OrbitalHub

March 12, 2009

GOCE Ready For Launch

Posted by dj

Credits: ESA – S. Corvaja

ESA is about to launch a satellite capable of measuring very small variations in the Earth’s gravitational field. Determining the variations in the Earth’s gravitational field will improve our knowledge of ocean circulation, and will also help to make advances in geodesy and surveying.

The satellite is called Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE). GOCE is the most advanced gravity space mission to date. Scientists will build a detailed map of Earth’s gravity using data collected by GOCE.

Remember Phoenix

Posted by dj

In 2002, an instrument on the Mars Odyssey spacecraft detected hydrogen under the Martian surface. This was regarded as clear evidence that there is subsurface water ice on Mars.

In 2003, NASA decided to revive a mission that was cancelled in 2001 due to the fact that a previous mission, the Mars Polar Lander, was lost in 1999. The revived mission was named Phoenix.

Kepler Launch

Posted by dj

United Launch Alliance\’s Delta II launch vehicle, carrying Kepler, lifted off from Space Launch Complex 17B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Friday, March 6, 2009, at 10:49 PM EST.

Kepler is the first NASA mission capable of finding terrestrial exo-planets. Of particular interest are the planets orbiting in the so-called habitable zone, where conditions are met so that liquid water can exist on the surface of the planet.

Kepler – preparations for launch

Posted by dj

Kepler is the first NASA mission capable of finding terrestrial exo-planets. Of particular interest are the planets orbiting in the so-called habitable zone, where conditions are met so that liquid water can exist on the surface of the planet.

The Kepler mission, part of NASA’s Discovery Program, is designed to survey a portion of our region of the Milky Way. Kepler will survey a large number of stars, and explore the structure and diversity of many planetary systems.

Mars 500

Posted by dj

The Mars500 experiment is a cooperative project between the European Space Agency’s Directorate of Human Spaceflight and the Russian Institute for Biomedical Problems (IBMP). The experiment will be conducted inside a special facility at the IBMP in Moscow.

Mars500 is essential for the preparation of human missions to Mars, as the data, knowledge, and experience accumulated during the experiment will help scientists investigate the human factors of this type of mission.

The James Webb Space Telescope

Posted by dj

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is the successor of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). While Hubble looks at the sky in the visible and ultraviolet light, JWST will operate in the infrared. JWST is a joint mission of NASA, ESA, and the Canadian Space Agency.

The project started in 1996 and was initially known as the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST). In 2002, the project was renamed the James Webb Space Telescope in honor of NASA administrator James E. Webb, who led the agency from February 1961 to October 1968.