Updates ExoMars News & Updates

[Nicholas Kang]

Angling Up for Mars Science

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Operations/Angling_up_for_Mars_science

7 February 2017

ESA’s latest Mars orbiter has moved itself into a new path on its way to achieving the final orbit for probing the Red Planet.

In January, it conducted a series of crucial manoeuvres, firing its main engine to adjust its orbit around Mars. The three firings shifted its angle of travel with respect to the equator to almost 74º from the 7º of its October arrival.

The change was achieved in three burns on 19, 23 and 27 January, overseen by the mission control team working at ESA’s operations centre in Darmstadt, Germany. A final, minor trim was made on 5 February, at the same time lowering the altitude above Mars at closest approach from 250 km to 210 km.

 

[Notebook]

More info on the lander.

Esa has completed its investigatio, but I can't figure out
how to put the link here on this smartp hone thing.

If anyone can many thanks n.

 

[Notebook]

N...

 

[Notebook]

More info on the lander.

Esa has completed its investigatio, but I can't figure out
how to put the link here on this smartp hone thing.

If anyone can many thanks n.

N...

 

[Ravenous]

Do you mean this?

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/ExoMars/Schiaparelli_landing_investigation_completed

An interesting bit from the PDF report:

- About 0.2 sec after the peak load of the parachute inflation, the IMU measured a pitch angular rate (angular rate around Z-EDM axis) larger than expected.
- The IMU raised a saturation flag,.
- During the period the IMU saturation flag was set, the GNC Software integrated an angular rate assumed to be equal to the saturation threshold rate. The integration of this constant angular rate, during which the EDM was in reality oscillating, led to an error in the GNC estimated attitude of the EDM of about 165 degrees. This would correspond to an EDM nearly turned downside up with the front shield side pointing to quasi-zenith.

later the radar was switched on and the following steps occurred:

- Once the RDA is on, RIL mode, “consistency checks” between IMU and RDA measurements are performed. The parameters checked are: delta velocity and delta altitude. The altitude is obtained using the GNC estimated attitude to project the RDA slant ranges on the vertical.
- Because of the error in the estimated attitude that occurred at parachute inflation, the GNC Software projected the RDA range measurements with an erroneous off-vertical angle and deduced a negative altitude (cosinus of angles > 90 degrees are negative). There was no check on board of the plausibility of this altitude calculation

For us software geeks, I guess this is another of those Required Reading aerospace mishaps that happen from time to time...

 

[Notebook]

Indeed Ravenous thanks for that.
If some kind moderator could remoe the messy bits I did abovfr thanks N.
Last time I try do anything complcated on a smartthing!

 

[Notebook]

BBC article:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-40029180

N.

 

[Notebook]

http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2017/07/Simplifying_complexity

Title Simplifying complexity
Released 18/07/2017 10:07 am
Copyright ESA
Description
The flight dynamics experts working on the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter mission meet regularly to assess progress of the spacecraft's almost-year-long aerobraking manoeuvres at Mars.
The TGO orbiter swung into an initial, highly elliptical orbit at Mars on 19 October last year.

 

[Notebook]

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Operations/Estrack/Big_dishes_band_together

For the first time ever, deep-space ground stations from ESA, NASA and Russia’s Roscosmos joined together, on 13 August, to receive ultra-faint signals from ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, now circling Mars.

 

[Notebook]

Title Clouds over lava flows on Mars
Released 16/10/2017 9:00 am
Copyright ESA/Roscosmos/CaSSIS, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO
Description
Diffuse, water-ice clouds, a hazy sky and a light breeze. Such might have read a weather forecast for the Tharsis volcanic region on Mars on 22 November 2016, when this image was taken by the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter.
Clouds, most likely of water-ice, and atmospheric haze in the sky are coloured blue/white in this image.

http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2017/10/Clouds_over_lava_flows_on_Mars

 

[Notebook]

21 February 2018
Slowed by skimming through the very top of the upper atmosphere, ESA’s ExoMars has lowered itself into a planet-hugging orbit and is about ready to begin sniffing the Red Planet for methane.
The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter arrived at Mars in October 2016 to investigate the potentially biological or geological origin of trace gases in the atmosphere.
It will also serve as a relay, connecting rovers on the surface with their controllers on Earth.

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Operations/Surfing_complete

 

[Notebook]

21 February 2018
Slowed by skimming through the very top of the upper atmosphere, ESA’s ExoMars has lowered itself into a planet-hugging orbit and is about ready to begin sniffing the Red Planet for methane.
The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter arrived at Mars in October 2016 to investigate the potentially biological or geological origin of trace gases in the atmosphere.
It will also serve as a relay, connecting rovers on the surface with their controllers on Earth.

