Author Topic: ESA - Venus Express updates  (Read 56398 times)

Offline jacqmans

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Re: ESA - Venus Express updates
« Reply #40 on: 05/25/2012 07:27 pm »
Get ready for the transit of Venus!

24 May 2012

Scientists and amateur astronomers around the world are preparing to observe the rare occurrence of Venus crossing the face of the Sun on 5-6 June, an event that will not be seen again for over a hundred years.

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMLSGZWD2H_index_1.html
« Last Edit: 05/25/2012 07:28 pm by jacqmans »
Jacques :-)

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA - Venus Express updates
« Reply #41 on: 06/04/2012 01:05 pm »
ESA missions gear up for transit of Venus
 
4 June 2012

ESA’s Venus Express and Proba-2 space missions, along with the international SOHO, Hinode, and Hubble spacecraft, are preparing to monitor Venus and the Sun during the transit of Earth’s sister planet during 5-6 June.

http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEM33Q4XX2H_index_0.html
« Last Edit: 06/04/2012 01:06 pm by bolun »

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA - Venus Express updates
« Reply #42 on: 10/01/2012 03:25 pm »
A curious cold layer in the atmosphere of Venus
 
1 October 2012

Venus Express has spied a surprisingly cold region high in the planet’s atmosphere that may be frigid enough for carbon dioxide to freeze out as ice or snow.
 
The planet Venus is well known for its thick, carbon dioxide atmosphere and oven-hot surface, and as a result is often portrayed as Earth’s inhospitable evil twin.

But in a new analysis based on five years of observations using ESA’s Venus Express, scientists have uncovered a very chilly layer at temperatures of around –175ºC in the atmosphere 125 km above the planet’s surface.

The curious cold layer is far frostier than any part of Earth’s atmosphere, for example, despite Venus being much closer to the Sun.

http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMILCERI7H_index_0.html

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA - Venus Express updates
« Reply #43 on: 10/08/2012 01:35 pm »
Chasing clouds on Venus

8 October 2012
 
Clouds regularly punctuate Earth’s blue sky, but on Venus the clouds never part, for the planet is wrapped entirely in a 20 km-thick veil of carbon dioxide and sulphuric dioxide haze.

This view shows the cloud tops of Venus as seen in ultraviolet light by the Venus Express spacecraft on 8 December 2011, from a distance of about 30 000 km.

http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMR1EFRI7H_index_0.html
« Last Edit: 10/08/2012 01:35 pm by bolun »

Offline Star One

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Re: ESA - Venus Express updates
« Reply #44 on: 12/07/2012 05:21 pm »
Quote
Six years of observations by ESA’s Venus Express have shown large changes in the sulphur dioxide content of the planet’s atmosphere, and one intriguing possible explanation is volcanic eruptions.
 
The thick atmosphere of Venus contains over a million times as much sulphur dioxide as Earth’s, where almost all of the pungent, toxic gas is generated by volcanic activity.

http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEM32XE16AH_index_0.html

Offline jacqmans

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Re: ESA - Venus Express updates
« Reply #45 on: 01/21/2013 02:07 pm »
A day in the life of Venus Express
 
21 January 2013
 Bright and dark cloud bands wind around the poles of Venus in this beautiful sequence tracked by ESA’s Venus Express as it makes a rollercoaster orbit around the planet.
 
We join the spacecraft from a staggering 66 000 km above the south pole, staring down into the swirling south polar vortex. From this bird’s-eye view, half of the planet is in darkness, the ‘terminator’ marking the dividing line between the day and night sides of the planet.

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/A_day_in_the_life_of_Venus_Express
 
Jacques :-)

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA - Venus Express updates
« Reply #46 on: 06/18/2013 02:19 pm »
The fast winds of Venus are getting faster

18 June 2013

The most detailed record of cloud motion in the atmosphere of Venus chronicled by ESA’s Venus Express has revealed that the planet’s winds have steadily been getting faster over the last six years.

Venus is well known for its curious super-rotating atmosphere, which whips around the planet once every four Earth days. This is in stark contrast to the rotation of the planet itself – the length of the day – which takes a comparatively laborious 243 Earth days.

