Chilean Volcano Captured Blasting Ash

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Chile’s Chaiten Volcano is shown spewing ash and smoke (center left of image) into the air for hundreds of km over Argentina’s Patagonia Plateau in this Envisat image acquired on 5 May 2008.
 
The 1000 m-high volcano had been dormant for thousands of years before erupting on 2 May, causing the evacuation of thousands. Chaiten Volcano is located in southern Chile 10 km northeast of the town of Chaiten on the Gulf of Corcovado.

Envisat’s Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) instrument processed this image at a resolution of 1200 m.

Satellite data can be used to detect the slight signs of change that may foretell an eruption. Once an eruption begins, optical and radar instruments can capture the lava flows, mudslides, ground fissures and earthquakes.

Atmospheric sensors onboard satellites can also identify the gases and aerosols released by the eruption, as well as quantify their wider environmental impact.

To boost the use of Earth Observation (EO) data at volcanic observatories, ESA has started to monitor volcanoes worldwide within the Agency’s Data User Element program.

The Globvolcano project, started in early 2007, will define, implement and validate information services to support volcanological observatories in their daily work by integration of EO data, with emphasis on observation and early warning.  

Image Caption: Chile’s Chaiten Volcano is shown spewing ash and smoke into the air for hundreds of km over Argentina’s Patagonia Plateau in this Envisat's Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) image, acquired on 5 May 2008. (click image for Hi-Res Version)

Image Credit: ESA

Source: ESA

Permalink: http://www.sflorg.com/comm_center/esa/p423_05.html

Time Stamp: 5/8/2008 at 2:44:38 PM UTC

Green light awaited for Europe’s Mars mission

Thursday, March 13, 2008

The cornerstone of ESA's Aurora exploration program is ExoMars, a mission to deliver Europe’s first planetary rover to the Red Planet. After more than a year of studying various mission concepts, the ExoMars team is preparing to move on to the detailed design of the ExoMars spacecraft and rover.
 
"ExoMars has evolved since first proposed in 2005 into a major Mars exploration mission with more than double the initial payload of scientific instruments. We have now selected the baseline configuration and are ready to move on to the next stage, known as Phase B2," said Don McCoy, ESA's ExoMars project manager. "Over the coming weeks we will prepare our proposals for the implementation of the next phase, and these will be presented to the Human Spaceflight, Microgravity and Exploration Program Board in late November."

The chosen baseline mission envisages the delivery of the ExoMars rover and landing station to the surface of Mars. Currently scheduled for an Ariane-5 ECA launch from Kourou in 2013, the five tonne spacecraft will take 9 – 10 months to arrive at Mars.

After spending several months in orbit around the planet to ensure that its mission will not be disrupted by the Martian dust storm season, the spacecraft will head towards the surface, protected by a heat-resistant aeroshell. The final stages of the descent will require the deployment of large parachutes, followed by inflation of a vented airbag that will cushion the landing.

"We have not yet selected a landing site, but we anticipate that ExoMars will touch down fairly near the equator, between 10 degrees South and 35 degrees North," said Don McCoy.

Once the airbags deflate and the petals of the landing stage open out, the rover will be able to begin its six-month exploration of Mars. Fed by daily instructions from Earth, the 'intelligent', solar powered vehicle will use information from its stereo cameras to make its way from target to target, traveling up to 1 km during each Martian day.

As its six independently powered wheels leave their tracks in the rust-red dust, the rover’s Pasteur payload of 11 scientific instruments will search for signs of life – past or present – and investigate the alien environment.
One of the most valuable tools will be a drill that can penetrate to a depth of two meters. Soil samples retrieved by the drill will be crushed and distributed to the onboard experiments for chemical analysis.

Further information of value to scientists will be sent back by the Geophysical and Environmental Payload on the landing stage. The lander's instruments will include a weather station, a subsurface radar, a seismometer, a mole and a radio experiment to study tiny variations in the motion of Mars.

The prime contractor for the ExoMars spacecraft will be Thales Alenia Space of Turin, Italy. Prime contractor for the rover will be Astrium UK, while development of the landing stage will be led by Astrium Gmbh of Germany.

International partners will contribute to the ExoMars mission in several ways. In addition to providing some of the scientific instruments, the United States will ensure communication links with Earth via one or more NASA satellites in orbit around Mars. Discussions are also under way regarding co-operation with Russia, which has announced its intention to send the Phobos-Grunt mission to Mars in 2009.

