|
Space probes |
|
|||
automatic translator |
||||
|
Definition |
category : probes, telescopes | |||
|
|
||||
| A space probe is a vessel sent by the Man to the space and intended to investigate objects of our solar system or more widely to study a celestial body: planet, comet, asteroid, star, etc. Numerous attempts remained fruitless so much American side as the Russian side, but it is the Soviet citizens who have the first ones known how to make take out an object made by the man outside fields of Earth' attraction. On January 2nd, 1959, the space probe Lunik 1 approaches in 6000 km of the moon to pursue then its road in the space having passed on some scientific data. Two months later, the American Pioneer probe makes the same route. For almost fifty years, these spatial machines are sent to our solar system, with a rate of high failure but the successful missions of its probes are worth us of magnificent observations which make as much dream about the general public as about the scientists. The images which reach us, often show of our past but also show us our future. A space probe can have various functions according to the type of module which it embarks. We speak about orbiter when it fits in orbit of the target celestial body, | the landing when it settles on a solid body, or of probe of comeback when it enters the atmosphere of a gas. As a general rule a probe aims at making measures in situ and to pass on to us these data. Furthermore they are always equipped with cameras of observations which show us the target object except the ground atmospheric disturbances and in an angle of inaccessible sight for us since the earth and even since the ground orbit. It is important to make the difference with artificial satellites, which they, are only intended to be put on ground orbit. However, certain probes are also intended to be sent into orbit around the other planets, the satellites of planets or even around small asteroids. The United States dominate widely this domain of the exploration of the solar system, by space probes. They send to 1964 a first space probe towards Mars, then in 1972 towards Jupiter, in 1973 towards Saturn and Jupiter, and one other towards Mercury, in 1977 towards Uranus and Neptune as well as Jupiter and Saturn. In the 20th century, only Pluto was not the object of an exploration by space probe yet. |
|
||
| Cassini |
category : probes, telescopes |
|||
| |
||||
|
The mission Cassini-Huygens The mission Cassini-Huygens is a joint mission of the NASA, the European Space agency and the Italian Space agency the main purpose of which is to investigate Saturn and its satellites, in particular Titan. The idea of this mission goes back up in 1982. The total duration of the mission is estimated in 11 years, of the launch on October 15th, 1997 until 2008. The Cassini-Huygens probe consists of the orbiter Cassini, equipped all in all with 12 instruments, and with the landing Huygens, equipped with 6 instruments. At the beginning of 2004, the probe entered in orbit around Saturn and on January 14th, 2005, the orbiter settled on Titan. is an automatic spatial mission realized in collaboration by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory ( JPL), the European Space agency ( ESA) and the Italian Space agency ( ASI). its objective is the study of the planet Saturn and of some of its satellites, of which Titan. The space probe Cassini-Huygens, consisted of the orbiter Cassini and the module Huygens has to take place in orbit around the planet. Huygens has for objective to land on the satellite Titan. |
The name of the mission is a tribute to Jean-Dominique
Cassini, French astronomer of the 17th century at the origin of
fundamental observations concerning Saturn, and to Christian Huygens,
Dutch astronomer of the same century, who discovered Titan. The mission
Cassini-Huygens notably already allowed to have the first detailed
images of Phoebe, to study in detail the structure of the rings of
Saturn, to study Titan in a detailed way and to discover two new moons
of Saturn. |
|
||
|
New horizons |
category : probes, telescopes | |||
|
|
||||
|
The New Horizons New Horizons is the first probe to have for main objective the study and the flying over Pluto. Because of his estrangement, Pluto is a destination at risk, that is why the projects of study of this dwarfish planet were cancelled one after the other, as programs it Outer Planet Grand Tour, who planned the sending of four probes, among which two in the direction of Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto. Further to budgetary constraints, the NASA was not able to send that 2 probes: travel 1 and 2. The observation of Pluto was abandoned because the Jet Propulsion Laboratory ( JPL) could steer, for reasons of global configuration that a probe at the same moment towards Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. program is a space probe of the NASA intended to glance through Pluto and its satellite Charon, then to continue in the belt of Kuiper. It will also study Jupiter and its moons. It is about the first machine specifically studied to broadcast data of the distant objects of the solar system. The probe was launched on Thursday, January 19th, 2006 at French 8:00 pm and can use the gravitational assistance of Jupiter in 2007. The probe has a triangular thick shape. As the probe leaves to the borders of the solar system, the generation of electricity cannot be assured by the traditional solar panels, a thermoelectric generator with radio-isotope (RTG) is then embarked. |
This generator will convert the heat supplied by the
radioactive destruction of 10,9 kg of dioxide of plutonium 238, of which
we consider that it will supply another 190 W in 2015. The cylinder
containing the generator is fixed to one of the summits of the triangle.
