Expertos de la ESA hablan en el Planetario de Madrid del origen del universo y de la búsqueda de otros planetas



 


Herschel
 
Herschel, the largest infrared space telescope, is stationed at the second Lagrange point of the Sun-Earth system. Its 3.5-metre diameter collects long-wavelength infrared radiation from some of the coolest and most distant objects in the Universe. Herschel covers a wide range of wavelengths, from far-infrared to sub-millimetre. The longest of these wavelengths have not been covered before. The satellite was launched on 14 May 2009 with ESA's Planck microwave observatory, on board an Ariane 5 from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

Planck cruising to L2
 
Herschel and Planck will be launched together on an Ariane 5 from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The satellites will be placed inside the fairing of the launcher; Planck at the bottom, Herschel on top. They will separate shortly after launch and proceed independently to different orbits around the second Lagrange point of the Sun-Earth system, or L2. The boosters of the Ariane 5 will burn for slightly less than 2.5 minutes and its main and upper stage engines for about 25 minutes to set Herschel and then Planck on the path to L2.

On reaching L2, Planck will be injected into a Lissajous orbit (a kind of orbit that winds around a torus without closing onto itself) using the onboard thrusters.



Mars Express artist view
 
Artist view of ESA's Mars Express probe.

Mars Express was launched at 17:45:46 UT, 2 June 2003, by a Soyuz FG-Fregat launcher. The Fregat upper stage then boosted the probe, consisting of the 1,223-kg orbiter carrying the 71-kg Beagle 2 lander, into a solar orbit toward Mars. Mars Express entered orbit around Mars on 26 December 2003.

Carrying seven experiments, the orbiter will conduct a one-martian-year survey of the planet in unprecedented high-resolution and provide a mineralogical map. It will also conduct a search for underground water using a radar able to identify subsurface structures up to 2 km deep. Moreover, a set of payload instruments will probe the atmosphere, map its composition and determine its circulation as well as its interaction with the solar wind.

Europe's first planetary mission, Mars Express was approved in 1997 as ESA's first 'flexible' science mission. Development was delegated to industry, with Astrium appointed as prime contractor in 1998.



Release date: 15 septiembre 2009