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Scientists endure Arctic for last campaign prior to CryoSat-2 launch

9 May 2008

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Drilling through the sea ice is labour intensive work required to measure sea ice thickness in situ.

Credits: ESA

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The CryoSat Validation Experiment (CryoVEx) 2008 is an extensive three-week experiment programme taking place in the far north of Greenland and Canada during April and May 2008. CryoVEx 2008 is part of the validation programme for ESA's ice mission CryoSat-2 due for launch in 2009.

Credits: ESA

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The EM Bird was used extensively during CryoVEx 2008 to measure sea-ice thickness. Using the EM Bird on the helicopter scientists can measure sea-ice thickness over many kilometres.

Credits: ESA

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Artist's impression of CryoSat.

The launch of the CryoSat spacecraft was unfortunately aborted on 8 October 2005 due to a malfunction of its Rockot launcher, which resulted in the total loss of the spacecraft.

At the latest meeting of the European Space Agency's Earth Observation Programme Board, which took place at ESA’s Headquarters in Paris on 23 and 24 February 2006, ESA received the green light from its Member States to build and launch a CryoSat recovery mission, CryoSat-2.

Credits: ESA - AOES Medialab

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GPS buoys are used during the campaign to measure sea ice drift. They are deployed through planes or helicopter landing directly on sea ice floes.

Credits: ESA

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The EM Bird in action measuring sea ice thickness.

Credits: ESA