ESA’s first satellite dedicated to measuring the Earth’s gravity,
This is the GOCE satellite, the ESA’s first satellite dedicated to measuring the Earth’s gravity, a fundamental force of nature that influences many dynamic processes within the Earth’s interior, on its surface and above it. By measuring the Earth’s gravitational field and modeling the geoid, or hypothetical surface of the Earth, with extremely high accuracy and spatial resolution, GOCE will significantly advance our knowledge of how the Earth works in several domains — oceanography, geophysics and geodesy — and will provide insight into the physics and dynamics of the Earth’s interior, including volcano activity and earthquakes.
The GOCE satellite in the test cabin
, The GOCE satellite in the test cabin of the ESA before getting launched. In this simulation room the shaking of a rocket is being reproduced by very low sound frequencies from enormous speakers to see if its strong enough for the actual launch. Its ESA’s first satellite dedicated to measuring the Earth’s gravity – a fundamental force of nature that influences many dynamic processes within the Earth’s interior, and on and above its surface. By measuring the Earth’s gravity field and modelling the geoid, or hypothetical surface of the Earth, with extremely high accuracy and spatial resolution, GOCE will significantly advance our knowledge of how the Earth works in several domains – oceanography, geophysics and geodesy – as well as providing insight into the physics and dynamics of the Earth’s interior, such as volcanism and earthquakes.
Working on one of the instruments,build in the satelite
Working on one of the instruments,build in the satelite at the Clean Room at ESA ground station in the Netherlands, Estec
The GOCE satellite in the test cabin of the ESA before getting launched.
, The GOCE satellite in the test cabin of the ESA before getting launched. In this simulation room the shaking of a rocket is being reproduced by very low sound frequencies from enormous speakers to see if its strong enough for the actual launch. Its ESA’s first satellite dedicated to measuring the Earth’s gravity – a fundamental force of nature that influences many dynamic processes within the Earth’s interior, and on and above its surface. By measuring the Earth’s gravity field and modelling the geoid, or hypothetical surface of the Earth, with extremely high accuracy and spatial resolution, GOCE will significantly advance our knowledge of how the Earth works in several domains – oceanography, geophysics and geodesy – as well as providing insight into the physics and dynamics of the Earth’s interior, such as volcanism and earthquakes.
The GOCE satellite is a feat of engineering.
The GOCE satellite is a feat of engineering. Its intricate instruments can withstand extreme temperatures and movements.
The ESA team in front of GOCE satellite
The team in front of GOCE satellite in the test cabin of the ESA before getting launched. In this simulation room the shaking of a rocket is being reproduced by very low sound frequencies from enormous speakers to see if its strong enough for the actual launch. Its ESA’s first satellite dedicated to measuring the Earth’s gravity – a fundamental force of nature that influences many dynamic processes within the Earth’s interior, and on and above its surface. By measuring the Earth’s gravity field and modelling the geoid, or hypothetical surface of the Earth, with extremely high accuracy and spatial resolution, GOCE will significantly advance our knowledge of how the Earth works in several domains – oceanography, geophysics and geodesy – as well as providing insight into the physics and dynamics of the Earth’s interior, such as volcanism and earthquakes.
The camera,s of GOCE satellite
The camera,s of GOCE satellite in the test cabin of the ESA before getting launched. In this simulation room the shaking of a rocket is being reproduced by very low sound frequencies from enormous speakers to see if its strong enough for the actual launch. Its ESA’s first satellite dedicated to measuring the Earth’s gravity – a fundamental force of nature that influences many dynamic processes within the Earth’s interior, and on and above its surface. By measuring the Earth’s gravity field and modelling the geoid, or hypothetical surface of the Earth, with extremely high accuracy and spatial resolution, GOCE will significantly advance our knowledge of how the Earth works in several domains – oceanography, geophysics and geodesy – as well as providing insight into the physics and dynamics of the Earth’s interior, such as volcanism and earthquakes.
GOCE satellite in the test cabin of ESA before getting launched.
