IPB

Welcome Guest ( Log In | Register )

34 Pages V  « < 24 25 26 27 28 > »   
Reply to this topicStart new topic
Venus Express
elakdawalla
post Apr 30 2010, 01:54 PM
Post #376


Administrator
****

Group: Admin
Posts: 5172
Joined: 4-August 05
From: Pasadena, CA, USA, Earth
Member No.: 454



QUOTE (cndwrld @ Apr 30 2010, 04:50 AM) *
...here's a photo of my radar hat...

Marvelous.


--------------------
My website - My Patreon - @elakdawalla on Twitter - Please support unmannedspaceflight.com by donating here.
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
tharrison
post Apr 30 2010, 02:36 PM
Post #377


Junior Member
**

Group: Members
Posts: 46
Joined: 6-January 10
From: Toronto, ON
Member No.: 5163



QUOTE (cndwrld @ Apr 30 2010, 03:50 AM) *
I don't have a photo of that. So here's a photo of my radar hat, when I worked on Magellan. Careful observers will note the attention to detail, with the radiometer cone on the left side, and the altimeter antenna on the right ear.


Great attention to detail. smile.gif


--------------------
Twitter: @tanyaofmars
Web: http://www.tanyaofmars.com
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
stevesliva
post Apr 30 2010, 03:20 PM
Post #378


Senior Member
****

Group: Members
Posts: 1578
Joined: 14-October 05
From: Vermont
Member No.: 530



From the bygone era when engineers wore ties.
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
AndyG
post Apr 30 2010, 03:28 PM
Post #379


Member
***

Group: Members
Posts: 593
Joined: 20-April 05
Member No.: 279



It's a good thing you didn't try it outside in the rain. wink.gif

Andy
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
cndwrld
post Nov 23 2010, 02:51 PM
Post #380


Member
***

Group: Members
Posts: 247
Joined: 17-February 07
From: ESAC, cerca Madrid, Spain.
Member No.: 1743



Venus Express (and all the other ESA operating missions) has been extended until 2014. Excellent news for people working on the mission.

More information is in the ESA press release at:

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMR1MIRPGG_index_0.html


--------------------
--
cndwrld@yahoo.com
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
hendric
post Nov 23 2010, 05:29 PM
Post #381


Director of Galilean Photography
***

Group: Members
Posts: 896
Joined: 15-July 04
From: Austin, TX
Member No.: 93



You had mentioned earlier upthread about using drag to lower the orbit once approved for an extended mission. Any details yet on that?


--------------------
Space Enthusiast Richard Hendricks
--
"The engineers, as usual, made a tremendous fuss. Again as usual, they did the job in half the time they had dismissed as being absolutely impossible." --Rescue Party, Arthur C Clarke
Mother Nature is the final inspector of all quality.
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
cndwrld
post Nov 24 2010, 08:52 AM
Post #382


Member
***

Group: Members
Posts: 247
Joined: 17-February 07
From: ESAC, cerca Madrid, Spain.
Member No.: 1743



Regarding the orbit lowering, the current aerodrag campaigns are useful science and a good precursor for it. But the spacecraft wasn't designed for the dynamic pressures of high levels of drag. And using low levels of drag, within everyone's comfort zone, means that the orbit lowering would take a long, long, long time. During which not much science would get done. The drag is at pericenter, which is also where most of the science data is taken. And the attitude for drag lowering wouldn't allow pointing the instruments where needed.

So my current impression is that things are still being discussed, but any serious orbit lowering with drag passes would fit better at the very end of mission. Surprises then don't forfeit a lot of science. So 2014 or later, depending when our fuel and money run out.


--------------------
--
cndwrld@yahoo.com
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
cndwrld
post Oct 10 2011, 11:40 AM
Post #383


Member
***

Group: Members
Posts: 247
Joined: 17-February 07
From: ESAC, cerca Madrid, Spain.
Member No.: 1743



To put this issue to bed in the forum, Venus Express will not be doing aerobraking before end of mission.

ESA held a full review board to look at the question of performing aerobraking with Venus Express. After a lot of good work, it was decided that it just wasn't worth it. At least, right now.

The original idea was to use aerobraking to drop the orbit from a 24 hour period to an 18 hour period, making use of the regular periods when the pericenter altitude dropped quite low. Instead of raising the pericenter height as is done now, well before hitting atmosphere, could we use the periods of low pericenter height to use atmospheric drag to slow the spacecraft at pericenter, which would drop the apocenter, and reduce the orbit period to a level where the science would be better.

Turns out that the allowed dynamic pressure on the spacecraft would not be enough to get the orbit down to 18 hours, or even close. Therefore, there was no scientific justification for the added expense and added risk.

