ESA - Venus Express

[spacechump]

It made it!<br /><br />Good job ESA!<br /><br />We'll get to see the first images 48 hours after VOI.<br /><br />

 

[teije]

excellent news! Thanks!

 

[alokmohan]

We reach Venus.

 

[CalliArcale]

WOOHOO!!! Now comes the fun part! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[flynn]

Excellent stuff, lets hope they find something good.<br /><br />Out of interest has anyone heard anything on the mainstream media, nothing on the BBC radio driving home.<br /><br />http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEM2GQNFGLE_index_0.html <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#800080">"All God does is watch us and kill us when we get boring. We must never, ever be boring" - <strong>Chuck Palahniuk</strong>.</font> </div>

 

[aaron38]

A question... It doesn't look like Venus Express is using aerobraking to finalize the science orbit, just manuvering thrusters.<br /><br />Out of engineering curiosity, what was the reason for this? Is the required delta V small?<br />The ESA website indicated the choice of orbits was limited due to fuel limits. Why not aerobrake?

 

[CalliArcale]

My guess is that it's too risky. Venus' atmosphere is a LOT denser than Mars'. It may not be possible to safely aerobrake.<br /><br />Sidenote: aerobraking has been done, however. At the end of the Magellan mission, as propellant was running out, the team gradually eased it down into the atmosphere as a way of studying Venus' atmosphere. They knew this would also result in aerobraking and ultimately the decay of Magellan's orbit, but there was science to be obtained both from observing changes in the radio signal through the atmosphere and, more importantly, by observing how Magellan's orbit changed as a result of this. It provided a direct measurement of the Venus' atmosphere by a probe not designed to do so. <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> But it was suicidal, and as expected, Magellan eventually deorbited and was consumed. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[teije]

Here in the Netherlands it was an item of about 2 minutes on most TV news channels. Which is quite a lot for a space mission here.<br /><br />Of course they got most of the data wrong....

 

[flynn]

It's a pity that these things don't get the coverage they deserve, especially as its probably the biggest event since Holland joint ESA as a partner. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#800080">"All God does is watch us and kill us when we get boring. We must never, ever be boring" - <strong>Chuck Palahniuk</strong>.</font> </div>

 

[baktothemoon]

Any images yet?

 

[telfrow]

See this thread in SS&A <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <strong><font color="#3366ff">Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild.</font> - <font color="#3366ff"><em>Tennyson</em></font></strong> </div>

 

[baktothemoon]

Just the way we left it, a large acid fireball. Welcome to Venus.

 

[liberto]

If you happen to have friends whom would prefer to read the articles in Spanish, whichever articles (this from ESA), or any other regarding Astrobiology and NASA news, recommend them to visit: http://www.astroseti.org/ where they will find about it.<br /><br />Congratulations to Venus Express team for a job well done!!

 

[teije]

Well Andre Kuipers' (2nd dutchman to space) flight in 2004 got rather a lot more media attention. That was actually quite a big event from about 2 weeks before launch to the landing. So if the dutch have something to relate to in a mission there is quite a bit of news coverage.<br /><br />But I agree that the science missions hardly get any attention at all. Even though the biggest esa research centre is right in our country (Estec in Noordwijk)<br /><br />I guess it's the same in most ESA memberstates. If they have some 'personal' involvement it's interesting, if not, well, they don't care.

 

[flynn]

Yeah, Beagle got some attention, but of course that ended in failure. I had hoped it would spur some interest in this country. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#800080">"All God does is watch us and kill us when we get boring. We must never, ever be boring" - <strong>Chuck Palahniuk</strong>.</font> </div>

 

[xd01]

It's just too bad they didn't embedded a lander with Venus Express. Great images though. I wonder if we could cool down the planet's temperature somehow...

 

[baktothemoon]

"I wonder if we could cool down the planet's temperature somehow..."<br /><br />Google terraforming, it is possible, we would just need to pelt Venus with some extremophile algae that could survive the temperatures, pressure, and acid. After a while the algae would decompose enough of the carbon dioxide to start lowering the themperature and they would start adding oxygen to the atmosphere. Eventually the water vapor in the clouds would rain down and form oceans and as the clouds clear the planet would cool down even faster. After a few centuries enough of the CO2 would be used up and enough oxygen would be released that the atmosphere would be breathable and you would basically have a very tropical Earth-like planet. That's how we would cool it down.<br /><br />"Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." John F. Kennedy

 

[ceetee]

Cooling Venus is certainly possible. Stick a sunshade in orbit at its libration point - assuming it has one. With solar powered ion thrusters to counter the solar pressure. <br /><br />The biggest problem is the paucity of water. Spread around the planet it would be .5mm deep as compared with earth's 3km.

 

[no_way]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>Cooling Venus is certainly possible..<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br />but probably unnecessary, as it already has habitable conditions. Not on the surface but some miles above the clouds. Quoting Geoffrey Landis:<br /><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>However, viewed in a different way, the problem with Venus is merely that the ground level is too far below the one<br />atmosphere level. At cloud-top level, Venus is the paradise planet.<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br /><br />Read the full paper at <br />http://www.sff.net/people/Geoffrey.Landis/papers.html<br />"Colonization of Venus"

 

[askold]

Geoffrey Landis better not have written this work of science fiction on company time.

 

[no_way]

arent terraforming and planetary sunshades a bit more in the science fiction world than blimps and balloons, that actually have flown on this very planet before ?

 

[ceetee]

I don't see that lowering the temperature with a sunshade is science fiction - pointless maybe. Terraforming really is science fiction though. Any scenario for making the surface habitable requires a lot of water, and Venus ain't got it. <br /><br />Great link no_way. The idea for floating cities is interesting. Though I thought sulphuric acid, the source of hydrogen/water, was very diffuse. Oh well water would have to be shipped in. No problem when you're building a city millions of miles from home <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" />

 

[dragon04]

A much quicker way to reduce temperatures and pressures on the surface of Venus would be to have the ability to vent a significant portion of the atmosphere to space.<br /><br />We'd need a lot of sippy straws. <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>"2012.. Year of the Dragon!! Get on the Dragon Wagon!".</em> </div>

 

[telfrow]

Venus Express has reached final orbit <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <strong><font color="#3366ff">Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild.</font> - <font color="#3366ff"><em>Tennyson</em></font></strong> </div>

 

[brandbll]

So when do we start getting pictures? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font size="3">You wanna talk some jive? I'll talk some jive. I'll talk some jive like you've never heard!</font></p> </div>