, The GOCE satellite in the test cabin of the ESA before getting launched. In this simulation room the shaking of a rocket is being reproduced by very low sound frequencies from enormous speakers to see if its strong enough for the actual launch. Its ESA’s first satellite dedicated to measuring the Earth’s gravity – a fundamental force of nature that influences many dynamic processes within the Earth’s interior, and on and above its surface. By measuring the Earth’s gravity field and modelling the geoid, or hypothetical surface of the Earth, with extremely high accuracy and spatial resolution, GOCE will significantly advance our knowledge of how the Earth works in several domains – oceanography, geophysics and geodesy – as well as providing insight into the physics and dynamics of the Earth’s interior, such as volcanism and earthquakes.
In this simulation room the shaking of a rocket is being reproduced
, The GOCE satellite in the test cabin of the ESA before getting launched. In this simulation room the shaking of a rocket is being reproduced by very low sound frequencies from enormous speakers to see if its strong enough for the actual launch. Its ESA’s first satellite dedicated to measuring the Earth’s gravity – a fundamental force of nature that influences many dynamic processes within the Earth’s interior, and on and above its surface. By measuring the Earth’s gravity field and modelling the geoid, or hypothetical surface of the Earth, with extremely high accuracy and spatial resolution, GOCE will significantly advance our knowledge of how the Earth works in several domains – oceanography, geophysics and geodesy – as well as providing insight into the physics and dynamics of the Earth’s interior, such as volcanism and earthquakes.
GOCE will significantly advance our knowledge of how the Earth works
, The GOCE satellite in the test cabin of the ESA before getting launched. In this simulation room the shaking of a rocket is being reproduced by very low sound frequencies from enormous speakers to see if its strong enough for the actual launch. Its ESA’s first satellite dedicated to measuring the Earth’s gravity – a fundamental force of nature that influences many dynamic processes within the Earth’s interior, and on and above its surface. By measuring the Earth’s gravity field and modelling the geoid, or hypothetical surface of the Earth, with extremely high accuracy and spatial resolution, GOCE will significantly advance our knowledge of how the Earth works in several domains – oceanography, geophysics and geodesy – as well as providing insight into the physics and dynamics of the Earth’s interior, such as volcanism and earthquakes.
Shaking of a rocket is being reproduced by very low sound frequencies from enormous speakers
, The GOCE satellite in the test cabin of the ESA before getting launched. In this simulation room the shaking of a rocket is being reproduced by very low sound frequencies from enormous speakers to see if its strong enough for the actual launch. Its ESA’s first satellite dedicated to measuring the Earth’s gravity – a fundamental force of nature that influences many dynamic processes within the Earth’s interior, and on and above its surface. By measuring the Earth’s gravity field and modelling the geoid, or hypothetical surface of the Earth, with extremely high accuracy and spatial resolution, GOCE will significantly advance our knowledge of how the Earth works in several domains – oceanography, geophysics and geodesy – as well as providing insight into the physics and dynamics of the Earth’s interior, such as volcanism and earthquakes.
A model of the The GOCE satellite
A model of the The GOCE satellite Its ESA’s first satellite dedicated to measuring the Earth’s gravity – a fundamental force of nature that influences many dynamic processes within the Earth’s interior, and on and above its surface. By measuring the Earth’s gravity field and modelling the geoid, or hypothetical surface of the Earth, with extremely high accuracy and spatial resolution, GOCE will significantly advance our knowledge of how the Earth works in several domains – oceanography, geophysics and geodesy – as well as providing insight into the physics and dynamics of the Earth’s interior, such as volcanism and earthquakes.
The team in front of GOCE satellite
The team in front of GOCE satellite in the test cabin of the ESA before getting launched. In this simulation room the shaking of a rocket is being reproduced by very low sound frequencies from enormous speakers to see if its strong enough for the actual launch. Its ESA’s first satellite dedicated to measuring the Earth’s gravity – a fundamental force of nature that influences many dynamic processes within the Earth’s interior, and on and above its surface. By measuring the Earth’s gravity field and modelling the geoid, or hypothetical surface of the Earth, with extremely high accuracy and spatial resolution, GOCE will significantly advance our knowledge of how the Earth works in several domains – oceanography, geophysics and geodesy – as well as providing insight into the physics and dynamics of the Earth’s interior, such as volcanism and earthquakes.