By tracking the movements of distinct cloud features in the cloud tops some 70 km above the planet’s surface over a period of 10 venusian years (6 Earth years), scientists have been able to monitor patterns in the long-term global wind speeds.

When Venus Express arrived at the planet in 2006, average cloud-top wind speeds between latitudes 50º on either side of the equator were clocked at roughly 300 km/h. The results of two separate studies have revealed that these already remarkably rapid winds are becoming even faster, increasing to 400 km/h over the course of the mission.

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Venus_Express/The_fast_winds_of_Venus_are_getting_faster

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA - Venus Express updates
« Reply #47 on: 06/20/2013 04:15 pm »
ESA science missions continue in overtime

http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=51944

Quote
An extension to the operations of Venus Express until 2015 was also approved, subject to a mid-term review and confirmation by SPC in 2014. This extension will allow an aerobraking campaign to be carried out within the timescale permitted by the remaining fuel on board.

The next mission extension cycle will begin in mid-2014.

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA - Venus Express updates
« Reply #48 on: 01/14/2014 06:57 pm »
Venus mountains create wave trains

13 January 2014

The planet Venus is blanketed by high-level clouds. At visible wavelengths, individual cloud features are difficult to see, but observations made by instruments on ESA's Venus Express orbiter have revealed many small-scale wave trains. Analysis shows that the waves are mostly found at high northern latitudes, particularly above Ishtar Terra, a continent-sized region that includes the highest mountains on the planet.

http://sci.esa.int/venus-express/53597-venus-mountains-create-wave-trains/

Image credit: ESA/Venus Express/VMC/A. Piccialli et al.

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA - Venus Express updates
« Reply #49 on: 01/20/2014 08:34 am »
http://www.esa.int/For_Media/Press_Releases/ESA_activities_in_2014_of_interest_to_media

Quote
Aerobraking and end of Venus Express misión

After more than 10 years in orbit around Venus, the Venus Express mission will come to an end. Before the spacecraft runs out of fuel, it will be manoeuvred into the tenuous upper atmosphere of the planet, where it will conduct unique science while making engineering tests of aerobraking, potentially useful for future ESA missions. The mission will end as the spacecraft descends into denser atmospheric layers and burns up.

Location: TBD
Expected date: June

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA - Venus Express updates
« Reply #50 on: 03/13/2014 08:34 pm »
Venus glory

11 March 2014

A rainbow-like feature known as a ‘glory’ has been seen by ESA’s Venus Express orbiter in the atmosphere of our nearest neighbour – the first time one has been fully imaged on another planet.

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Venus_Express/Venus_glory

Image credit: ESA/MPS/DLR/IDA

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA - Venus Express updates
« Reply #51 on: 05/16/2014 03:39 pm »
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Venus_Express/Venus_Express_gets_ready_to_take_the_plunge

Quote
After eight years in orbit, ESA’s Venus Express has completed routine science observations and is preparing for a daring plunge into the planet’s hostile atmosphere.


Offline fatjohn1408

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Re: ESA - Venus Express updates
« Reply #52 on: 05/19/2014 10:28 am »
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Venus_Express/Venus_Express_gets_ready_to_take_the_plunge

Quote
After eight years in orbit, ESA’s Venus Express has completed routine science observations and is preparing for a daring plunge into the planet’s hostile atmosphere.



Shouldn't the spacecraft go into a more aerodynamic position? Or are they trying to control it during the aerobraking manoeuvre.

Also will they boost its orbit afterwards and raise perigee or let it aerobreak untill it crashes?

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA - Venus Express updates
« Reply #53 on: 06/13/2014 08:37 pm »
http://blogs.esa.int/rocketscience/2014/06/13/venus-express-aerobraking-quick-update/

Quote
The 25th aerobraking orbit (Number 2975 in the mission overall) was completed earlier today; on 11 June, during orbit 2973, the spacecraft dipped down to almost 140 km above the Venusian surface – an unprecedented low altitude.

Quote
On board Venus express, everything is functioning as expected and within limits: power, propulsion, communications, temperatures of spacecraft components, & etc.

