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Smooth deployment for second MARSIS antenna boom   This is an impression of how the first two stages of deployment look for the Mars Express MARSIS experiment. The 13 segments of the first 20-metre boom have sprung out and locked into place, followed by the second 20-metre boom.
The MARSIS experiment will map the Martian sub-surface structure to a depth of a few kilometres. The instrument's 40-metre long antenna booms will send low frequency radio waves towards the planet, which will be reflected from any surface they encounter.  The command to deploy the second MARSIS boom was given to the ESA's Mars Express spacecraft at 13:30 CEST on 14 June 2005. Shortly before the deployment started, Mars Express was set into a slow rotation to last 30 minutes during and after the boom extension. This rotation allowed all the boom’s hinges to be properly heated by the Sun.  The command to deploy the second MARSIS boom was given to ESA's Mars Express spacecraft at 13:30 CEST on 14 June 2005. Mars Express was set into a slow rotation to last 30 minutes during and after the boom extension. This rotation allowed all the boom’s hinges to be properly heated by the Sun. Just after, an autonomous manoeuvre oriented the spacecraft towards the Sun, to have the spacecraft recharge its batteries and for a further heating of the hinges. Release date: 28 September 2007 |