EU-DIGEST

MIRAVI - Tracking the globe with ESA's Envisat Meris Image Rapid Visualization

Have you ever wanted to track natural events in progress, such as fires, floods and volcanic eruptions, or simply explore the planet through the eyes of a satellite? ESA has created a website, MIRAVI, which gives access to the most recently acquired images from the world’s largest Earth Observation satellite, Envisat.
MIRAVI, short for MERIS Images RApid VIsualisation, tracks Envisat around the globe, generates images from the raw data collected by Envisat’s optical instrument, MERIS, and provides them online within two hours.

Labels: European Space Research

European space research: ESA's cosmic explorers in flight: stunning images from ground and space

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.

Labels: EU, European Space Research

Manned Russian/European spaceship design unveiled - by Paul Rincon

The first official image of a Russian-European manned spacecraft has been unveiled. It is designed to replace the Soyuz vehicle currently in use by Russia and will allow Europe to participate directly in crew transportation. The reusable ship was conceived to carry four people towards the Moon, rivalling the US Ares/Orion system. Unlike previous crewed vehicles, it will use thrusters to make a controlled landing when it returns to Earth.

Labels: ESA, European Space Research, Russia

For the complete report from the Tech Digest click on this link

European manned spaceship shown off in Berlin

It's only a prototype, but the new EADS Astrium design here is based on the existing unmanned Jules Verne pod already flying about up there, so it could easily take scientists and the odd paying billionaire up into the ionosphere with a bit of tweaking.Within 10 years, according to EADS, there could be a manned European space programme should the various countries involved not mind coughing up the enormous amount of money - about one billion euros - required. With the ancient American space shuttles due to be taken out of service in 2010, Europe could well find itself at the forefront of manned space travel.

Labels: Astrium, EADS, ESA, EU, European Space Research

For the complete report from Spiegel click on this link

Europe Plans Manned Spaceship- by Christoph Sedler

The news was only announced to a small group of people. The German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the aerospace group EADS Astrium had invited a mere handful of journalists to Bremen. Hardly any information had been revealed before the meeting, only nebulous hints. Now the reason for the secrecy has become apparent. Astrium is planning to add a new chapter to the history of space exploration. Engineers have quietly been developing a plan that would lead to the entry of Europe into manned space travel — if it gets political backing. Planners say manned European spaceflight could become a reality within nine years. The essence of the plan is to turn Europe's unmanned Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) into a full spacecraft in two stages.

Labels: ATV, ESA, EU, European Space Research

Europe's GPS - Galileo wins €2.4 billion bailout

The European Union on Wednesday ratified a €2.4 billion public bailout of the European satellite project meant to rival the GPS system in the United States. The European Parliament endorsed new rules underlying a plan to tap the EU budget for the extra $3.8 billion to build the Galileo road, rail, ship and air-traffic control network.

The approval removes the final hurdle after EU governments decided in November to use taxpayers' money to rescue the project, which is over budget and behind schedule. "We are giving the go-ahead to one of the most important projects in the EU," Angelika Niebler of Germany, head of the Parliament's Industry Committee, told the assembly here. "This is a technology that we need."

Labels: EU, European Space Research, Galileo, GPS

For the complete report from the ESA click on this link

Follow live Europe's Jules Verne ATV's first attempt to dock with the International Space Station

After several days spent in a parking orbit 2000 km ahead of the ISS, Jules Verne ATV is now ready to join up with the International Space Station. This first docking attempt can be followed live on 3 April 2008 from 15:30 CEST onwards from one of the European participating centres.The docking of Jules Verne ATV is scheduled for 3 April at 16:41 CEST. The final decision on whether to proceed with this manoeuvre will be taken by the ISS Mission Management Team in consultation with the European partners only 24 hours before the operations. For this first attempt, ESA and CNES will be organising live transmission of the event from the ATV Control Centre at CNES in Toulouse to the various European sites.