ESA’s first satellite dedicated to measuring the Earth’s gravity
, The GOCE satellite in the test cabin of the ESA before getting launched. In this simulation room the shaking of a rocket is being reproduced by very low sound frequencies from enormous speakers to see if its strong enough for the actual launch. Its ESA’s first satellite dedicated to measuring the Earth’s gravity – a fundamental force of nature that influences many dynamic processes within the Earth’s interior, and on and above its surface. By measuring the Earth’s gravity field and modelling the geoid, or hypothetical surface of the Earth, with extremely high accuracy and spatial resolution, GOCE will significantly advance our knowledge of how the Earth works in several domains – oceanography, geophysics and geodesy – as well as providing insight into the physics and dynamics of the Earth’s interior, such as volcanism and earthquakes.
Working on GOCE satellite
, The GOCE satellite in the test cabin of the ESA before getting launched. In this simulation room the shaking of a rocket is being reproduced by very low sound frequencies from enormous speakers to see if its strong enough for the actual launch. Its ESA’s first satellite dedicated to measuring the Earth’s gravity – a fundamental force of nature that influences many dynamic processes within the Earth’s interior, and on and above its surface. By measuring the Earth’s gravity field and modelling the geoid, or hypothetical surface of the Earth, with extremely high accuracy and spatial resolution, GOCE will significantly advance our knowledge of how the Earth works in several domains – oceanography, geophysics and geodesy – as well as providing insight into the physics and dynamics of the Earth’s interior, such as volcanism and earthquakes.
Preparing for orbit , The Cryostat containing Instruments and the Helium Tank to cool them down to Zero Kelvin temperature
Preparing for orbit , The Cryostat containing Instruments and the Helium Tank to cool them down to Zero Kelvin temperature picture taken in the Clean Room at ESA ground station in the Netherlands, Estec
Herschel artist impression
Herschel artist impression ,Herschel will have an unprecedented view of the cold universe, bridging the gap in the spectrum between what can be observed from ground and earlier space missions of this kind. Infrared radiation can penetrate the gas and dust clouds that hide objects from optical telescopes, looking deep into star-forming regions, galactic centres and planetary systems. Cooler objects, such as tiny stars and molecular clouds, even galaxies enshrouded in dust, barely emitting optical light, are visible in the infrared. Observing in the infrared provides us with a complementary view of the universe.
Herschel spacecraft being prepared for acoustic tests.
A picture of the Herschel spacecraft being prepared for acoustic tests. On 5 and 6 June 2008, the Herschel spacecraft successfully passed its acoustic tests. During the tests, the spacecraft was subjected to acoustic noise, generated to simulate the noise levels during launch, at the European Space Research and Technology Centre’s Large European Acoustic Facility (LEAF).
Man at work at the Service Module which contains instruments to control the spacecraft
Man at work at the Service Module which contains instruments to control the spacecraft and process the data in the rear side it is all covered by Solar Panels.
Working in the clean Room at ESA ground station
Working on one of the instruments,build in the satelite at the Clean Room at ESA ground station in the Netherlands, Estec
Computers are controling the different instruments wile testing in the Clean Room at ESA
Computers are controling the different instruments wile testing in the Clean Room at ESA ground station in the Netherlands, Estec
Herschel & Planck launch configuration
Herschel & Planck launch configuration . Description Herschel will launch on an Ariane-5 rocket from the Guyana Space Centre, Kourou, French Guyana, in July 2008. It will be part of a shared launch, along with ESA’s Planck spacecraft. The two vehicles will separate shortly after launch and proceed independently to different orbits around the second Lagrange point of the Earth-Sun system (L2). The Ariane-5 launcher will burn its solid boosters for slightly less than 2.5 minutes and its main and upper stage engines for about 25 minutes to inject Herschel and then Planck into transfer trajectories bound for L2.
inside Herschel.