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA - Venus Express updates
« Reply #54 on: 06/19/2014 07:59 pm »
Science during aerobraking

http://blogs.esa.int/rocketscience/2014/06/18/science-during-aerobraking/

Aerobraking starts today

http://blogs.esa.int/rocketscience/2014/06/18/aerobrakign-starts-today/

Quote
The walk-in phase finishes today, and we are officially starting the aerobraking phase. Current pericentre altitude is around 136km, and we will drop naturally about 1km over the next week after which the pericentre altitude remains nominally constant [at about 135 km] to the end of aerobraking on 11 July.

Image credit:ESA
« Last Edit: 06/24/2014 08:50 pm by bolun »

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA - Venus Express updates
« Reply #55 on: 06/24/2014 08:59 pm »
Venus Express enters an unknown realm

http://blogs.esa.int/rocketscience/2014/06/23/venus-express-enters-an-unknown-realm/

Quote
the mission operations team at ESOC used the spacecraft's thrusters today to lower the pericentre altitude by 2.8 km; this pericentre-lowering manoeuvre (think of it as a 'push-down' manoeuvre) was done by firing the thrusters as Venus Express passed through apocentre. The thruster burn took place at 12:42 CEST (10:42 UTC), and the next - and unprecedented low - pericentre pass will now occur at 00:31 CEST on 24 June (22:31 UTC on 23.06). The manoeuvre should bring pressures to 0.4 N/m^2 by the mid-point of the aerobraking plateau on 29 June.

Image credit: ESA

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA - Venus Express updates
« Reply #56 on: 07/05/2014 04:15 pm »
Venus Express goes even lower

http://blogs.esa.int/rocketscience/2014/07/03/venus-express-goes-even-lower/

Quote
Yesterday morning, 2 July, the spacecraft performed another manoeuvre designed to lower the pericentre altitude by 0.8 km.

This pericentre lowering is being performed in order to target higher atmospheric densities; the highest dynamic pressure (drag force) experienced by the spacecraft so far is 0.45 N/m2; the VEX team is aiming higher, trying to reach dynamic pressures of over 0.50 N/m^2. Atmospheric density at pericentre can vary by over 30% from one orbit to the next, making it difficult to know what atmospheric density will be reached on the next aerobraking pass...

Image credit: ESA

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA - Venus Express updates
« Reply #57 on: 07/12/2014 03:33 pm »
http://blogs.esa.int/rocketscience/2014/07/10/the-hottest-bumpiest-week-yet-for-venus-express/

Quote
Venus Express is now in the final week of its aerobraking campaign, and is about as low as it’s going to get. At its last pericentre passage, its altitude was only 129.9 km and this is expected to decrease to 129.1 km before the end of the aerobraking campaign.

Quote
... you may have noticed in the plots that Venus Express has reached its 3000th pericentre, in other words it has completed 3000 orbits around Venus (it reached this milestone on  Monday 7 July). Reaching this milestone is especially impressive given that the spacecraft was originally designed for a nominal science mission of only 500 orbits!

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Venus_Express/Venus_Express_rises_again

Quote
After a month surfing in and out of the atmosphere of Venus down to just 130 km from the planet’s surface, ESA’s Venus Express is about to embark on a 15 day climb up to the lofty heights of 460 km.

Image credit: ESA

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA - Venus Express updates
« Reply #58 on: 07/12/2014 03:36 pm »
ESAHangout: Venus Express mission experts answer your aerobraking questions



http://blogs.esa.int/rocketscience/2014/07/10/1417/

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA - Venus Express updates
« Reply #59 on: 07/19/2014 06:51 pm »
Venus Express aerobraking: quick update 18 July   

Everything appears nominal so far. We have completed eight orbit correct manoeuvres (OCMs), each raising the pericentre by approximately 25 km. Estimated pericentre height at the moment is ~300 km. There are seven more OCMs to come to bring us to the target pericentre height of ~460 km.

The spacecraft is in fantastic shape, no degradation of any unit has been seen. A battery deep discharge test was performed. No degradation compared to before the aerobraking campaign was found.

Estimated fuel reserve after completion of all OCMs is 5.42 kg oxidiser and 3.23 kg fuel (note this is only an estimate based on the dead reckoning processing of Flight Dynamics).

http://blogs.esa.int/rocketscience/2014/07/18/venus-express-aerobraking-quick-update-18-july/

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