number 149 | February 2012 bulletin → space for europe European Space Agency The European Space Agency was formed out of, and took over the rights and The ESA headquarters are in Paris. obligations of, the two earlier European space organisations – the European Space Research Organisation (ESRO) and the European Launcher Development The major establishments of ESA are: Organisation (ELDO). The Member States are Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands. Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Canada is a Cooperating State. ESOC, Darmstadt, Germany. In the words of its Convention: the purpose of the Agency shall be to provide for ESRIN, Frascati, Italy. and to promote, for exclusively peaceful purposes, cooperation among European States in space research and technology and their space applications, with a view ESAC, Madrid, Spain. to their being used for scientific purposes and for operational space applications systems: Chairman of the Council: D. Williams → by elaborating and implementing a long-term European space policy, by Director General: J.-J. Dordain recommending space objectives to the Member States, and by concerting the policies of the Member States with respect to other national and international organisations and institutions; → by elaborating and implementing activities and programmes in the space field; → by coordinating the European space programme and national programmes, and by integrating the latter progressively and as completely as possible into the European space programme, in particular as regards the development of applications satellites; → by elaborating and implementing the industrial policy appropriate to its programme and by recommending a coherent industrial policy to the Member States. The Agency is directed by a Council composed of representatives of the Member States. The Director General is the chief executive of the Agency and its legal representative. ← On cover: Vega, ESA’s new small launch vehicle, lifts off on its maiden flight on 13 February from Europe’s Spaceport at Kourou, French Guiana (ESA/CNES/Arianespace/ Optique Video CSG) → contents 12 number 149 | February 2012 02 22 The ESA Bulletin is an ESA Communications production. Published by: ESA Communication Department ESTEC, PO Box 299 2200 AG Noordwijk The Netherlands Tel: +31 71 565 3408 Email: [email protected] Editor 38 51 58 Carl Walker Designer EUROPEAN HAT-TRICK Ornella Catalano The flight of ATV Edoardo Amaldi Massimo Cislaghi and Nadjejda Vicente → 02 Organisation www.esa.int/credits GLOBAL MONITORING FOR ENVIRONMENT AND SECURITY GMES Space Component getting ready for operations The ESA Bulletin is published by the Josef Aschbacher et al → 12 European Space Agency. Individual articles may be reprinted provided HYLAS-1 the credit line reads ‘Reprinted from Satellite broadband for Europe ESA Bulletin’, plus date of issue. Andrea Cotellessa et al → 22 Reprinted signed articles must bear the authors’ names. REACHING FOR THE SKIES Flying student experiments to the edge of space ESA and the ESA logo are trademarks Helen Page and Roger Walker → 32 of the European Space Agency. Images copyright ESA unless stated otherwise. Permission to reproduce CONNECTING STUDENTS WITH SPACE or distribute material identified as GENSO pre-operational activities and preparation for GEOID/HumSAT operations copyright of a third party must be Antonio Castro et al → 38 obtained from the copyright owner concerned. HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE The HumSAT system and the ESA GEOID initiative Antonio Castro et al → 44 2011 IN PICTURES → 51 Copyright © 2012 European Space Agency NEWS IN BRIEF → 58 ISSN 0376-4265 | e-ISSN 1608-4713 PROGRAMMES IN PROGRESS → 64 PUBLICATIONS → 92 human spaceflight & operations human spaceflight ↑ ATV Johannes Kepler seen leaving the ISS in 2011 2 www.esa.int atv-3 → → EUROPEAN HAT-TRICK The flight of ATV Edoardo Amaldi Massimo Cislaghi and Nadjejda Vicente Directorate of Human Spaceflight and Operations, ESTEC, Noordwijk, the Netherlands Even with the completion of ESA’s second Following in the footsteps of its predecessor Johannes Kepler, Automated Transfer Vehicle mission still ATV Edoardo Amaldi will serve as a cargo carrier, storage facility fresh in our minds, the latest in the series of and ‘tug’ vehicle for the ISS. On top of its Ariane 5 launcher, European space freighters is ready to go. ATV Edoardo Amaldi is set to start its voyage to the ISS and it is loaded with 6.6 tonnes of cargo, more dry cargo in its hold than The third Automated Transfer Vehicle, ATV Edoardo on previous missions. Amaldi, will be launched next month and soon after attached to the International Space Station (ISS) for “It might seem that this is a carbon copy of the ATV-2 flown nearly half a year. This February, only a few weeks before just a few months ago, but ATV-3 is bringing much more to launch, all systems are ‘go’. All