft provided a new bird's-eye view of the dynamic Jupiter system as it traveled through the planet's orbit on Feb. 28.
Read more: http://www.nasa.gov

NASA Satellite Sees Solar Hurricane Detach Comet Tail

A NASA satellite has captured the first images of a collision between a comet and a solar hurricane.
Read more: http://www.nasa.gov

Dawn Spacecraft Successfully Launched

NASA's Dawn spacecraft began its 1.7 billion mile journey through the inner solar system to study a pair of asteroids Thursday at 7:34 a.m. EDT.
Read more: http://www.nasa.gov

Aeronautics Associate Administrator Departs NASA for New Position

Lisa J. Porter, NASA's associate administrator of the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, announced Wednesday her decision to leave the agency, effective Feb. 1.
Read more: http://www.nasa.gov

Statement by NASA Administrator on Pilot Survey

The withholding of data under the Freedom of Information Act is under review.
Read more: http://www.nasa.gov

Sofia Observatory Enters Aircraft Testing Phase

NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, known as SOFIA, began a series of flight tests Thursday of the highly modified Boeing 747SP aircraft.
Read more: http://www.nasa.gov

NASA Announces Aeronautics Research Opportunities

The NASA Research Announcement was amended to solicit proposals that address NextGen or the "Integration of Advanced Concepts and Vehicles into the Next Generation Air Transportation System."

Ice clouds put Mars in the shade

Until now, Mars has generally been regarded as a desert world, where a visiting astronaut would be surprised to see clouds scudding across the orange sky. However, new results show that the arid planet possesses high-level clouds that are sufficiently dense to cast a shadow on the surface.
Read more: http://www.esa.int

Columbus launch targeted for 7 February

NASA has announced 7 February 2008 as the target launch date for Space Shuttle Atlantis' STS-122 mission to carry the European Columbus laboratory into space. For the latest updates, please consult the NASA website and the ESA Columbus blog.
Read more: http://www.esa.int

Space-tech could make life easier for diabetics

German student Nicole Schmiedel has come up with a design for a trendy-looking wristwatch that contains an innovative ultra-light insulin pump to help people with type 1 diabetes. The watch produces its own electricity thanks to the use of piezo-electric technology originally developed for European satellites.
Read more: http://www.esa.int

Vega main engine test in Kourou

A prototype of the P80 rocket motor, which will power the first stage of ESA's new small launcher - Vega, was successfully tested on 4 December at the Guiana Space Centre, Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Ignition occurred at 12:35 local time (15:35 UTC/GMT).
Read more: http://www.esa.int

The European Columbus space laboratory set to reach ISS; follow the launch live

ESA PR 35-2007. With NASA’s announcement today of the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on 6 December, ESA astronauts Hans Schlegel, from Germany, and Leopold Eyharts, from France, are set to carry ESA’s Columbus laboratory to the International Space Station.
Read more: http://www.esa.int

Organic ‘building blocks’ discovered in Titan’s atmosphere

Scientists analysing data gathered by Cassini have confirmed the presence of heavy negative ions in the upper regions of Titan’s atmosphere. These particles may act as building blocks for more complicated organic molecules.
Read more: http://www.esa.int

Ministerial summit on ‘Global Earth Observation System of Systems’

A new global Earth observation system, that could save lives in disasters such as the recent cyclone in southern Bangladash, is being reviewed at a ministerial-level summit in Cape Town this week.
Read more: http://www.esa.int

Mars Express - 5000 orbits and counting

On 25 December 2003, Europe’s first Mars orbiter arrived at the Red Planet. Almost four years later, Mars Express continues to rewrite the text books as its instruments send back a stream of images and other data. Today, the spacecraft reached another milestone in its remarkable career by completing 5000 orbits of Mars.
Read more: http://www.esa.int

Rosetta: Earth’s true colours

True colour images of Earth as seen by Rosetta’s OSIRIS camera are now available. The pictures were taken on 13 November during the swing-by, and on 15 November, as Rosetta left on its way to the outer Solar System, after the swing-by.
Read more: http://www.esa.int

Announcement of Opportunity for Sounding Rocket and Balloon Flights

The ESA Education Office has today issued an announcement of opportunity for student experiments to be flown on two sounding rockets and one stratospheric balloon, to be launched from Kiruna in Northern Sweden.
Read more: http://www.esa.int

Mars and the search for traces of life

The European Mars Science & Exploration Conference: Mars Express and ExoMars has just concluded. We present interviews with selected experts on Mars and the search for traces of life.
Read more: http://www.esa.int

Rosetta: OSIRIS’ view of Earth by night

This striking composite of Earth by night shows the illuminated crescent over Antarctica and cities of the northern hemisphere. The images were acquired with the OSIRIS Wide Angle Camera (WAC) during Rosetta’s second Earth swing-by on 13 November.
Read more: http://www.esa.int