Venus Express |
Venus Express |
 Apr 12 2005, 06:56 PM
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 Interplanetary Dumpster Diver  Group: Admin Posts: 4405 Joined: 17-February 04 From: Powell, TN Member No.: 33  |
If all goes well, Venus Express will be a major topic for discussion in this forum a year from now. Does anyone know how good the surface coverage will be from VIRTIS and VMC? My understanding is that VIRTIS will obtain low resolution multispectral maps, and that VMC will, in addition to cloud monitoring, have one channel that can see the surface, but I don't know at what resolution or at what quality. It will be nice to have some non-radar images of Venus' surface besides the Venera snapshots and the shadowy images from Earth and Galileo's NIMS.
Ted -------------------- |
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Nov 7 2005, 03:54 PM
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#2
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1636 Joined: 9-May 05 From: Lima, Peru Member No.: 385 |
Besides, the other intrigating thing is that Venus sluggishly rotates on its axis once every 243 Earth days, while it orbits the Sun every 225 days - its day is longer than its year!
On the other hand, Venus rotates retrograde, or "backwards," spinning in the opposite direction of its orbit around the Sun. From its surface, the Sun would seem to rise in the west and set in the east. The other odd thing is that its Equatorial Inclination to Orbit is 177.3 degrees. By comparison, it is: 7.56 x Earth. That is its north pole is almost pointing to the south pole. These are at least one of the oddies things that I would like to understand: Why does the day is longer than a year? Why the planet rotates on backwards? Rodolfo |
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Nov 7 2005, 04:03 PM
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#3
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 Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2454 Joined: 8-July 05 From: NGC 5907 Member No.: 430 |
QUOTE (RNeuhaus @ Nov 7 2005, 10:54 AM) Besides, the other intrigating thing is that Venus sluggishly rotates on its axis once every 243 Earth days, while it orbits the Sun every 225 days - its day is longer than its year! On the other hand, Venus rotates retrograde, or "backwards," spinning in the opposite direction of its orbit around the Sun. From its surface, the Sun would seem to rise in the west and set in the east. The other odd thing is that its Equatorial Inclination to Orbit is 177.3 degrees. By comparison, it is: 7.56 x Earth. That is its north pole is almost pointing to the south pole. These are at least one of the oddies things that I would like to understand: Why does the day is longer than a year? Why the planet rotates on backwards? Rodolfo  A whomping big celestial impact is my guess. -------------------- "After having some business dealings with men, I am occasionally chagrined,
and feel as if I had done some wrong, and it is hard to forget the ugly circumstance. I see that such intercourse long continued would make one thoroughly prosaic, hard, and coarse. But the longest intercourse with Nature, though in her rudest moods, does not thus harden and make coarse. A hard, sensible man whom we liken to a rock is indeed much harder than a rock. From hard, coarse, insensible men with whom I have no sympathy, I go to commune with the rocks, whose hearts are comparatively soft." - Henry David Thoreau, November 15, 1853 |
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Nov 7 2005, 04:26 PM
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#4
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1636 Joined: 9-May 05 From: Lima, Peru Member No.: 385 |
QUOTE (ljk4-1 @ Nov 7 2005, 11:03 AM) A whomping big celestial impact is my guess. Interesting but...why no a moon. After an impact to Venus and that should have a moon like the Earth's case. I thought that the Venus' slow rotation might be caused by a very heavy atmosphere that circulates the planet in the opposite side to its rotation. Or perhaps that is a normal for physics' law since its neigboor planet Mercury rotates around 58 Earth days and orbits around the Sun 88 Earth days. That is more or less a very long day that approach to a "planet of close one year" for both Mercury (less days) and Venus (more days). Rodolfo |
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Nov 7 2005, 04:30 PM
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#5
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2454 Joined: 8-July 05 From: NGC 5907 Member No.: 430 |