This picture shows an artist’s impression of the view inside Herschel. To protect the sensitive instruments from heat generated during operations and to achieve its challenging objectives, the satellite must operate at very low temperatures. This is why the spacecraft’s brain – or its payload module – hosts a cryostat, a cryogenic module inside which the cold components of the scientific instruments are mounted. Inside the cryostat the sensitive instrument detectors are cooled down to about -273 ºC (0.3 degrees above absolute zero). This low temperature is achieved using superfluid helium (at about -271 ºC) and an additional cooling stage inside the focal plane units. The service module is the spacecraft’s heart, which keeps the spacecraft going by caring for all its vital functions. It also carries the ‘warm’ components of the instruments – those that do not require cooling with the cryostat.
inside Herschel.
This picture shows an artist’s impression of the view inside Herschel. To protect the sensitive instruments from heat generated during operations and to achieve its challenging objectives, the satellite must operate at very low temperatures. This is why the spacecraft’s brain – or its payload module – hosts a cryostat, a cryogenic module inside which the cold components of the scientific instruments are mounted. Inside the cryostat the sensitive instrument detectors are cooled down to about -273 ºC (0.3 degrees above absolute zero). This low temperature is achieved using superfluid helium (at about -271 ºC) and an additional cooling stage inside the focal plane units. The service module is the spacecraft’s heart, which keeps the spacecraft going by caring for all its vital functions. It also carries the ‘warm’ components of the instruments – those that do not require cooling with the cryostat.
Three focal plane units are mounted on top of the optical bench inside the cryostat vacuum vessel
hree on-board instruments turn Herschel’s telescope from a mere light collector into a pair of hi-tech eyes. The instrument detectors form the retina, where the light from astronomical objects is really seen. The instruments then detect and analyse the light in many different ways. This artist’s impression shows the top view of the Herschel focal plane, with the focal plane units (FPUs) of the three scientific instruments: HIFI (Heterodyne Instrument for the Far Infrared), a high-resolution spectrometer, developed under the coordination of the SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research; PACS (Photoconductor Array Camera and Spectrometer), developed under the coordination of the MPE, Germany; SPIRE (Spectral and Photometric Imaging REceiver), a camera, developed under the coordination of the Cardiff University (UK). The three focal plane units are mounted on top of the optical bench inside the cryostat vacuum vessel, the top of which has been removed in this view to reveal the focal plane.
Men behind safety screen at ESA ground station
Men waiting behind safty screen in the Clean Room at ESA ground station in the Netherlands, Estec
Measurement equipment is beiing instaled in the the Service Module
Warning sign, fine measurement equipment is beiing instaled in the the Service Module which contains instruments to control the spacecraft and process the data in the rear side it is all covered by Solar Panels.
Working on one of the instruments,
Working on one of the instruments,build in the satelite at the Clean Room at ESA ground station in the Netherlands, Estec
Herschel will carry the largest space telescope ever launched to date
Herschel will carry the largest space telescope ever launched to date. From a point in space called the 2nd Lagrangian Point (or L2), its 3.5-m diameter mirror will collect long-wavelength infrared radiation from some of the coolest and most distant objects in the Universe. Herschel will be the only space observatory to cover the range from far-infrared to sub-millimetre wavelengths. The mission is to be launched in July 2008, in tandem with ESA’s Planck spacecraft, by an Ariane-5 rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou (French Guiana).
Streamlined Satellite Takes on Gravity
For the next two years the super-streamlined ESA-satellite GOCE will make a map of Earth’s gravity – unprecedented in its detail and accuracy. Scientists hope the map will help answer crucial questions about rising sea levels, earthquakes, volcanoes and ocean currents. The map also opens the way for a universal height system.
Text Sander Koenen
UNVEILING GALAXIES
A huge mirror of 3.5 meters of diameter, the biggest ever launched in space, combined with a massive helium tank, the cryostat, which contains instruments super cooled down at almost absolute Zero temperature, will detect far infrared light from very distant galaxies allowing astronomers to see, for the first time, dusty and cold regions that have been hidden so far.
The European Space Agency Herschel satellite will try to unveil the origins of stars and galaxies. It will be launched by Ariane 5 from French Guyane on April 16, 2009.
Text Angelica Bevilacqua