Image Caption: ExoMars rover - phase B1 concept

Image Credit: ESA

Larger Version: http://www.sflorg.com/member_gallery/ground_vehicles/gv03

Source: ESA

Permalink: http://www.sflorg.com/comm_center/esa/p326_04.html

Time Stamp: 3/13/2008 at 10:20:30 AM CST

Jules Verne ATV Atop Launcher

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Jules Verne, the first Automated Transfer Vehicle, has been encapsulated in its huge fairing on top of the Ariane 5 launcher. With a total mass of about 19 360 kg, Jules Verne is the largest payload ever launched by Ariane 5. This historical mission with the first European space supplier for the ISS is scheduled for a night time launch on 8 March at 04.23 UT.
 
In mid-February, Jules Verne Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), having been filled with a total of 6.5 tonnes of four different propellants and 20 kg of oxygen, was transferred in a payload container from the S5 building to the Ariane 5 Final Assembly Building at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Since then, Ariane 5 and ATV have been undergoing a complex combined operations plan.

The 19.4-tonne Jules Verne mass represents more than twice the heaviest single payload Ariane 5 has ever lifted in the past, including Envisat, ESA's 8-tonne environment satellite. To handle such a heavyweight, the Vehicle Equipment Bay which supports the ATV on top of the launcher, has been structurally redesigned and strengthened.

Through the upper level of the Final Assembly Building - the so-called 'chimney' - the cylindrical ATV was installed on top of Ariane 5 and carefully bolted to the launcher interface.

“Seeing the fairing encapsulation on Jules Verne was on the one hand a very exciting step in the final countdown to launch. On the other hand it was rather sad as we all knew we will not see again on Earth our old friend who we have been working with so closely over so many years,” said John Ellwood, ESA's ATV Project Manager.

During the coming week all connections – electrical, pyrotechnical and fluid interfaces – will be checked on ATV and Ariane 5. The entire spacecraft will be activated to check the spacecraft’s 'health', and to charge the batteries once again.

The entire cylindrical vehicle with its numerous protuberances, thrusters and antennas has been carefully covered with a white insulating foil layer (MLI / Multi Layer Insulator). This blanket thermally protects the ATV from the enormous temperature changes in orbit. Like a huge white thermal flask, the foil layer also keeps the interior of the vehicle at a constant temperature.

The exterior of the spacecraft has been thoroughly vacuum cleaned, removing every last small part or flake which could float around the ATV once the European vessel is in orbit. About 250 small 'remove before flight' flags and red covers were taken off one by one as each associated action was completed; including the protective covers on Jules Verne's rendezvous optical sensors.

On 25 February, after extensive checks and visual inspection of the ATV, the largest Ariane 5 fairing – a version measuring 17 meters in height and weighing 2500 kg – was successfully installed over the ATV. Besides the large Arianespace team in charge of the launcher, some 50 people from Astrium and its subcontractors (Thales Alenia Space, RSC Energia) and ESA have supported the integration of ATV over the last few weeks.

“The campaign has been very successful with no major issues and has kept perfectly to a tight schedule. Most of our teams have worked on two 8-hour shifts, six days a week. Some of the engineers and technicians have worked on this program for 6 to 10 years. It was an emotional moment when the ATV was covered with its fairing. The next time anyone will see Jules Verne ATV, it will be in orbit for rendezvous in the first days of April”, said Nicolas Chamussy, ATV Program Manager for EADS Astrium.

One week before launch, all the launch teams and different control centers around the world will simulate a full 10-hour countdown to lift-off with the real Ariane 5 and ATV vehicle. After the launch onboard Ariane 5, the ATV's high-precision navigation system will guide the spacecraft to the International Space Station, with docking planned in early April.

Image Caption 1: Jules Verne, the first Automated Transfer Vehicle, has been integrated and encapsulated under its huge fairing on top of its Ariane 5 launcher. With a total mass of about 19 360 kg, Jules Verne is the largest payload ever launched by Ariane 5. The historical mission with the first European space supplier for the ISS is scheduled for a night time launch on 8 March at 01:23 local time in French Guiana (04.23 UT).

Image Caption 2: Jules Verne, the first Automated Transfer Vehicle, has been integrated and encapsulated under its huge fairing on top of its Ariane 5 launcher. With a total mass of about 19 360 kg, Jules Verne is the largest payload ever launched by Ariane 5. The historical mission with the first European space supplier for the ISS is scheduled for a night time launch on 8 March at 01:23 local time in French Guiana (04.23 UT).

