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ESA's Cosmic Explorers In Flight
Paris, France (SPX) May 19, 2009 Stunning images taken from Earth and space show Herschel and Planck in flight on 14 May 2009. The first, taken from Herschel, show the Planck-Sylda composite just after Herschel's separation, about 1150 km above Africa. A second set taken from ESA's Optical Ground Station, shows Herschel, Planck, Sylda and the launcher's upper stage long after separation, travelling together at an altitude of about 100 000 km. This breath-taking animation comprises the first series of images taken by Herschel's Visual Monitoring Camera (VMC) shortly after Herschel's separation at 15:38 CEST on 14 May. The sequence clearly shows the Planck-Sylda composite receding behind Herschel, high above the surface of our planet; clouds, ocean and coastlines can be seen far below. The Sylda is a support structure that encapsulated Planck and supported Herschel during launch.
High above Africa The second animation is composed of images taken by the telescope at ESA's Optical Ground Station Station at Tenerife, Spain.
Satellites imaged by ESA's Optical Ground Station in Tenerife Both of these sophisticated satellites were lofted into space on an Ariane 5 from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, at 15:12 CEST, Thursday, 14 May 2009. Almost 26 minutes later, about two minutes from each other, they set out on independent trajectories leading to their final orbit around the second Lagrange point of the Sun-Earth system, a virtual point in space, 1.5 million km from Earth in the direction opposite to the Sun. The Sylda will also travel to L2 on a separate trajectory. Since the acquisition of the first radio signals from the two satellites at 15:49 CEST 14 May, they have been under control of ESA's European Space Operations Centre (ESOC), Darmstadt, Germany. Both satellites are operating in nominal condition on their way towards their final orbit around L2. Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Planck Herschel Space Telescope News and Technology at Skynightly.com
Spitzer On Stand By For Hot New CareerPasadena CA (SPX) May 18, 2009 After more than five-and-a-half years of probing the cool cosmos, NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has run out of the coolant that kept its infrared instruments chilled. The telescope will warm up slightly, yet two of its infrared detector arrays will still operate successfully. The new, warm mission will continue to unveil the far, cold and dusty universe. Spitzer entered standby mode at ... read more |
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