QUOTE (RNeuhaus @ Nov 7 2005, 11:26 AM) Interesting but...why no a moon. After an impact to Venus and that should have a moon like the Earth's case. I thought that the Venus' slow rotation might be caused by a very heavy atmosphere that circulates the planet in the opposite side to its rotation. Or perhaps that is a normal for physics' law since its neigboor planet Mercury rotates around 58 Earth days and orbits around the Sun 88 Earth days. That is more or less a very long day that approach to a "planet of close one year" for both Mercury (less days) and Venus (more days). Rodolfo Actually, should a large impact create a moon? My guess is that if Venus did get hit by something massive and powerful enough to practically flip it over, slow down its spin rate, and have it rotate in the opposite direction of most other major worlds, Venus was lucky enough to have survived intact, forget having a moon in the outcome. Or maybe Venus was hit BY its own moon. -------------------- "After having some business dealings with men, I am occasionally chagrined,
and feel as if I had done some wrong, and it is hard to forget the ugly circumstance. I see that such intercourse long continued would make one thoroughly prosaic, hard, and coarse. But the longest intercourse with Nature, though in her rudest moods, does not thus harden and make coarse. A hard, sensible man whom we liken to a rock is indeed much harder than a rock. From hard, coarse, insensible men with whom I have no sympathy, I go to commune with the rocks, whose hearts are comparatively soft." - Henry David Thoreau, November 15, 1853 |
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Nov 7 2005, 05:26 PM
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#6
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 Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2530 Joined: 20-April 05 Member No.: 321 |
QUOTE (ljk4-1 @ Nov 7 2005, 09:30 AM) Actually, should a large impact create a moon? My guess is that if Venus did get hit by something massive and powerful enough to practically flip it over, slow down its spin rate, and have it rotate in the opposite direction of most other major worlds, Venus was lucky enough to have survived intact, forget having a moon in the outcome. Or maybe Venus was hit BY its own moon. There are good sources on the Net for things being wildly speculated about here. To pick just one: the angular momentum of a planet-moon system would remain the same after an impact as before. Such a collision couldn't make the system go backwards unless it was going backwards in the first place. For the Moon to be created from a collision, it had to be a glancing blow. A straight-on punch would not liberate a lot of material. A collision would be necessary if Venus's rotation was set in place as its formation concluded. But there are suggestions that tidal and thermal dynamics of its massive atmosphere may have "set" the rotation at the current rate. If so, the initial rotation is irrelevant/unknowable. In fact, the low inclination suggests that there is some sort of sun-driven factor: a collision that reordered Venus's rotation radically would be unlikely to leave the axis so nearly perpendicular to its orbit -- although that kind of coincidence is not impossible. The rotation is only one oddity, not two or more. Given that the rotation is so slow, the reversal is not so odd -- the difference between rotating slowly E-W or slowly W-E is not nearly so big a difference as the slow rotation in the first place. Consider that a point on Venus's equator is rotating at about the speed of a fast *walk*!!! If it were moving the other direction, but just as slowly, that would only be a difference of a few km/h. Also, the relative relationship between the day and year of Venus is not an "extra" oddity. Given the slow rotation, that follows as a logical consequence. There is a second mystery regarding Venus's rotation, however, and that is why it is [almost] synchronized so as to show [almost] the same face towards the Earth at every conjunction. Mathematically, it would seem impossible for the tidal attraction to make this happen... but if this is a coincidence, it is a remarkable one. |
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Nov 7 2005, 10:08 PM
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#7
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2454 Joined: 8-July 05 From: NGC 5907 Member No.: 430 |
