And now ... straight to Venus! (Forwarded)

ESA News
http://www.esa.int

3 March 2006

And now ... straight to Venus!

Excitement grows around the progress of ESA's Venus Express spacecraft as
the distance to its destination gets shorter, in the week which sees the
anniversary of another historical Venus mission.

On 1 March 1982, the first colour picture of the Venusian surface was
returned by the Russian Venera 13 spacecraft.

Now, twenty-four years later and about forty days before its thrilling
arrival at Venus, the Venus Express spacecraft has passed an important
exam. The Venus Express mission team declared that the spacecraft systems
are ready for the orbit insertion around Venus and for the first in-orbit
operations.

The assessment of the spacecraft readiness for the first complex
operations that will mark the approach to Venus was also based on the
excellent performance of the spacecraft main engine during the test that
took place on 17 February.

In fact, after the engine burn, the ground control team had to make only a
minor trajectory correction. This operation, involving the spacecraft's
four thrusters, successfully took place on 24 February and lasted only
fourteen seconds.

Following the Venus Express readiness review this week, ESA and industry
can now begin practising all the procedures needed for the Venus Orbit
Insertion manoeuvre through a series of intensive ground simulations.

Venus Express has now travelled for more than 250 million kilometres --
more than half of its way to Venus. The spacecraft has just crossed the
path of the planet around the Sun. Its trajectory will now take it inside
the orbit of Venus to 'anticipate' the celestial motion of the planet and
finally to catch up with it on 11 April this year.

For more information:

Don McCoy, ESA Venus Express Project Manager
E-mail: don.mccoy @ esa.int

Philippe Sivac, ESA Venus Express Principal System AIV Engineer
E-mail: philippe.sivac @ esa.int

Andrea Accomazzo, ESA Venus Express Spacecraft Operations Manager
E-mail: andrea.accomazzo @ esa.int

More about...

* Looking at Venus
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Venus_Express/index.html
* Status reports
http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/obj...objectid=31575
&farchive_objecttypeid=30 &farchive_objectid=30930
* Venus Express factsheet
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEM2EE1A6BD_index_0.html

Related articles

* Successful Venus Express main engine test
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMVX5MVGJE_index_0.html
* First light for the Venus Monitoring Camera
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMLWVULWFE_index_0.html
* Earth-Moon observations from Venus Express
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMOIGULWFE_index_0.html
* Venus Express performs flawlessly, LEOP complete
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMK9UJBWFE_index_0.html
* Venus Express mission operations update
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/ESOC/SEM780738FE_0.html
* Venus Express en route to probe the planet's hidden mysteries
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEM56Q638FE_index_0.html

Related links

* ESA Mission Operations

http://www.esa.int/spacecraftops/ESO...551445449.html
* Cebreros webcam

http://www.esa.int/spacecraftops/ESO...749851476.html

IMAGE CAPTIONS:

[Image 1:
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMIMWMVGJE_index_1.html]
Artist's impression of Venus Express's trajectory

In this image, ESA's Venus Express has now travelled for more than 250
million kilometres * more than half of its way to Venus. During the first
week of March 2006, the spacecraft has just crossed the path of the planet
around the Sun. Its trajectory will now take it inside the orbit of Venus
to 'anticipate' the celestial motion of the planet and finally to catch up
with it on 11 April 2006.

Credits: ESA/ C. Carreau

[Image 2:
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMIMWMVGJE...html#subhead1]
Artist's impression of the Venus Express orbit insertion burn (the firing
of its engine to slow down enough to be captured by the gravity of Venus
and enter orbit).

Credits: ESA / AOES Medialab