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Operations/Surfing_complete

 

[Notebook]

April 2018
The ExoMars orbiter will soon begin its search for gases that may be linked to active geological or biological activity on the Red Planet.
The Trace Gas Orbiter has reached its final orbit after a year of ‘aerobraking’ that ended in February. This exciting operation saw the craft skimming through the very top of the upper atmosphere, using drag on its solar wings to transform its initial highly elliptical four-day orbit of about 200 x 98 000 km into the final, much lower and near-circular path at about 400 km.

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/ExoMars/ExoMars_poised_to_start_science_mission

N.

 

[Nicholas Kang]

First image from science orbit!

[ame="https://twitter.com/ESA_TGO/status/989487532487401472"]ExoMars orbiter on Twitter: "Hope you like my first postcard from my new orbit around #Mars! It shows the icy rim of Korolev Crater at very high northern latitudes. (Image approx. 10x40 km). Be sure to download the full res version for max wow factor! ➡� https://t.co/YizXYV9UZQ… https://t.co/5AtBJG2Udh"[/ame]

ExoMars images Korolev Crater. Credit: ESA/Roscosmos/CaSSIS​

EXOMARS RETURNS FIRST IMAGES FROM NEW ORBIT
26 April 2018

The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter has returned the first images of the Red Planet from its new orbit.

The spacecraft arrived in a near-circular 400 km altitude orbit a few weeks ago ahead of its primary goal to seek out gases that may be linked to active geological or biological activity on Mars.

The orbiter's Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System, CaSSIS, took this stunning image, which features part of an impact crater, during the instrument's test period. The camera was activated on 20 March and was tested for the start of its main mission on 28 April.

"We transmitted new software to the instrument at the start of the test phase and after a couple of minor issues, the instrument is in good health and ready to work," says the camera's principal investigator, Nicolas Thomas from the University of Bern in Switzerland.

The image captures a 40 km-long segment of Korolev Crater located high in the northern hemisphere. The bright material on the rim of the crater is ice.

"We were really pleased to see how good this picture was given the lighting conditions," says Antoine Pommerol, a member of the CaSSIS science team working on the calibration of the data. "It shows that CaSSIS can make a major contribution to studies of the carbon dioxide and water cycles on Mars."

The image is assembled from three images in different colours that were taken almost simultaneously on 15 April.

"We aim to fully automate the image production process," says Nick. "Once we achieve this, we can distribute the data quickly to the science community for analysis."

The team also plans to make regular public releases.

 

[Notebook]

Title Layered deposits at the south pole of Mars
Released 04/06/2018 2:00 pm
Copyright ESA/Roscosmos/CaSSIS , CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO
Description
The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter captured this view of part of the south polar ice cap on Mars on 13 May 2018.

http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2018/06/Layered_deposits_at_the_south_pole_of_Mars

 

[Unstung]

https://events.airbus.com/ereg/index.php?eventid=200179103

Rovey McRoveface

 

[Notebook]

Looks like they thought of that...

He wants everyone to go to a special website set up for the purpose and enter a suggestion. But don't think "Spacey McSpaceFace" is a goer because this is not an online poll.
All ideas will be put before an expert panel and it is they who will make the final choice.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-44889596

 

[Notebook]

19 September 2018
Astronauts on a mission to Mars would be exposed to at least 60% of the total radiation dose limit recommended for their career during the journey itself to and from the Red Planet, according to data from the ESA-Roscosmos ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter being presented at the European Planetary Science Congress, EPSC, in Berlin, Germany, this week.
The orbiter’s camera team are also presenting new images of Mars during the meeting. They will also highlight the challenges faced from the recent dust storm that engulfed the entire planet, preventing high-quality imaging of the surface.

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/S...astronauts_and_watches_as_dust_storm_subsides

 

[Notebook]

4 March 2019
Curious surface features, water-formed minerals, 3D stereo views, and even a sighting of the InSight lander showcase the impressive range of imaging capabilities of the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter.
The ESA-Roscosmos Trace Gas Orbiter, or TGO, launched three years ago today, on 14 March 2016. It arrived at Mars on 19 October that year, and spent over a year demonstrating the aerobraking technique needed to reach its science orbit, starting its prime mission at the end of April 2018.

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/H...ight_lander_among_latest_ExoMars_image_bounty

 

[Notebook]

20 March 2019
The platform destined to land on the Red Planet as part of the next ExoMars mission has arrived in Europe for final assembly and testing – and been given a name.
An announcement was made by the Russian State Space Corporation Roscosmos of its new name: ‘Kazachok’.
The ExoMars programme is a joint endeavour between ESA and Roscosmos and comprises two missions. The Trace Gas Orbiter is already circling Mars examining the planet’s atmosphere, while the second mission – comprising a surface science platform and a rover – is foreseen for launch in 2020.

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/H...anding_platform_arrives_in_Europe_with_a_name