Jules Verne ATV today demonstrated its ability to navigate safely from a point 39 km behind the ISS to a stand-off point just 3.5 km away using relative GPS navigation. The vessel then executed an Escape manoeuvre commanded from the ATV Control Centre in which the craft flew off to a safe distance. “All systems were completely nominal, which is very satisfying for this first day of really testing the rendezvous capability of the spacecraft,” said John Ellwood, ESA ATV Project Manager.

Labels: ATV, ESA, EU, European Space Research, International Space Station

Europe launches its first re-supply spaceship – Jules Verne ATV – to the International Space station

Jules Verne, the first of the European Space Agency’s Automated Transfer Vehicles (ATV), a new series of autonomous spaceships designed to re-supply and re-boost the International Space Station (ISS), was successfully launched into low Earth orbit by an Ariane 5 vehicle this morning. During the coming weeks, it will manoeuvre in order to rendezvous and eventually dock with the ISS to deliver cargo, propellant, water and oxygen to the orbital outpost.On this first ATV mission, Jules Verne will deliver 4.6 tonnes of payload to the ISS, including 1 150 kg of dry cargo, 856 kg of propellant for the Russian Zvezda module, 270 kg of drinking water and 21 kg of oxygen. On future ATV missions, the payload capacity will be increased to 7.4 tonnes.

Named after the famous French 19th century visionary and author, the Jules Verne ATV is the largest and most sophisticated spacecraft ever developed in Europe, combining the functions of an autonomous free-flying platform, a manoeuvrable space vehicle and a space station module. About 10 m high with a diameter of 4.5 m, it weighed 19,357 kg at launch. It incorporates a 45-m3 pressurised module, derived from the Columbus pressure shell, and a Russian-built docking system, similar to those used on Soyuz manned ferries and on the Progress re-supply ship. About three times larger than its Russian counterpart, it can also deliver about three times more cargo.

The ATV is also the very first spacecraft in the world designed to conduct automated docking in full compliance with the very tight safety constraints imposed by human spaceflight operations. It features high accuracy navigation systems and a flight software far more complex than that used on Ariane 5. About half of the payload onboard Jules Verne ATV is re-boost propellant, which will be used by its own propulsion system for periodic manoeuvres to increase the altitude of the ISS in order to compensate its natural decay caused by atmospheric drag. Upon leaving, after four months spent docked to the ISS, Jules Verne ATV will carry away waste from the Station. It will then be de-orbited over the Southern Pacific Ocean and burn up in the atmosphere in a fully controlled manner.

Labels: ATV, ESA, EU, European Space Research

European space module connected to the International space station

For the complete report from the Scientific American click on this link

European astronauts open hatch to Europe's new space lab

Two European astronauts slipped inside Europe's newly installed Columbus laboratory module on Tuesday while crewmates prepared for a second spacewalk to outfit the International Space Station for new additions. The 23-foot(7-metre)-long laboratory, equipped for medical, pharmaceutical and physics experiments, is Europe's first permanent space base and the prime contribution of a $5 billion investment in the space station program. "This is a great moment," French astronaut Leopold Eyharts radioed to ground control teams in Houston and Munich before entering the module for the first time since it reached orbit on Thursday aboard the space shuttle Atlantis. "We are very proud," added crew mate Hans Schlegel, of Germany. "It starts a new era. The European scientific module Columbus and the ISS are connected for many, many years of research in space in cooperation, internationally."

Labels: Columbus, ESA, EU, European Space Research

European Space Agency one step closer to complete biggest mono segment solid fuel Vega launcher

Vega is being designed to launch satellites ranging from 300 kg to more than 2 tonnes, a performance range that will enable it to work in fields such as remote sensing, environmental monitoring and Earth science.The rocket produces a main thrust of about 190 tonnes for 111 seconds (about a third of the thrust of each of Europe's Ariane 5's solid booster stages).

Labels: EU, European Space Research

Europe’s Automated Transport Vehicle is readied for its Ariane 5 launch to support the International Space Station

Preparations are intensifying for Arianespace’s milestone launch of the Automated Transport Vehicle (ATV), with the mission’s Ariane 5 delivered to French Guiana, and loading of the spacecraft’s dry cargo and water now completed. The European-developed ATV will be lofted in 2008 by an Ariane 5 ES version of Arianespace’s workhorse launcher. After cruising then docking with the International Space Station, the ATV will deliver its payload of equipment, food, fuel, water and oxygen for the orbital facility’s crew.

