spacetoday.net: space news from around the webin association with SpaceNews


ESA to proceed with MARSIS deployment
Posted: Wed, Jun 8, 2005, 8:30 AM ET (1230 GMT)
Mars Express in orbit (ESA illustration) The European Space Agency announced Tuesday that it plans to go ahead later this month with the deployment of a second 20-meter radar boom on its Mars Express spacecraft, confident that problems experienced last month have been resolved. The boom will be extended between June 13 and 21, officials said, under a deployment scenario altered slightly than the one used for the first boom last month. During the first boom's deployment one of the hinges failed to lock into place, a problem resolved when the spacecraft was reoriented to allow sunlight to heat the balky hinge. Once the second boom is fully extended and locked, ESA plans to begin commissioning of a radar instrument that will use the booms to search for subterranean water on Mars as well as study the planet's ionosphere. Deployment of the boom was originally planned for a year ago but was delayed because of concerns that the boom could whiplash during deployment and damage the spacecraft.
<<previous article   next article>>
news in brief
US and UK militaries conduct coordinated satellite maneuvers
Posted: Sun, Sep 21 8:30 AM ET (1230 GMT)

Blue Origin retires a New Shepard capsule after payload flight
Posted: Sun, Sep 21 8:25 AM ET (1225 GMT)

Astra planning first Rocket 4 launch in mid-2026
Posted: Sun, Sep 21 8:21 AM ET (1221 GMT)

news links
Saturday, October 11
Prestwick Spaceport failure 'echoes global trend'
Insider.co.uk — 11:25 am ET (1525 GMT)
UCR physicist pushes for NASA & NSF funding in Washington, D.C.
Univ. of California Riverside — 11:23 am ET (1523 GMT)


about spacetoday.net   ·   info@spacetoday.net   ·   mailing list