Author Topic: LIVE: Ariane 5 ECA (V188) - Herschel/Planck - May 14, 2009 (Read 68070 times)

jacqmans · « **on:** 08/09/2006 11:12 am »

Planck's mirrors are tested in the Large Space Simulator at ESA's test centre in Noordwijk, the Netherlands.

jacqmans · « **Reply #1 on:** 08/09/2006 11:12 am »

Planck's mirrors are lowered into the Large Space Simulator at ESA's test centre in Noordwijk, the Netherlands.

jacqmans · « **Reply #2 on:** 08/09/2006 11:13 am »

It will collect the most ancient radiation in the Universe. Filtering this so-called cosmic ray background means that you send reasonable-sized data and save time.

tycho · « **Reply #3 on:** 08/13/2006 07:53 pm »

Beautiful telescope.

I been there in Noordwijk, ESTEC(watched test room too while they testing, I forgot what they were testing) when I was young.

jacqmans · « **Reply #4 on:** 08/15/2006 06:12 pm »

Planck telescope behaves well in cold vacuum

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMKMRY7QQE_index_0.html

15 August 2006

ESA's Planck space telescope was removed last week from the Large Space Simulator (LSS) at ESTEC, ESA's research and technology centre in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, after a thorough two-week test in temperatures down to -178 degrees Celsius. The test is an important milestone towards launch in 2008.

Once in space, Planck will investigate cosmic background radiation: the remnants of the Big Bang over fourteen billion years ago. The telescope will make observations in the far-infrared spectrum; this can only be achieved using super-cooled instruments. It is essential to test the telescope at very low temperatures – a task highly suited to ESA’s Large Space Simulator.

JulesVerneATV · « **Reply #5 on:** 09/04/2006 05:03 pm »

It will be a Double launch with the Herschel telescope ( follow on to other infra-red missions like ISO, Spitzer, Iras and Sofia )
http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=34697
Herschel/Planck Dual Launch Configuration

jacqmans · « **Reply #6 on:** 02/01/2007 03:11 am »

ESA's Planck satellite, due to study relic radiation from the Big Bang, is on display for the media tomorrow in Cannes. Images of the spacecraft in all its glory will be published on the web at the end of the press conference.

More at:
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEM32VSMTWE_index_0.html

jacqmans · « **Reply #7 on:** 02/01/2007 03:11 pm »

Today, ESA's Planck satellite has been on display for media gathered in Cannes. The press event took place by the facility of Alcatel Alenia Space, Prime Contractor for building the satellite. Special guest was George Smoot, Nobel Prize for Physics in 2006 for his research on the Cosmic Microwave background.

Full story at:
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMM3XSMTWE_index_0.html

meiza · « **Reply #8 on:** 02/18/2007 06:21 pm »

Good quality photos! That is one weird looking spacecraft.

jacqmans · « **Reply #9 on:** 09/04/2007 04:23 pm »

N° 27-2007: ‘Heart’ of Herschel to be presented to media

By the end of 2007, the assembly of the ESA’s Herschel far-infrared space observatory – the latest mission to study the formation and evolution of stars and galaxies – will be completed. ESA and Astrium are jointly inviting the media to a press conference in Friedrichshafen, Germany, on 19 September 2007, to hear about this revolutionary spacecraft, its scientific objectives, and to view the very heart of its hardware.

The Herschel mission, equipped with the largest telescope ever launched in space (3.5 m diameter), will give astronomers their best capability yet to explore the universe at far-infrared and sub-millimetre wavelengths. By measuring the light at these wavelengths, scientists see the ‘cold’ universe. Herschel will give them an unprecedented view, allowing them to see deep into star forming regions, galactic centres and planetary systems.
In order to achieve its objectives and to be able to detect the faint radiation coming from the coolest objects in the cosmos, otherwise ‘invisible’, Herschel’s detectors must operate at very low and stable temperatures. The spacecraft is equipped so as to cool them close to absolute zero (-273.15 ºC), ranging from -271 ºC to only a few tenths of a degree above absolute zero. To have achieved this particular feature alone is a remarkable accomplishment for European industry and science.