QUOTE (JRehling @ Nov 7 2005, 12:26 PM) There are good sources on the Net for things being wildly speculated about here. There was this guy a long time ago named Aristarchus who wildly speculated that Earth went around the Sun and that the stars were other suns very far away. The powers that be of his era accused him of religious impiety. His ideas were effectively buried for 1,500 years. These ideas may "just" be speculation, but they are not wild. Uranus has been thought by many sober, rational astronomers to be in its present state due to major collisions by natural objects in its past, so why not for Venus to explain its current different state? -------------------- "After having some business dealings with men, I am occasionally chagrined,
and feel as if I had done some wrong, and it is hard to forget the ugly circumstance. I see that such intercourse long continued would make one thoroughly prosaic, hard, and coarse. But the longest intercourse with Nature, though in her rudest moods, does not thus harden and make coarse. A hard, sensible man whom we liken to a rock is indeed much harder than a rock. From hard, coarse, insensible men with whom I have no sympathy, I go to commune with the rocks, whose hearts are comparatively soft." - Henry David Thoreau, November 15, 1853 |
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Nov 9 2005, 02:41 AM
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#8
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 Member Group: Members Posts: 147 Joined: 3-July 04 From: Chicago, IL Member No.: 91 |
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Nov 9 2005, 03:11 AM
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#9
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 Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 2262 Joined: 9-February 04 From: Melbourne - Oz Member No.: 16 |
QUOTE (imran @ Nov 9 2005, 01:41 PM) Anybody getting a feed from here yet? Just wondering if the error message I'm getting is because it hasn't starting or if there is an incompatibilty with the OSX version of Media Player. James -------------------- |
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Nov 9 2005, 03:22 AM
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#10
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Member Group: Members Posts: 147 Joined: 3-July 04 From: Chicago, IL Member No.: 91 |
Both webcasts are working now although you get better resolution from the Starsem site.
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Nov 9 2005, 03:33 AM
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#11
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Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 2262 Joined: 9-February 04 From: Melbourne - Oz Member No.: 16 |
QUOTE (imran @ Nov 9 2005, 02:22 PM) Both webcasts are working now although you get better resolution from the Starsem site. Starsem still doesn't work for me bu thankfully the ESA feed does  (thanks Waspie_Dwarf!)
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tedstryk Venus Express Apr 12 2005, 06:56 PM
BruceMoomaw See my new note on the "Radar on Venus Expres... Apr 20 2005, 10:31 AM
tedstryk Actually, VMC will have some limited capabliity to... Apr 21 2005, 03:16 AM BruceMoomaw You've caught me -- I was completely unaware o... Apr 21 2005, 05:34 AM Mode5 To the powers that be, thank you for creating this... Apr 21 2005, 05:53 AM Gsnorgathon Ted - do you have a link for the ESA mission doc(s... Apr 21 2005, 07:08 AM tedstryk http://megasn.obspm.fr/VEX_MDR51.doc
It is a bit ... Apr 21 2005, 09:17 AM djellison I wonder if the effects of looking thru narrow spe... Apr 21 2005, 09:26 AM tedstryk Hard to tell. It is sort of like Pre-Cassini Tita... Apr 21 2005, 09:51 AM Richard Trigaux QUOTE (tedstryk @ Apr 21 2005, 09:51 AM)It is... Jun 26 2005, 08:06 AM BruceMoomaw I can dig up some stuff on this for you, given a l... Jun 23 2005, 12:06 AM remcook I believe the spectral 'windows' are much ... Jun 25 2005, 08:28 PM edstrick My understanding is that the topographically relat... Jun 26 2005, 07:02 AM edstrick On Cassin, the VIMS is the best instrument we coul... Jun 26 2005, 10:31 AM Bob Shaw QUOTE (edstrick @ Jun 26 2005, 11:31 AM)On Ca... Jul 8 2005, 01:59 PM JRehling QUOTE (edstrick @ Jun 26 2005, 03:31 AM)On Ca... Jul 8 2005, 02:23 PM Gsnorgathon I suppose it's possible, if not easy, to subtr... Jul 9 2005, 04:10 AM JRehling QUOTE (Gsnorgathon @ Jul 8 2005, 09:10 PM)I s... Jul 9 2005, 05:09 AM maycm An update....though not much new information.
htt... Jul 8 2005, 12:49 PM TheChemist Venus Express arrives in Baikonur
She's got i... Aug 10 2005, 04:33 PM Bob Shaw QUOTE (TheChemist @ Aug 10 2005, 05:33 PM)Ven... Aug 10 2005, 07:42 PM BruceMoomaw Here's my long-promised entry on whatever I... Aug 29 2005, 02:10 AM BruceMoomaw Two more notes:
(1) The VIRTIS team is fully re... Aug 29 2005, 02:15 AM tedstryk http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/the_mission/im...ine_f... Sep 11 2005, 01:35 PM 4th rock from the sun QUOTE (tedstryk @ Sep 11 2005, 02:35 PM)...