Labels: Ariane5, ATV, EU, European Space Research, Guiana, International Space Station

India seals deal with Europe's Arianespace

India has approved a contract worth up to $67.5 million with Arianespace for launching satellites, according to local, quoted by a Satellite News report. In June, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) signed an agreement with the European launch provider to orbit the Insat-4G communications satellite for providing navigation, telecommunications, TV broadcasting and broadband services, the Satellite News report said. The launch is slated for the end of 2008 aboard an Ariane 5 from the Guiana Space Center at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Earlier this year, Arianespace orbited the Insat-4B satellite. Insat-4G will mark the 14th ISRO satellite to use the European launch provider, the report said.

Labels: Ariane5, EU, European Space Research, India

European Space research: A dedicated Ariane 5 to launch Jules Verne

Jules Verne, the first Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), will be launched next year by a specific version of Ariane 5 called the Ariane 5 Evolution Storable upper stage Automated Transfer Vehicle, or A5 ES-ATV for short.The 20 750 kg ATV mass represents more than twice the heaviest single payload Ariane 5 has ever lifted in the past, including Envisat, the 8-tonne environment satellite. “To handle such a heavy-weight, the Vehicle Equipment Bay, supporting the ATV on top of the launcher, has been structurally redesigned and strengthened accordingly,” explains Julio Monreal, ESA's head of Ariane operations support, in charge of the ATV-Ariane 5 interfaces.

The adaptation of Ariane 5 has required two and a half years of work. This ESA programme has been implemented by the French space agency CNES through EADS Space Transportation, the prime contractor. From January 2007 on, the launcher will be ready for the Jules Verne mission. Later on in 2007, Arianespace will handle the launch itself in French Guiana according to the requirements of ESA in coordination with NASA and Russian counterparts. “With the launch of Jules Verne and the follow-up ATVs flights, the whole Ariane 5 transportation system is starting a new era related to human spaceflights; although no crew will be launched in an ATV, this vehicle complies with the human spaceflight safety requirements and for the first time, the Ariane 5 launcher will fulfill a mission for ESA's Human Spaceflight, Microgravity and Exploration Directorate”, explains Arianespace's chief executive Jean-Yves Le Gall.

Labels: Ariane5, EU, European Space Research, Jules Verne

Industrial groups in Europe are about to look in detail at ideas for a new launch system to put humans in space.

Europe is keen to see a crew transport system that is independent of the US Orion vehicle, which is set to replace the space shuttles in the next decade. The industrial partners on the project in Europe include EADS-Astrium (which leads the production of Ariane rockets and built the Columbus space station module) and Thales Alenia Space. For Russia, which will lead the study, Soyuz manufacturer RKK Energia will be involved.

The discussions at industrial level will formally start in July.

Labels: Europe, European Space Research

Europe prepares huge space truck - by Jonathan Amos

At almost 20 tonnes, the ATV will be the biggest spacecraft Europe has ever flown when it launches in January.The ATV is also a huge statement of capability. The maiden voyage will announce that Europe now has some important new technical competencies to rival the very best in the space exploration business. "This is the most complex vehicle we have ever developed in Europe," said Jean-Jacques Dordain, head of the European Space Agency (Esa)."It demonstrates automatic rendezvous and docking - a key technology which currently only the Russians have, but with much smaller vehicles. You have to imagine the ATV as a 20-tonne truck. When it docks with a manned space station, it has to do it smoothly," he told BBC News.

The first ATV - dubbed "Jules Verne" - will launch atop a specially prepared Ariane 5 from Kourou in French Guiana. The rocket will put the vehicle - the size of a double-decker bus - into a 230km-high (140 miles) orbit, underneath the space station. The ATV will then raise its height and edge closer and closer to the platform over a series of orbits until it links with the space station.

Labels: European Space Research, Jules Verne