However, the idea of doing hard aerobraking after the end of the science mission is still very much under consideration. Just as the dying Magellan spacecraft was used many years ago, Venus Express may end its active life by becoming an aerobraking test bed.


--------------------
--
cndwrld@yahoo.com
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
cndwrld
post Jan 10 2012, 11:43 AM
Post #384


Member
***

Group: Members
Posts: 247
Joined: 17-February 07
From: ESAC, cerca Madrid, Spain.
Member No.: 1743



I am very happy to mention that a special issue of Icarus will be coming out in February that is dedicated to advances in Venus science, primarily due to Venus Express data. This issue is largely based around presentations for meetings in 2010.

The 40 papers that make up the issue can already be viewed on-line. The contents can be browsed at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00191035/217/2


--------------------
--
cndwrld@yahoo.com
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
Paolo
post Jan 10 2012, 08:56 PM
Post #385


Senior Member
****

Group: Members
Posts: 1729
Joined: 3-August 06
From: 43° 35' 53" N 1° 26' 35" E
Member No.: 1004



too bad they are not free to access mad.gif
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
cndwrld
post Jan 16 2012, 02:25 PM
Post #386


Member
***

Group: Members
Posts: 247
Joined: 17-February 07
From: ESAC, cerca Madrid, Spain.
Member No.: 1743



The European Space Agency (ESA) has two sets of web sites; one for the general public, and one that is a little more technical. On the latter, the Science and Technology pages, there is one for Venus Express (VEX). And on that page is a link to a monthly operations report (MOR). Which until recently had been last updated in the middle of 2010.

We're trying to get the status reports up to date, and then hope to keep them current with regular updates. Currently on-line as of today are reports up to September of 2011. We'll try to get them up to date before too much longer.

For anyone interested, the Venus Express page on the ESA Science and Technology pages is at:

http://sci.esa.int/venusexpress

And the most recent Venus Express status report is listed on the SciTech home page:
http://sci.esa.int


--------------------
--
cndwrld@yahoo.com
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
cndwrld
post Mar 9 2012, 02:16 PM
Post #387


Member
***

Group: Members
Posts: 247
Joined: 17-February 07
From: ESAC, cerca Madrid, Spain.
Member No.: 1743



The Venus Express status reports are available through the end of 2012 at:

http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/in...mp;fareaid_2=63


--------------------
--
cndwrld@yahoo.com
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
Phil Stooke
post Mar 9 2012, 02:36 PM
Post #388


Solar System Cartographer
****

Group: Members
Posts: 10128
Joined: 5-April 05
From: Canada
Member No.: 227



... and it just took a bit of a hit from the recent solar storm...

http://www.space.com/14834-solar-storm-bli...spacecraft.html



Phil



--------------------
... because the Solar System ain't gonna map itself.

Also to be found posting similar content on https://mastodon.social/@PhilStooke
NOTE: everything created by me which I post on UMSF is considered to be in the public domain (NOT CC, public domain)
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
Paolo
post Mar 9 2012, 06:38 PM
Post #389


Senior Member
****

Group: Members
Posts: 1729
Joined: 3-August 06
From: 43° 35' 53" N 1° 26' 35" E
Member No.: 1004



esaoperations tweeted this 3 hours ago

QUOTE
#Venusexpress #startrackers were back functioning as of this AM at 03:25 UT
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
cndwrld
post Mar 12 2012, 08:42 AM
Post #390


Member
***

Group: Members
Posts: 247
Joined: 17-February 07
From: ESAC, cerca Madrid, Spain.
Member No.: 1743



Venus Express is currently in what is called quadrature operations, where the spacecraft is tilted 10 degrees when Earth pointing in order to keep the Sun out of the Venus Monitoring Camera field of view. This puts a lot of thermal constraints on the operations. They expect to get back to normal science operations within a few days, but the quadrature thermal restrictions slow things down a bit. So far, everything looks fine with the trackers, though.


--------------------
--
cndwrld@yahoo.com
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post

34 Pages V  « < 24 25 26 27 28 > » 
Reply to this topicStart new topic

 



RSS Lo-Fi Version Time is now: 29th March 2024 - 09:15 AM
RULES AND GUIDELINES
Please read the Forum Rules and Guidelines before posting.

IMAGE COPYRIGHT
Images posted on UnmannedSpaceflight.com may be copyrighted. Do not reproduce without permission. Read here for further information on space images and copyright.

OPINIONS AND MODERATION
Opinions expressed on UnmannedSpaceflight.com are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of UnmannedSpaceflight.com or The Planetary Society. The all-volunteer UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderation team is wholly independent of The Planetary Society. The Planetary Society has no influence over decisions made by the UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderators.
SUPPORT THE FORUM
Unmannedspaceflight.com is funded by the Planetary Society. Please consider supporting our work and many other projects by donating to the Society or becoming a member.