OrbitalHub

 

ESA dixit:

“Rosetta will come to within about 10 km of the nucleus to deploy Philae, which will take several hours to reach the surface. Because of the comet’s extremely low gravity, landing gear will absorb the small forces of landing while ice screws in the probe’s feet and a harpoon system will lock the probe to the surface. At the same time a thruster on top of the lander will push it down to counteract the impulse of the harpoon imparted in the opposite direction. Once it is anchored to the comet, the lander will begin its primary science mission, based on its 64-hour initial battery lifetime. The animation then shows five of Philae’s 10 instruments in action: CIVA, ROLIS, SD2, MUPUS and APXS. Rosetta’s Philae lander is provided by a consortium led by DLR, MPS, CNES and ASI.”

Credit: ESA

ESA dixit:

“This short animation explains the relative sizes of the Rosetta spacecraft and comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. Rosetta is 32 m from tip to tip of the solar wings. Assuming the comet measures about 4 km across, that’s 125 times the width of Rosetta. Unlike typical artist’s impressions, this image is scaled to convey the vast difference in size between Rosetta and the comet, even when the spacecraft is in a close 10 km orbit, as depicted here. Rosetta arrives at the comet at an altitude of 100 km in the first week of August, and will move progressively closer over the following two months, with the intention to orbit at an altitude of just 10 km, depending on the comet’s activity. For Philae’s deployment in November, Rosetta will come to within a few kilometres of the surface. The comet depicted in this animation is an artist’s impression.”

Credit: ESA

 

ESA dixit:

“Liftoff of an Ariane 5 launcher from Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana with ESA’s last Automated Transfer vehicle to the Space Station. The fifth and final mission of ESA’s Automated Transfer Vehicle got off to a flying start with its launch from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, heading for the International Space Station. Georges Lemaître is the fifth ATV built and launched by ESA as part of Europe’s contribution to cover the operational costs for using the Space Station. Named after the Belgian scientist who formulated the Big Bang Theory, ATV Georges Lemaître lifted off at 23:47 GMT on 29 July (01:47 CEST 30 July, 20:47 local time 29 July) on an Ariane 5 ES rocket. The vehicle will deliver 6561 kg of freight, including 2628 kg of dry cargo and 3933 kg of water, propellants and gases.”

Credit: ESA / CNES / Arianespace

NASA dixit:

“The historic 1964 Ranger 7 mission was the first true success in the United States’ early quest to explore the moon.
The JPL-built spacecraft launched July 28. Three days later, it made a targeted impact on the moon, sending back more than 4,300 photos along the way.”

Credit: NASA

 


 

NASA dixit:

“Just six hours after its launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the unpiloted Russian ISS Progress 56 cargo craft automatically docked to the International Space Station July 23, delivering almost three tons of food, fuel and supplies for the Expedition 40 crew on board. The Progress will remain docked to Pirs until late October.”

Credit: NASA / Roscosmos

NASA dixit:

“Carrying more than 3,000 pounds of food, supplies, spare parts and experiments, Orbital Sciences Corporation’s Cygnus cargo ship arrived at the International Space Station July 16, where it was grappled by Expedition 40 Commander Steve Swanson backed up by European Space Agency Flight Engineer Alexander Gerst. The pair operated the Canadarm2 robotic arm from the station’s cupola to snag Cygnus before robotic ground controllers admission control in Houston initiated its installation onto the Earth-facing port of the Harmony module where it would be bolted in place for a month-long stay. Cygnus was launched July 13 atop Orbital’s Antares rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport’s Launch Pad 0A at Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia for the second contracted commercial resupply flight for the U.S. firm.”

Credit: NASA