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Posted by: Rakhir Feb 9 2006, 03:57 PM

Planck Flight Model Ready To Ship To Cryogenic Test Center
http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=38729


Planck homepage
http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/area/index.cfm?fareaid=17

Posted by: ljk4-1 Apr 7 2006, 12:22 PM

Astrophysics, abstract
astro-ph/0604069

From: Jan Tauber [view email]

Date: Tue, 4 Apr 2006 17:35:31 GMT (9224kb)

The Scientific Programme of Planck

Authors: The Planck Collaboration

Comments: Also available for direct download from this http URL

Report-no: ESA-SCI(2005)1

For 40 years, the cosmic microwave background (CMB) has been the most important source of information about the geometry and contents of the Universe. Even so, only a small fraction of the information available in the CMB has been extracted to date. Planck, the third space CMB mission after COBE and WMAP, is designed to extract essentially all of the information in the CMB temperature anisotropies. Planck will also measure to high accuracy the polarization of CMB anisotropies, which encodes not only a wealth of cosmological information but also provides a unique probe of the thermal history of the Universe during the time when the first stars and galaxies formed. Polarization measurements may also detect the signature of a stochastic background of gravitational waves generated during inflation, 10^(-35) s after the Big Bang. This book describes the expected scientific output of the Planck mission, both cosmological and non-cosmological. Chapter 1 summarizes the experimental concept and the operation of the satellite. Chapter 2 covers the core cosmological science of the mission, describing the measurements that Planck will make, what we expect to learn from them about the geometry and contents of the Universe and about fundamental physics, and the combination of CMB data with other data to provide additional insights. Although the primary goal of Planck is cosmology, it will survey the whole sky with an unprecedented combination of frequency coverage, angular resolution, and sensitivity, providing data valuable for a broad range of astrophysics. Chapters 3, 4, and 5 describe non-cosmological astrophysical uses of the Planck data. This book can also be downloaded directly from this http URL .

http://www.rssd.esa.int/index.php?project=Planck

http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0604069

Posted by: ljk4-1 Apr 11 2006, 02:25 PM

Astrophysics, abstract
astro-ph/0603048

From: Michele Maris [view email]

Date (v1): Thu, 2 Mar 2006 11:02:59 GMT (597kb)
Date (revised v2): Fri, 7 Apr 2006 18:29:11 GMT (565kb)

Zodiacal Light Emission in the PLANCK mission

Authors: M. Maris, C. Burigana, S. Fogliani

Comments: Two COlumns, A&A Style, 19 pages, 12 figures, 4 tables, accepted for the pubblication in A&A - 27 Jan 2006, new version: one reference added and some typos corrected

The PLANCK satellite, scheduled for launch in 2007, will produce a set of all sky maps in nine frequency bands spanning from 30 GHz to 857 GHz, with an unprecedented sensitivity and resolution. Planets, minor bodies and diffuse interplanetary dust will contribute to the (sub)mm sky emission observed by PLANCK, representing a source of foreground contamination to be removed before extracting the cosmological information. The aim of this paper is to assess the expected level of contamination in the survey of the forthcoming PLANCK mission. Starting from existing far-infrared (far-IR) models of the Zodiacal Light Emission (ZLE), we present a new method to simulate the time-dependent level of contamination from ZLE at PLANCK frequencies. We studied the possibility of PLANCK to detect and separate the ZLE contribution from the other astrophysical signals. We discuss the conditions in which PLANCK will be able to increase the existing information on the ZLE and IDP physical properties.

http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0603048

Posted by: ljk4-1 Apr 12 2006, 02:58 PM

Astrophysics, abstract
astro-ph/0604229

From: Greg Madsen [view email]

Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 06:56:26 GMT (469kb)

New Observations and Models of the Kinematics of the Zodiacal Dust Cloud

Authors: G.J. Madsen (AAO), R.J. Reynolds (U. Wisc.), S.I. Ipatov (U. Maryland), A.S. Kutyrev, J.C. Mather, S.H. Moseley (NASA - GSFC)

