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GOCE Earth Explorer satellite to look at the Earth’s surface and core

22 August 2008

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GOCE positioned on the rotary table for an alignment check during launch campaign at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome

Credits: ESA

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GOCE will map the global variations in Earth's gravity with extreme detail and provide a unique model of the gravity field and geoid. The geoid is the surface of equal gravitational potential defined by the gravity field and is crucial for improving our understanding of ocean circulation, sea-level change and terrestrial ice dynamics, all of which are affected by climate change. GOCE-derived data will also provide new insight into processes occurring in the lithosphere and upper mantle. In addition, data will be used for practical applications such as surveying and levelling.

Credits: ESA - AOES Medialab

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ESA mission controllers in simulation for GOCE launch

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14 August 2008: Members of the "A" section of the Flight Control Team in simulation training for the scheduled 10 September launch of GOCE in the Main Control Room at ESOC, ESA's European Space Operations Centre, Darmstadt, Germany. The simulation included practicing immediate reactions in case of any unexpected problems with the ground segment or the spacecraft.

Credits: ESA

GOCE launch

Launch diary