kinds of contingencies the space transportation scene,” says ESA’s ATV-3 Mission have been tackled during the final simulations, and Manager Massimo Cislaghi. “The much shorter turnaround the last checks are taking place. Excitement in the ATV time and a greater late cargo loading capability make the team is growing. ATV-3 mission a great hat-trick for Europe.” European Space Agency | Bulletin 149 | February 2012 3 Time pressure The main challenge for ATV Edoardo Amaldi is about to be accomplished: it is the first of the ATV series to be processed and launched within the target rate of one per year. The production and integration chain worked at full capacity to be on time. human spaceflight & operations human spaceflight “Since ATV Johannes Kepler was launched to the Station one year ago, and even months before that, we have been working under high time pressure,” explains Massimo Cislaghi. European teams and industry got to the starting line on time even if many of the post-flight technical recommendations were available only at a very late stage of this prelaunch campaign. The rush is for a good reason. The retirement of the Space Shuttle in July 2011, the end of an era for the US space programme, has led to a new scenario. From that moment on, the supplies for the ISS are uploaded on unmanned, expendable cargo vehicles provided by the Station’s international partners. ↑ Comparison of size of ESA's ATV and the Russian “Before the new US commercial resupply service vehicles Progress supply vehicles become operational, ensuring the annual launch rate is vital for the Space Station logistics, especially at a time when there is no Shuttle replacement ready in the near future,” notes the ATV-3 Mission Manager. Europe’s ATV has the largest upload capability of all ISS visiting vehicles, and it is the only one, besides the Russian Progress spacecraft, that can provide refuelling, attitude control and reboost functions. With ATV, Europe contributes in kind towards its share of the operational costs of the ISS. The most challenging European spacecraft to date is about to start its third voyage to the ISS, ready not only to supply the astronauts with food and more research equipment, but also to help in adjusting the orbit of the ISS. Maintaining this orbit will be vital, especially during the forthcoming period of high solar activity. The atmospheric density in the ISS altitude range will increase, creating a larger drag that needs to be actively compensated. What’s inside? Permanently inhabited since 2000, the ISS relies on logistics vehicles such as ATV to upload cargo as well as propellant to maintain its orbit. However, the various needs of the ISS change with every mission. “For ATV-2 we had quite an amount of propulsive support propellant, whereas for ATV-3 we have much more dry cargo: almost 800 kg more this time,” explains Kirsten MacDonell, ESA ATV Cargo Integration Engineer. The volume available has also increased, from ↑ The ATV Edoardo Arnaldi mission logo six cargo racks on the first ATVs to eight racks onEdoardo Amaldi. Every cubic centimetre of the cargo carrier is used to full capacity. 4 www.esa.int atv-3 → ← Loading dry cargo in ATV Edoardo Amaldi in 2011 (ESA/CNES/Arianespace – Optique video du CSG) Most of the cargo has been in place since November, but the The most important item in the cargo planned for ATV Edoardo very last packages will be loaded only three weeks before Amaldi is the spare Fluids Control Pump Assembly (FCPA), a launch. With ATV already in the vertical position on top of critical piece of the system that recycles urine into drinkable its Ariane 5 launcher, ESA will use a special access device to water for the ISS. “It is perhaps the most valuable cargo we load last-minute cargo items through the hatch that will have on ATV-3 because it could affect the life support systems. eventually connect the spacecraft to the ISS in space. If the only FCPA available right now in orbit breaks down, the astronauts will still have enough water for some time, but the Late loading is a delicate operation, ‘something very Station wouldn’t work at full efficiency,” notes Kirsten. unique’ according to Kirsten. Compared to ATV Johannes Kepler, the amount of late cargo has been doubled. Sixty Like assembling a giant puzzle, the interior of ATV has bags holding about 500 kg will be stored, and these will been carefully laid out over the last months, taking into include the precious ‘crew care packages’, traditionally account the centre of mass in order to avoid disturbances prepared by the astronauts’ families with personal gifts. to the sophisticated onboard guidance and control systems. “This expanded late access is definitely a first for ATV-3, The cargo team have calculated where to store each bag showing great flexibility of ESA in adapting the cargo to optimally and use barcode labelling to make it easier to keep the ISS needs,” says Kirsten.