Comments: 4 pages, 3 figures, to appear in refereed proceedings of 'Dust in Planetary Systems' (ESA), ed. H. Kruger & A. Graps, Sept. 2005

We report on new observations of the motion of zodiacal dust using optical absorption line spectroscopy of zodiacal light. We have measured the change in the profile shape of the scattered solar Mg I 5184 line toward several lines of sight in the ecliptic plane as well as the ecliptic pole. The variation in line centroid and line width as a function of helio-ecliptic longitude show a clear prograde signature and suggest that significant fraction of the dust follows non-circular orbits that are not confined to the ecliptic plane. When combined with dynamical models, the data suggest that the zodiacal dust is largely cometary, rather than asteroidal, in origin.

http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0604229

Posted by: ljk4-1 May 2 2006, 02:08 PM

WMAP data modifying Planck data search parameters.

Model selection forecasts for the spectral index from the Planck satellite

http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0605004

Posted by: PhilCo126 Oct 4 2006, 02:42 PM

Well congratulations ...
The 2006 Nobel Prize for physics has been awarded to Americans John C. MATHER and George F. SMOOT for their work on NASA’s 1989 Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite. In 2008, ESA’s Planck satellite will be launched and will build on this award-winning legacy by showing cosmologists new details of the Universe’s origins.

Posted by: Tesheiner Oct 6 2006, 12:08 PM

And speaking about Nobel Prize, the Ig Nobel has been awarded too.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20061005.wiggy2/BNStory/Science

(ducks and runs)

Posted by: Mongo Oct 7 2006, 02:06 PM

Is anybody else bothered by this list? The majority of the 'winners' appeared to be doing legitimate scientific -- albeit non-conventional -- research. This 'Ig Nobel Prize' is starting to look a lot like Proxmire's old 'Golden Fleece Awards' to me. I fail to see how mocking research into animal ethology and biology (the woodpecker and dung beetle research) or medicine (the -- admittedly unusual -- hiccup cure) or disease prevention (the malaria mosquito research, which could easily lead to a way to reduce the number of new malaria cases) helps with the public perception of science.

I remember when these prizes started out. They were an amusing diversion then, but today are, I think, doing more harm than good for the reputation of science and scientists.

Bill

Posted by: ustrax Nov 2 2006, 03:21 PM

Mr. Smoot is part of the http://www.av.it.pt/gem/.
From what I've heard, untill the end of the year it was planned the installation of an antenna in Fajão, a place where I have hiked in some occasions, guess that will be another interesting spot along with the scenics and nature of the place...
http://www.av.it.pt/gem/discuss.htm

Posted by: ustrax Feb 1 2007, 03:44 PM

Planck TRULY is a beauty!
Here's http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMM3XSMTWE_index_0.html.
Includes bonus interview with Nobelized George Smoot.

Posted by: GravityWaves Feb 9 2009, 11:31 PM

Herschel and Planck ready to move to launch site
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMI0D05VQF_index_0.html
9 February 2009
ESA’s Herschel and Planck missions that will study the formation of stars and galaxies and the relic radiation from the Big Bang, respectively, have successfully completed their test campaigns in Europe. The two spacecraft will soon be shipped to Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

Posted by: PhilCo126 Feb 10 2009, 09:49 AM

The spacecraft was moved from Cannes FRANCE to Liege BELGIUM and there's a Press conference next week 16th Feb

Posted by: MahFL Feb 10 2009, 02:29 PM

Let's hope the mirrors are the correct shape.......

Posted by: PhilCo126 Mar 13 2009, 11:09 AM

ESA update: http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMZCNITYRF_index_0.html

Posted by: remcook Mar 13 2009, 11:50 AM

Launch has been delayed by a few days to 29 April. As long as it launches OK...

Posted by: ustrax Mar 13 2009, 02:53 PM

remcook, the new date for launch is not yet defined, the decision will be taken by the end of March.

Posted by: cotopaxi Apr 13 2009, 02:55 PM

Launch date is now set to 6 May, see http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMU8LEH1TF_index_0.html

(29 April was indeed "rumoured¨for a while)