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Europe's Mars-bound space probes near arrival EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY NEWS RELEASE Posted: November 30, 2003 The Mars Express spacecraft, despite a series of intense solar flares that occurred late October-early November in active sunspots regions, is in good health and is operating normally. The spacecraft flew in the intense radiation environment that resulted from the exceptional solar and geomagnetic activity associated with these regions, temporarily causing disturbances on the star trackers. These disturbances, which were over within a few days, did not cause damage and did not constitute a threat to the mission.
Preparations and simulations for Beagle-2 ejection and Mars Orbit Insertion are entering the final stages. The Beagle-2 lander separation will take place on 19 December 2003. It will descend through the Martian atmosphere and land on the planet on 25 December 2003. The Mars Express spacecraft will undergo Mars orbit insertion (MOI) on 25 December 2003. The Interplanetary Cruise payload commissioning phase is now completed. No further payload activities were done in Interplanetary Cruise since the last status report. Several planned payload activities (for example, ASPERA, radio science) have been postponed until after MOI. A Mars observation sequence (imaging and spectroscopy) involving the OMEGA, HRSC and SPICAM instruments is scheduled for the 1st of December. All Beagle-2 checkouts have been successful, as well as a recently completed Beagle-2 lander software upload. Detailed lander surface operations are being finalised for the first few days on the surface of Mars. Some of these operations will be coordinated with high-resolution remote sensing by the orbiter during several flyovers of the Beagle-2 landing site in Isidis Planitia. The planning for Mars commissioning and initial science operations after MOI is progressing nominally. Payload activity timelines are being prepared for the first few months in orbit, with the goal of optimising the scientific return while keeping within the limits of the power budget.
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Exploring Mars Astronomy Now is pleased to announce the publication of Exploring Mars. The very best images of Mars taken by orbiting spacecraft and NASA's Spirit and Opportunity rovers fill up the 98 glossy pages of this special edition!U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Mars Rover mission patch A mission patch featuring NASA's Mars Exploration Rover is now available from the Astronomy Now Store.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Expedition 20 The official embroidered patch for the International Space Station Expedition 20 crew is now available from our stores.Current Shuttle Mission Patch The official embroidered patch for shuttle Atlantis' flight to deliver critical spare equipment to the space station.![]() Ares Patch The Ares Project will develop two new rockets to launch astronauts back to the Moon under NASA's Vision for Exploration. The Ares 1 will employ a single space shuttle solid rocket booster to loft the Orion crew capsule. The gigantic Ares 5 will haul the equipment and cargo needed for such lunar voyages. This is the Ares emblem.One Giant Leap
Hosted by Corbin Bernsen, this award winning documentary marks the 50th anniversary of the U.S. space agency and features exclusive interviews with veteran astronauts.Expedition 21 The official embroidered patch for the International Space Station Expedition 21 crew is now available from our stores.Apollo 12 tribute DVD set ![]() New! Featuring the jovial crew of Pete Conrad, Dick Gordon and Alan Bean, the Apollo 12 mission was struck by lightning shortly after liftoff but proceeded on the second successful exploration voyage to the lunar surface. This three-disc DVD brings the mission to life with extraordinary detail. U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Fallen Heroes special patch This special 12-inch embroidered patch commemorates the U.S. astronauts who made the ultimate sacrifice, honoring the crews of Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Women in Space Women of Space: Cool Careers on the Final Frontier is for girls, young women, and anyone else interested in learning about exciting careers in space exploration. Includes CD-ROM.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Mars rover poster This new poster features some of the best pictures from NASA's amazing Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity.U.S. Get e-mail updates Sign up for our NewsAlert service and have the latest news in astronomy and space e-mailed direct to your desktop (privacy note: your e-mail address will not be used for any other purpose). |
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