Rosetta over Mars

_______________________________________________________
Rosetta Swing-by 250 km over Martian surface
The Rosetta swing-by of Mars is the second of four gravity assist manoeuvres that are required to place Rosetta on course for its final destination.


_______________________________________________________
Timeline: Mars swingby at 36 000 km per hour
The closest approach of the swing-by will take place at 01:54 UT, 25 February 2007, when the spacecraft will pass 250 km above the surface of Mars.

Rosetta's NAVCAM captured the black & white image of Mars at 19:32 CET from a distance of 237 477 km.

In the upper left it is possible to identify the Elysium Mons region centred at approximately 147° East. Mars' equator runs horizontally approximately across the middle of the image.

Just northeast of the 'double finger' feature, visible in the lower half of the disk, is Aeolis Mensae mountain, located at 140° East.

The small double feature visible in the upper-right quadrant is the Cerberus Fossae ridge.

Spectacular view approaching Mars Animations from ESA
Beautiful new images of Mars - OSIRIS UPDATE 25/02/07
Stunning view of Rosetta skimming past Mars - 25/02/07
Rosetta successfully swings-by Mars – next target: Earth
_______________________________________________________
A gravitational slingshot is the use of the gravity of a planet to alter the path and speed of an interplanetary spacecraft. It is a commonly used manoeuvre for visiting the outer planets, which would otherwise be prohibitively expensive, if not impossible, to reach with current technologies. It is also known as a "gravity assist".

A slingshot manoeuvre around a planet changes a spacecraft's velocity relative to the Sun, even though it preserves the spacecraft's speed relative to the planet.


Consider a spacecraft on a trajectory that will take it close to a planet.


As the spacecraft approaches the planet, the planet's gravity will pull on the spacecraft, speeding it up. After passing the planet, the gravity will continue pulling on the spacecraft, slowing it down. The net effect on the speed is zero, although the direction may have changed in the process. (Image Cassini trajectory)
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

New Engine Helps Satellites Blast Off With Less Fuel
The Georgia Tech engine operates with an efficient ion propulsion system. Xenon (a noble gas) atoms are injected into the discharge chamber. The atoms are ionized, (electrons are stripped from their outer shell), which forms xenon ions.

The light electrons are constrained by the magnetic field while the heavy ions are accelerated out into space by an electric field, propelling the satellite to high speeds.
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________

ESA Space Propulsion

______________________________________________________
Credits: ESA - AOES Medialab

How SMART-1 has made European space exploration smarter
A unique way to travel to the Moon, new technologies successfully tested and brand-new science: a few months after the end of the SMART-1 mission scientists and engineers gathered to recap on these and all the other achievements of the first European mission to the Moon.

The innovative SMART-1 Moon mission has taught ESA, European space industry and institutes a lot about how to perform its missions even more efficiently. For example, the operational tools developed and the lessons learned are already being used on ESA missions such as Rosetta and Venus Express. The SMART-1 experience has also been used to prepare future ESA missions, such as Bepi-Colombo, which will visit the inner planet Mercury.


__________________________________________________
Credits: AOES Medialab, ESA 2002.

SMART-1 first orbits the Earth in ever-increasing ellipses. When it reaches the Moon, its orbit is altered by the Moon's gravitational field. It uses a number of these lunar 'gravity assist' manoeuvres to position itself for entering orbit around the Moon.

Using electric propulsion, ESA can send Bepi-Colombo to Mercury in just six years, whereas traditional rockets would take at least seven. Electric propulsion will also be able to transport much more scientific equipment to Mercury than a traditional spacecraft. With SMART-1, we learned how to drive an electric propulsion spacecraft.

Read More ESA Press Release 31/01/2007
____________________________________________________
Talking with the Planets by Astroprof
Cassini images mammoth cloud engulfing Titan’s North Pole from ESA
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________