The final integration of the various components of the Herschel spacecraft – payload module, cryostat, service module, telescope and solar arrays – will be completed in the next few months. This phase will be followed by a series of tests to get the spacecraft ready for launch at the end of July 2008. Herschel will be launched into space on an Ariane 5 ECA rocket. The launch is shared with Planck, ESA’s mission to study relic radiation from the Big Bang.

Media interested to attend the press event are invited to fill in the reply form below.

Note for editors

The Prime Contractor for the Herschel spacecraft is Thales Alenia Space (Cannes, France). It leads a consortium of industrial partners with Astrium (Germany) responsible for the Extended Payload Module (EPLM, including the Herschel cryostat), Astrium (France) responsible for the telescope, and the Thales Alenia Space industry branch of Torino, Italy, responsible for the Service Module (SVM). There is also a host of subcontractors spread throughout Europe.

The three Herschel instruments were designed and built by consortia of scientists and institutes, with their own national funding. The Photodetector Array Camera and Spectrometer (PACS) was developed under the coordination of the MPE, Germany; the Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver (SPIRE) was developed under the coordination of the Cardiff University (United Kingdom); the Heterodyne Instrument for the Far Infrared (HIFI) was developed under the coordination of the SRON institute (The Netherlands).

For more information

ESA Media Relations Office
Tel: +33(0)1.53.69.7299
Fax: +33(0)1.53.69.7690

meiza · « **Reply #10 on:** 09/04/2007 08:19 pm »

That's one big telescope...

jacqmans · « **Reply #11 on:** 09/19/2007 04:56 pm »

Herschel's heart and brain mated

19 September 2007

Herschel, Europe’s infrared space observatory is being presented to the media today in a joint press event by ESA and Astrium in Friedrichshafen, Germany. Two of the satellite’s most fundamental modules, its ‘heart’ and ‘brain’, have now been mated.

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEM0ZJJPK6F_index_0.html

jacqmans · « **Reply #12 on:** 09/20/2007 04:28 pm »

The following images have been released on the occasion of the Herschel Industrial Media Day in Friedrichshafen on 19 September 2007.

See all images:
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMJ9XK5P6F_index_0.html

jacqmans · « **Reply #13 on:** 02/08/2008 08:32 pm »

ESA's test centre is buzzing with activity and anticipation as it welcomes its latest guest. The gigantic telescope of ESA’s space-based infrared observatory, Herschel, is being prepared to be assembled with its spacecraft in the next few weeks.

Read more at:

http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEM88OPR4CF_index_0.html

jacqmans · « **Reply #14 on:** 03/05/2008 02:12 pm »

Today I was at ESTEC for the GIOVE-B Media day...While at the test center I took these photos of the Herschel telescope...

jacqmans · « **Reply #15 on:** 03/05/2008 02:13 pm »

jacqmans · « **Reply #16 on:** 03/05/2008 02:14 pm »

jacqmans · « **Reply #17 on:** 04/23/2008 03:25 pm »

The mirror of the Herschel telescope has now been assembled with the payload and service module, completing the spacecraft structure - an important milestone in the days following through to launch.

More at:
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEM0Z0QJCFF_index_0.html

MartianBase · « **Reply #18 on:** 06/11/2008 06:26 pm »

Herschel M1/M2 Distance Measurements

http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=42841

Double launch with Planck, this is Europe's improvement over NASA’s 1989 Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite. Planck will have 10 times the sensitivity of WMAP

jacqmans · « **Reply #19 on:** 06/30/2008 03:37 pm »

Herschel acoustic and vibration tests

30 June 2008

The Herschel spacecraft is now undergoing a series of mechanical tests at ESA's European Space Research and Technology Centre, ESTEC. The tests are carried out to ensure that the spacecraft can withstand the acoustic and vibration loads that it will encounter during launch.

http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMQP9SHKHF_index_0.html