Tutto Luca in italiano

Tutto Luca in italiano

Thomas Reiter bei Festveranstaltung „Faszination Raumfahrt – Grenzen überschreiten“ in Bremen

Thomas Reiter bei Festveranstaltung „Faszination Raumfahrt – Grenzen überschreiten“ in Bremen

Convocatoria de rueda de prensa: El despertar de Rosetta

Convocatoria de rueda de prensa: El despertar de Rosetta

ESA’s new breed of Galileo endures weeks of simulated space

ESA’s new breed of Galileo endures weeks of simulated space

ESA-Bodenstationen unterstützen chinesische Mondmission

ESA-Bodenstationen unterstützen chinesische Mondmission

A comet's tale

A comet's tale

LADEE TAKES A LOOK

Artist’s concept of NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) spacecraft in orbit above the moon as dust scatters light during the lunar sunset.  Image Credit-NASA AMES- Dana Berry

FROM:  NASA 

NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) is ready to begin collecting science data about the moon.

On Nov. 20, the spacecraft successfully entered its planned orbit around the moon's equator -- a unique position allowing the small probe to make frequent passes from lunar day to lunar night. This will provide a full scope of the changes and processes occurring within the moon's tenuous atmosphere.

LADEE now orbits the moon about every two hours at an altitude of eight to 37 miles (12-60 kilometers) above the moon's surface. For about 100 days, the spacecraft will gather detailed information about the structure and composition of the thin lunar atmosphere and determine whether dust is being lofted into the lunar sky.

"A thorough understanding of the characteristics of our lunar neighbor will help researchers understand other small bodies in the solar system, such as asteroids, Mercury, and the moons of outer planets," said Sarah Noble, LADEE program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

Scientists also will be able to study the conditions in the atmosphere during lunar sunrise and sunset, where previous crewed and robotic missions detected a mysterious glow of rays and streamers reaching high into the lunar sky.
“This is what we’ve been waiting for – we are already seeing the shape of things to come,” said Rick Elphic, LADEE project scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif.

On Nov. 20, flight controllers in the LADEE Mission Operations Center at Ames confirmed LADEE performed a crucial burn of its orbit control system to lower the spacecraft into its optimal position to enable science collection. Mission managers will continuously monitor the spacecraft's altitude and make adjustments as necessary.

"Due to the lumpiness of the moon's gravitational field, LADEE's orbit requires significant maintenance activity with maneuvers taking place as often as every three to five days, or as infrequently as once every two weeks," said Butler Hine, LADEE project manager at Ames. "LADEE will perform regular orbital maintenance maneuvers to keep the spacecraft’s altitude within a safe range above the surface that maximizes the science return."

In addition to science instruments, the spacecraft carried the Lunar Laser Communications Demonstration, NASA's first high-data-rate laser communication system. It is designed to enable satellite communication at rates similar to those of high-speed fiber optic networks on Earth. The system was tested successfully during the commissioning phase of the mission, while LADEE was still at a higher altitude.

LADEE was launched Sept. 6 on a U.S. Air Force Minotaur V, an excess ballistic missile converted into a space launch vehicle and operated by Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va. LADEE is the first spacecraft designed, developed, built, integrated and tested at Ames. It also was the first probe launched beyond Earth orbit from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on the Virginia coast.
NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington funds the LADEE mission. Ames manages the overall mission and serves as a base for mission operations and real-time control of the probe. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., manages the science instruments and technology demonstration payload, the science operations center and overall mission support. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., manages LADEE within the Lunar Quest Program Office.

Relève de la garde à Concordia

Relève de la garde à Concordia

Partner der ESA: Das Deutsche GeoForschungsZentrum

Partner der ESA: Das Deutsche GeoForschungsZentrum

Los satélites Swarm completan con éxito la primera fase de su misión

Los satélites Swarm completan con éxito la primera fase de su misión

Einladung zum Workshop: Für die Erde ins All - Transport & Logistik

Einladung zum Workshop: Für die Erde ins All - Transport & Logistik

THE BIRDS AND THE BEAST AT CAPE CANAVERAL

FROM:  NASA 
Taking Flight at Cape Canaveral

The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft launches from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 41, Monday, Nov. 18, 2013, Cape Canaveral, Florida. NASA’s Mars-bound spacecraft, the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN, or MAVEN, is the first spacecraft devoted to exploring and understanding the Martian upper atmosphere.  Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient - Sally Ride | The White House

Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient - Sally Ride | The White House

Lancement de Swarm

Lancement de Swarm

Livestream: Swarm-Start

Livestream: Swarm-Start