... Sep 12 2005, 08:46 PM tedstryk Well, I doubt there would be time-lapse images. T... Sep 12 2005, 09:59 PM mike America will just have to make a new probe that re... Sep 12 2005, 07:08 PM Bob Shaw QUOTE (mike @ Sep 12 2005, 08:08 PM)America w... Sep 12 2005, 09:04 PM TheChemist QUOTE Oh, and the thing that the ESA Press Office ... Sep 13 2005, 11:52 AM tedstryk QUOTE (TheChemist @ Sep 13 2005, 11:52 AM)... Sep 13 2005, 03:01 PM RNeuhaus New update. Now it is less than 14 days from launc... Oct 12 2005, 04:09 AM ljk4-1 Preparations for ESA's Venus Express mission p... Oct 13 2005, 01:50 PM RNeuhaus The spacecraft Technical details
Spacecraft fact... Oct 13 2005, 02:45 PM um3k QUOTE (RNeuhaus @ Oct 13 2005, 10:45 AM)The p... Oct 13 2005, 03:03 PM Rakhir QUOTE (um3k @ Oct 13 2005, 05:03 PM)I'm n... Oct 14 2005, 08:23 AM Rakhir QUOTE (RNeuhaus @ Oct 13 2005, 04:45 PM)The s... Oct 13 2005, 04:03 PM RNeuhaus QUOTE (Rakhir @ Oct 13 2005, 11:03 AM)From ht... Oct 13 2005, 04:46 PM tedstryk QUOTE (RNeuhaus @ Oct 13 2005, 04:46 PM)Thank... Oct 13 2005, 05:06 PM ugordan QUOTE (RNeuhaus @ Oct 13 2005, 06:46 PM)Thank... Oct 13 2005, 05:09 PM RNeuhaus The problem was already solved by changing the pro... Oct 13 2005, 06:25 PM Jeff7 QUOTE (um3k @ Oct 13 2005, 10:03 AM)I'm n... Oct 14 2005, 04:22 AM helvick QUOTE (Jeff7 @ Oct 14 2005, 05:22 AM)I think ... Oct 14 2005, 08:15 AM RNeuhaus QUOTE (Jeff7 @ Oct 13 2005, 11:22 PM)I think ... Oct 14 2005, 03:59 PM RNeuhaus According to the VE's pdf document, VE has gre... Oct 14 2005, 04:22 PM dvandorn Your diagram shows the most common Hohmann transfe... Oct 15 2005, 08:59 AM Rakhir Fairing Installation
Today, Monday 17 October 200... Oct 17 2005, 08:25 PM RNeuhaus New updates about Venus Express. More details abou... Oct 19 2005, 10:30 PM Rakhir New ESA update : summary of the launch, cruise and... Oct 21 2005, 11:03 AM Adam Delayed:
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEM0CV3J2FE_ind... Oct 21 2005, 06:31 PM Rakhir Venus Express preliminary investigations bring enc... Oct 25 2005, 11:33 AM SigurRosFan Spaceflightnow Mission Status Center: Venus Expres... Oct 26 2005, 01:27 PM Rakhir Russian space officials Monday set a Nov. 9 blasto... Oct 31 2005, 05:21 PM RNeuhaus Strange news.
The postpone of the launch was due... Oct 31 2005, 09:23 PM Rakhir QUOTE (RNeuhaus @ Oct 31 2005, 11:23 PM)Stran... Oct 31 2005, 10:24 PM Rakhir Roll Out to Launch Pad
http://sci.esa.int/science... Nov 5 2005, 04:42 PM Rakhir Pre-launch sequence was executed.