Image Credits: 2008 - ESA /CNES/Arianespace/Photo optique video du CSG

Source: ESA

Permalink: http://www.sflorg.com/comm_center/esa/p293_03.html

Time Stamp: 2/27/2008 at 12:53:16 PM CST

Jules Verne ATV Launch Approaching

Monday, February 11, 2008

After the successful launch of ESA’s Columbus laboratory aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis on Thursday (7 February), it is now time to focus on the next imminent milestone for ESA: the launch of Jules Verne, the first Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) to be sent to the International Space Station.
 
The 20-tonne European resupply and space-tug module will be carried into orbit by a special version of the Ariane 5 launch vehicle. The launcher, operated by Arianespace, is now scheduled to lift off from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on 8 March at 01:23 local time, 05:23 CET.

From 2008 onward, ESA’s Automated Transfer Vehicle will be one of the space station’s supply spacecraft, delivering experiments, equipment and spare parts, as well as food, air and water for its permanent crew.

Constructed by EADS-Astrium, the ATV, which is the most powerful automatic spaceship ever built, will carry up to 9 tonnes of cargo to the station as it orbits 400 km above the Earth.
 
Equipped with its own propulsion and navigation systems, the ATV is a multi-functional spacecraft, combining the fully automatic capabilities of an unmanned vehicle with the safety requirements of a crewed vehicle . Its mission in space will resemble that, on the ground, of a truck (the ATV) delivering goods and services to a research establishment (the space station).

A new-generation high-precision navigation system will guide the ATV on a rendezvous trajectory towards the station. In early April, Jules Verne will automatically dock with the station’s Russian Service Module, following a number of specific operations and maneuver (on 'Demonstration Days') to show that the vehicle is performing as planned in nominal and contingency situations.

It will remain there as a pressurized and integral part of the station for up to six months until a controlled re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere takes place, during which it will burn up and, in the process, dispose of 6.3 tonnes of waste material no longer needed on the station.

Image Caption: Preview of the maiden launch and docking of ESA's Jules Verne ATV. Jules Verne will be lifted into space on board an Ariane 5 launch vehicle.

Image Credit: ESA - D. Ducros

Source: ESA

Permalink: http://www.sflorg.com/comm_center/esa/p244_02.html

Time Stamp: 2/11/2008 at 11:28:34 AM CST

Air France, ESA Join To Offer Passengers Unique View Of Voyage

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Have you ever wished you could clearly see the mountains, coastline, desert, ocean or city underneath your aircraft as you flew over? Passengers onboard select Air France flights will soon be able to explore the unique range of destinations being flown over, such as the Alps, Himalayas or Gulf of Siam, thanks to satellite images provided by ESA.
 
The show, which has been integrated into the in-flight Geovision program, will begin automatically with beautiful and captivating images correlating to the route appearing on onboard screens on all Air France flights operating between Paris and Singapore, Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.

In order to provide the most interesting images of each destination, ESA selected 250 acquisitions from various satellites, including ESA’s Envisat and Proba, Korea’s Kompsat and CNES’s (French Space Agency) Spot.

"It is an example of the innovative initiatives that Air France aims to develop for our passengers. We are looking forward to extending this exclusive offer to others destinations," Air France’s Patrick Roux Vice-President Marketing said.

ESA’s Head of Communication Fernando Doblas said: "Integrating satellite images into Air France’s in-flight service provides an excellent opportunity to create public awareness and interest for space technologies, and in particular for those related to Earth Observation.

"The imagery has been specifically chosen to afford passengers the possibility to tour the planet from a bird’s-eye view and to gain a different perspective and appreciation of Earth by witnessing its splendor as well as its vulnerable spots."

Since their advent, Earth-observing satellites have become powerful scientific tools for enabling a better understanding of the various components of the Earth system – land, ice, atmosphere, biosphere and oceans – and how these processes interact and influence each other.

Acquired continuously, satellite data provide reliable and timely information about the state of our world, allowing us to improve our management of the Earth and, thus, our quality of life.

Image Caption: One of ESA satellite images displayed on screens through Geovision system onboard select Air France flights.

Image Credit: ESA

Source: ESA

Permalink: http://www.sflorg.com/comm_center/esa/p24_01.html

Time Stamp: 9/5/2007 at 9:20:32 AM CST