The dish satellite, 2,5 meters in diameter, being of use to the
communication with the Earth is fixed to one of the faces of the
triangle. Its total weight is 265 kg. |
|
||
|
Rosetta |
category : probes, telescopes | |||
|
|
||||
|
Rosetta
The name Rosetta is a wink of eye in the famous stone of Bow, which
allowed 2 centuries ago, to decipher the Egyptian hieroglyphs. The
landing engine is baptized Philae, of the name of the obelisk of Philae,
who allowed as a supplement to the stone of Bow to decipher hieroglyphs.
A space probe conceived by the European Space agency (ESA)
is, the main objective of which is the study of the Comet
Churyumov-Gerasimenko. It will be the first one to send into orbit
around a comet and also to put down an landing engine on its surface.
But before arriving with this last one, the probe will photograph
asteroids Steins
The asteroid 2867 Steins measures only some kilometers in diameter. It
was discovered on November 4th, 1969 by Nikolaj S . Chernykh.
et
Lutetia. Lutetia was observed for the first time by Herman
Goldschmidt in Paris, on November 15th, 1852.
|
Rosetta will benefit from the effect of gravitational assistance. This concept allows to use the gravitational energy of a celestial body by touching it. The more it is massive and the more the momentum is raised. Rosetta is going to use by four times this technique, by touching the Earth (on 2005, 2007 and 2009) and Mars (2007). Rosetta will touch the asteroid Steins in 1 700 km, on September 5th, 2008, with a relative speed of 9 km/s. Lutetia of a diameter of hundred of kilometers, will be touched July 10th, 2010. Rosetta will pass in 3 000 km of the object about km/s 15. There will be, for reasons of energy saving, no communication with the earth between 2011 and 2014. In August 2014 it should enter in orbit around the comet. |
|
||
|
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) |
category : probes, telescopes | |||
|
|
||||
|
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), It is the name of this eye of lynx of a new generation of probes intended to photograph the planet red as ever. This American probe, launched on August 12th, 2005 since base Cap Canaveral in Florida, contributes to enrich our knowledge on the planet Mars, as the history of its water on its surface, its climate or its basement. MRO can track down the best sites of landing for probes or the men to come and will serve, from the end of its scientific, relay mission of communication with the Earth until 2015. This probe is sharply more impressive than the previous ones (Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Odyssey). With a height of 6,50 m and one diameter of 3 m, this monster filled with technology, contains 11 instruments all in all to assure, its scientific mission, its navigation and its communication with the Earth (high resolution stereoscopic camera HiRISE, camera CTX of context, spectro-imager CRISM, camera MARCI, radiomeasures MCS, radar SHARAD, radio transmitter sciences). |
Of a total mass of 2180 kg in the takeoff, MRO was launched by a rocket Atlas V-401. Having crossed 500 million km in 7 months in km/s 3, it positioned in orbit Martian. The Martian MRO probe of the NASA which really began its scientific mission in November, 2006 already sent towards the Earth, in some months, about 8 terabytes of data, as much as MGS (Mars Global Surveyor) in nine years of observation. With all this embarked technology, the MRO probe meets some difficulties with its instruments. Half of the sensors of the camera HiRISE (High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) indeed presents abnormal levels of noise but which have only an impact limited on the quality of the images. The second instrument, Mars Climate Sounder which is in charge of scanning the Martian atmosphere above the horizon, has as for him difficulties of wedging of its field of vision. The total cost of the probe is estimated at 720 million dollars. |
|
||
|
Dawn |
category : probes, telescopes | |||
|
|
||||
|
The journey of the probe Dawn ("dawn" in English) is
going to ligh us a little more on the birth of our solar system as well
as on the formation of planets. After several adjournments, the NASA
proceeded to the launch of the space probe DAWN to asteroids Vesta and
Ceres, two bigger celestial bodies known for the belt of asteroids which
is situated between Mars and Jupiter. A rocket Delta 2, equipped with
boosters nine dashed, in the sky of Florida, on Thursday, September
27th, 2007 at 11:34 am GMT. |
Ceres and Vesta is proto planets and formed about at the same time, at the time of the formation of the planets of the solar system there is approximately 4,5 billion years. Vesta and Ceres are very different. Vesta is big dry and rocky one, irregular rock of shape with a surface which seems to be formed by ice-cold lava. Ceres is almost round ( 960 km diameter) and could have ice-cold poles. Ceres presents the peculiarity to have the double status of asteroid and dwarfish planet since 2006 as Pluto and Eris. The mission is planned to last until July, 2015. This unpublished journey is made possible thanks to engines for Ionic propulsion. The Dawn probe is equipped with cameras, with a spectrometer in infrared, and with a detector with neutrons and gamma rays. The energy of the solar panels of large-scale 19,8 meters is going to allow the functioning of its three engines Ionic propulsion. " For me, it is really the first true interplanetary spatial machine ", explains the chief engineer Marc Rayman. The mission Dawn costs 357 million dollars (252,7 million euro) except cost of launch by the rocket Delta. |
|
||
|
Related subjects |
category : probes, telescopes |
|||
| |
||||
Asteroids |
||||
The
mission MRO is to photograph the planet Mars and to inform us about its
history.
|
|
Astronomy - october 15th 2007 |
