Post by glactus on Jan 31, 2011 3:51:09 GMT
The fuel and most of the cargo are loaded and ATV has been hoisted to the top of Ariane 5 as teams on four continents prepare for the 15 February launch of the Johannes Kepler spacecraft from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. destination - The International Space Station.
Naming this Spacecraft after the Great German Astronomer, Johannes Kepler, could not have been more appropriate.
Johannes Kepler and his laws of planetary motion
Johannes Kepler (December 27, 1571 - November 15, 1630) was a German mathematician astronomer and astrologer, and key figure in the 17th century scientific revolution.
He is best known for his eponymous laws of planetary motion, codified by later astronomers, based on his works Astronomia nova, Harmonices Mundi, and Epitome of Copernican Astronomy. These works also provided one of the foundations for Isaac Newton's theory of universal gravitation.
The Kepler spacecraft
On 28 January, the mission control team conducted a simulation of the critical launch and early orbit phase. On 29 January, a test of the ground control system between ATV and the control centre saw controllers receiving live signals via cable from ATV mounted on top of Ariane.
Ariane 5 and Kepler configuration
The launch of Ariane 5 and the flight of ATV-2 will make use of ESA tracking stations at Santa Maria, Portugal; Maspalomas and Villafranca, Spain; Redu, Belgium; and, Perth, Australia. The network is centrally controlled from ESOC, ESA's Space Operations Centre in Germany.
The International Space Station
Ariane 5 with Kepler
Credits: These are free web images.
This is part text only. See full text and all scientists involved at Space daily.com
www.space-travel.com/reports/Intensive_Preparations_For_ATV_Freighter_Launch_To_ISS_999.html
Naming this Spacecraft after the Great German Astronomer, Johannes Kepler, could not have been more appropriate.
Johannes Kepler and his laws of planetary motion
Johannes Kepler (December 27, 1571 - November 15, 1630) was a German mathematician astronomer and astrologer, and key figure in the 17th century scientific revolution.
He is best known for his eponymous laws of planetary motion, codified by later astronomers, based on his works Astronomia nova, Harmonices Mundi, and Epitome of Copernican Astronomy. These works also provided one of the foundations for Isaac Newton's theory of universal gravitation.
The Kepler spacecraft
On 28 January, the mission control team conducted a simulation of the critical launch and early orbit phase. On 29 January, a test of the ground control system between ATV and the control centre saw controllers receiving live signals via cable from ATV mounted on top of Ariane.
Ariane 5 and Kepler configuration
The launch of Ariane 5 and the flight of ATV-2 will make use of ESA tracking stations at Santa Maria, Portugal; Maspalomas and Villafranca, Spain; Redu, Belgium; and, Perth, Australia. The network is centrally controlled from ESOC, ESA's Space Operations Centre in Germany.
The International Space Station
Ariane 5 with Kepler
Credits: These are free web images.
This is part text only. See full text and all scientists involved at Space daily.com
www.space-travel.com/reports/Intensive_Preparations_For_ATV_Freighter_Launch_To_ISS_999.html