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Tag: Schiaparelli lander

  • ExoMars: From separation to landing

    ExoMars: From separation to landing

    On 16 October, seven months and 500 million km after launching from Baikonur in Kazakhstan, the joint European and Russian ExoMars 2016 mission reaches a crucial phase.

    The Trace Gas Orbiter will release its Schiaparelli lander for a three day coast and a six minute descent to the Martian surface.The lander, which was designed to demonstrate technologies for entry, descent and landing on Mars, is heading for the Meridiani Planum. This is an area that is currently being studied by NASA’s Opportunity rover and Europe’s Mars Express orbiter.

    On 19 October, the Schiaparelli lander will be activated a few hours before reaching the Martian atmosphere, when it will be travelling at some 21 000 km/h. The front heatshield – covered with 90 insulating tiles – will be subjected to temperatures of up to 1500 degrees Celsius.

    This video covers the separation, descent and landing procedures, as well as the orbiter’s critical burn to avoid crashing on the surface of Mars.

  • ExoMars/TGO Deep Space Hangout

    ExoMars/TGO Deep Space Hangout

    Google hangout with ExoMars mission experts for an update on the cruise to Mars, the crucial mid-course manoeuvre on 28 July and the upcoming preparations for the arrival phase. The hangout was held on 26 July at 16:00 CEST/14:00 GMT.

    Since launch on 14 March, ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter and the Schiaparelli landing demonstration module have been en route to the Red Planet.

    The hangout included mission updates and a live Q&A with ESA experts and scientists, focusing on the crucial milestones during the spacecraft’s seven-month cruise to the Red Planet.  

    The hangout was hosted by Daniel Scuka (ESA Spacecraft Operations Editor) who was joined by:

    ** Michel Denis – ExoMars Flight Director, ESOC
    ** Silvia Sangiorgi – ExoMars Deputy Spacecraft Operations Manager, ESOC
    ** Michael Khan – Mission Analyst, ESOC
    ** Ian Thomas – NOMAD (spectrometer) Project Manager, Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy

    Background info on #ExoMars :
    http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/ExoMars
    http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Operations/ExoMars_TGO_operations

  • ExoMars prepares for launch

    ExoMars prepares for launch

    The ExoMars 2016 spacecraft – consisting of the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and the Schiaparelli entry, descent and landing demonstrator – is in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, preparing for its mid-March launch on a Russian Proton rocket.

    This joint European and Russian mission will test key exploration technologies and search for evidence of methane and other rare gases in the martian atmosphere. These gases could result from geological processes or they could be signatures of current biological activity on the planet. Three days before reaching Mars in October, Schiaparelli will separate from the orbiter and coast towards the planet in hibernation mode to reduce power consumption.

    This video covers the journey, the orbit of the Trace Gas Orbiter, the separation of the Schiaparelli lander and its 20 000 km/hour descent and eventual landing. It also contains filming at ESA’s European Space and Technology Centre (ESTEC) Mars Yard in the Netherlands. 

    Learning more about Mars’ water and environment will shed further light on this planet – while knowing the origin of its methane could finally answer the exciting question of whether there is life on Mars.

    Read more about ExoMars:
    http://www.esa.int/exomars