2 days...
http:... Nov 6 2005, 11:24 PM paulanderson Interesting article:
'Venus Mission May Hold ... Nov 7 2005, 01:35 AM mike If Venus is almost exactly like Earth, but much ho... Nov 7 2005, 03:04 AM JRehling QUOTE (mike @ Nov 6 2005, 08:04 PM)If Venus i... Nov 7 2005, 03:41 PM The Messenger QUOTE (JRehling @ Nov 7 2005, 10:26 AM)There ... Nov 7 2005, 05:46 PM imran 0327 GMT (10:27 p.m. EDT Tues.)
The Venus Express... Nov 9 2005, 03:30 AM imran QUOTE (imran @ Nov 9 2005, 03:30 AM)0327 GMT ... Nov 9 2005, 03:32 AM imran QUOTE (jamescanvin @ Nov 9 2005, 03:33 AM)Sta... Nov 9 2005, 03:33 AM jamescanvin QUOTE (imran @ Nov 9 2005, 02:33 PM)LIFTOFF... Nov 9 2005, 03:38 AM jamescanvin QUOTE (jamescanvin @ Nov 9 2005, 02:38 PM)OK ... Nov 9 2005, 03:39 AM imran 0336 GMT (10:36 p.m. EDT Tues.)
T+plus 3 minutes.... Nov 9 2005, 03:38 AM JRehling QUOTE (ljk4-1 @ Nov 7 2005, 03:08 PM)The... Nov 9 2005, 06:12 AM djellison Moons tend to orbit their parent planet in the sam... Nov 7 2005, 04:57 PM BruceMoomaw Well, as Chesterton said, the most remarkable thin... Nov 7 2005, 09:20 PM RNeuhaus Anyway, at the beginning of the planetary formatio... Nov 7 2005, 09:57 PM Waspie_Dwarf Alternative link for the live webcast of the launc... Nov 9 2005, 03:06 AM jamescanvin QUOTE (Waspie_Dwarf @ Nov 9 2005, 02:06 PM)Al... Nov 9 2005, 03:14 AM Waspie_Dwarf The live feed won't start until 03:28 GMT, at ... Nov 9 2005, 03:14 AM imran Cutoff of 3rd stage and separation of nose module. Nov 9 2005, 03:41 AM jamescanvin QUOTE (imran @ Nov 9 2005, 02:41 PM)"Eve... Nov 9 2005, 03:42 AM imran QUOTE (jamescanvin @ Nov 9 2005, 03:42 AM)Thi... Nov 9 2005, 03:43 AM imran There goes the feed. Oh well..guess I'll have... Nov 9 2005, 03:46 AM imran 0348 GMT (10:48 p.m. EDT Tues.)
T+plus 15 minutes... Nov 9 2005, 03:51 AM elakdawalla Argh! Is that second Fregat burn happening or... Nov 9 2005, 05:02 AM jamescanvin From Spaceflightnow.com
0514 GMT (12:14 a.m. EST)... Nov 9 2005, 05:16 AM Bricktop From http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/in...... Nov 9 2005, 05:19 AM jamescanvin Fregat burn should be underway by now.
No word on... Nov 9 2005, 05:06 AM Waspie_Dwarf QUOTE (jamescanvin @ Nov 9 2005, 05:16 AM)Fro... Nov 9 2005, 05:20 AM Rakhir From http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/in...... Nov 9 2005, 05:20 AM Waspie_Dwarf QUOTE (Bricktop @ Nov 9 2005, 05:19 AM)From h... Nov 9 2005, 05:22 AM jamescanvin Hurrrah!
Venus here we come Nov 9 2005, 05:25 AM elakdawalla This from Daniel Fischer: "Just to report tha... Nov 9 2005, 05:48 AM Rakhir MET: +02h 40m
Sun acquisiton and successfully depl... Nov 9 2005, 06:17 AM Decepticon QUOTE Venus Orbit Insertion on April 11, 2006.... Nov 9 2005, 07:03 AM edstrick "Sun acquisiton and successfully deployment o... Nov 9 2005, 07:06 AM |
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