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Posted by: imipak Mar 6 2008, 11:51 PM

I was stumbling about esa.int in the vain search for some sign of live streaming coverage of the Jules Verne launch on Sunday when I came across this http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMMAGK26DF_index_0.html, showing the top layers of the atmosphere being blown away by the solar wind.

Posted by: RJG Mar 6 2008, 11:58 PM

The following from an email alert. It should be possible to sign up for these alerts somewhere on the web site.

Live coverage is normally pretty good, starting 20mins before lift off.....



THE ARIANE 5 "ES" LAUNCHER LIFT-OFF for this flight is scheduled during the night of March 8 to 9, 2008 at exactly:

UTC: 4:03 am on March 9, 2008.
PARIS: 5:03 am on March 9, 2008.
KOUROU: 1:03 am on March 9, 2008.
MOSCOW: 7:03 am on March 9, 2008.


Follow the launch live on the internet:
http://www.videocorner.tv/index.php?langue=en

Posted by: charborob Mar 7 2008, 06:46 PM

QUOTE (imipak @ Mar 6 2008, 06:51 PM)

Posted by: tanjent Mar 8 2008, 02:37 PM

I believe the "movie" is a simulation, or else how could an actual time-lapse study reproduce the same vantage point and phase angle for repeated exposures? It is indeed pretty, though. Do we have any idea what the time scale is supposed to be? What do you suppose is driving the pulsating effect? Is this supposed to represent the effect of the sun's rotation repeatedly bringing a "hot spot" to bear on the planet?

Anyway, the CO2 atmospheres of both Mars and Venus do lack the lighter gases, particularly nitrogen and water vapor, retained by the Earth. I guess this simulation makes pretty clear how that happened.

Posted by: Greg Hullender Mar 8 2008, 06:36 PM

Note, however, that Venus has about 4x as much Nitrogen in it's atmosphere as Earth does. As a percentage, yes, it's a lot lower, but because Venus has such a thick atmosphere, it still works out to much more Nitrogren in toto. In fact, unless I've missed a decimal point somewhere, Venus even has twice as much water vapor as Earth does.

--Greg