Andrew Yee[_1_]
July 19th 07, 05:19 PM
ESA News
http://www.esa.int
19 July 2007
ESA's Earth Explorer gravity satellite on show
GOCE, ESA's first satellite dedicated to measuring the Earth's gravity
field, has been presented to the press today in Turin, Italy, before being
shipped to ESTEC -- the space agency's research and technology centre in the
Netherlands -- for final testing.
The Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE), the
first core Earth Explorer mission to be developed as part of ESA's Living
Planet Programme, will significantly advance our knowledge of how the Earth
works and provide insight into ocean circulation, sea-level change, climate
change, volcanism and earthquakes.
The spacecraft has been in Italy at Thales Alenia Space, the prime
contractor for the development, integration and testing, for roughly nine
months where the last subsystems and the payload were integrated on its
platform.
Speaking at today's media event, Carlo Alberto Penazzi, President and Chief
Executive Officer of Thales Alenia Space in Italy, said: "We are especially
proud to have played a major role in this ESA project, which represents a
crucial step forward in increasing our knowledge of the structure of our
planet and its well-being."
ESA GOCE Project Manager, Danilo Muzi highlighting the role of industry in
this very challenging satellite's development, said: "Forty-five companies
distributed over 13 European countries have been working with ESA on the
design of the satellite since 2001. The development of the GOCE satellite
represents genuine European industrial cooperation."
"ESA's gravity satellite will measure Earth's gravity from place to place
around the globe to provide a uniform global picture. It will do this with a
level of detail and accuracy never before achieved," ESA GOCE Project
Scientist, Mark Drinkwater, said. "This fundamental reference dataset will
give access to new scientific insights into ocean circulation and its impact
on climate, as well as into the structure of the interior of the Earth in
critical locations such as earthquake and volcanic zones."
Because the gravitational signal is stronger closer to the Earth, GOCE has
been designed to fly in a particularly low orbit -- at an altitude of just
250 km. However, the remaining atmosphere at low altitudes creates a
demanding environment for the satellite and presented a challenge for its
design.
Unlike other missions where various independent instruments are carried
aboard the spacecraft, GOCE is unique in that the instrumentation actually
forms part of the structure of the satellite. A completely stable, rigid and
unchanging local environment is required to acquire extremely high fidelity
'true' gravity readings, so the spacecraft intentionally has no mechanical
moving parts.
The newly developed primary instrument -- the gravity gradiometer --
measures the terrestrial gravitational field thanks to a set of six
ultra-sensitive capacitive sensors. In order to attain the required
sensitivity, the gradiometer is combined with a precise GPS-based
Satellite-to-Satellite Tracking Instrument to provide accurate
three-dimensional positioning of the satellite along its orbit.
Once delivered to ESTEC in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, the spacecraft and
gradiometer will undergo the final integration and environmental testing
programme to make sure everything is in order to withstand the rigours of
launch and the hostile conditions it will experience in space.
In spring 2008, GOCE will be launched on a Rockot launcher from the Plesetsk
Cosmodrome in north-western Russia, under the responsibility of the
German-Russian launch operator Eurockot.
[NOTE: Images and weblinks supporting this release are available at
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEM49CB474F_index_1.html ]
http://www.esa.int
19 July 2007
ESA's Earth Explorer gravity satellite on show
GOCE, ESA's first satellite dedicated to measuring the Earth's gravity
field, has been presented to the press today in Turin, Italy, before being
shipped to ESTEC -- the space agency's research and technology centre in the
Netherlands -- for final testing.
The Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE), the
first core Earth Explorer mission to be developed as part of ESA's Living
Planet Programme, will significantly advance our knowledge of how the Earth
works and provide insight into ocean circulation, sea-level change, climate
change, volcanism and earthquakes.
The spacecraft has been in Italy at Thales Alenia Space, the prime
contractor for the development, integration and testing, for roughly nine
months where the last subsystems and the payload were integrated on its
platform.
Speaking at today's media event, Carlo Alberto Penazzi, President and Chief
Executive Officer of Thales Alenia Space in Italy, said: "We are especially
proud to have played a major role in this ESA project, which represents a
crucial step forward in increasing our knowledge of the structure of our
planet and its well-being."
ESA GOCE Project Manager, Danilo Muzi highlighting the role of industry in
this very challenging satellite's development, said: "Forty-five companies
distributed over 13 European countries have been working with ESA on the
design of the satellite since 2001. The development of the GOCE satellite
represents genuine European industrial cooperation."
"ESA's gravity satellite will measure Earth's gravity from place to place
around the globe to provide a uniform global picture. It will do this with a
level of detail and accuracy never before achieved," ESA GOCE Project
Scientist, Mark Drinkwater, said. "This fundamental reference dataset will
give access to new scientific insights into ocean circulation and its impact
on climate, as well as into the structure of the interior of the Earth in
critical locations such as earthquake and volcanic zones."
Because the gravitational signal is stronger closer to the Earth, GOCE has
been designed to fly in a particularly low orbit -- at an altitude of just
250 km. However, the remaining atmosphere at low altitudes creates a
demanding environment for the satellite and presented a challenge for its
design.
Unlike other missions where various independent instruments are carried
aboard the spacecraft, GOCE is unique in that the instrumentation actually
forms part of the structure of the satellite. A completely stable, rigid and
unchanging local environment is required to acquire extremely high fidelity
'true' gravity readings, so the spacecraft intentionally has no mechanical
moving parts.
The newly developed primary instrument -- the gravity gradiometer --
measures the terrestrial gravitational field thanks to a set of six
ultra-sensitive capacitive sensors. In order to attain the required
sensitivity, the gradiometer is combined with a precise GPS-based
Satellite-to-Satellite Tracking Instrument to provide accurate
three-dimensional positioning of the satellite along its orbit.
Once delivered to ESTEC in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, the spacecraft and
gradiometer will undergo the final integration and environmental testing
programme to make sure everything is in order to withstand the rigours of
launch and the hostile conditions it will experience in space.
In spring 2008, GOCE will be launched on a Rockot launcher from the Plesetsk
Cosmodrome in north-western Russia, under the responsibility of the
German-Russian launch operator Eurockot.
[NOTE: Images and weblinks supporting this release are available at
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEM49CB474F_index_1.html ]