Highlights Of Space Flight 2009

2009 has been a record breaking year for ESA with 7 launches from 4 different Space Ports!

Two ESA astronauts went to the International Space Station: With a Soyuz for Frank De Winne for a long duration flight and a Shuttle mission for Christer Fuglesang.

Six payloads were sent: The Earth explorers GOCE and SMOS, to better understand the future of our planet, the Science observatories Herschel and Planck, to know more about our origins, not to forget the technology demonstrator Proba 2 that wil study the sun.

---
• http://www.YouTube.com/ScienceMagazine
• http://www.YouTube.com/Best0fScience
---

2009 has been a year of record-breaking achievements for Europe in space, with two European astronauts in orbit and seven satellites launched.

Three of these satellites are part of the European Space Agencys Earth Explorer Missions. GOCE, launched in March, is the most advanced gravity space mission to date. With state-of-the-art technology on board, GOCE has already started mapping the earths gravity field with unprecedented accuracy, providing insight into ocean dynamics, volcanism and earthquakes for a better understanding of the climate changes affecting our planet.

ESAs Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity mission, SMOS, was launched in November to provide further studies of ocean circulation patterns and help us better predict our climate. And as SMOS soared skyward, it had a smaller companion attached to it.

Proba 2, the second in ESAs series of small satellites that are being used to validate new spacecraft technologies, carries scientific instruments to observe the Sun and do research into space weather.

By increasing our knowledge of the atmosphere, the biosphere and the Earths interior, ESAs Earth Observation Missions are also helping us understand the impact that human activity is having on our planet. We can then refine our strategies to fight climate change and its effects on millions of people around the world.

But as important as looking into the future is looking back to the dawn of time ...

Herschel, ESAs infrared space observatory and Planck, ESAs mission to investigate the origins of the universe, were launched in May on an Ariane 5 and are now on their final orbits ...

Herschel carries the largest, most powerful infrared telescope ever flown in space and Planck is the first European space observatory to study the relic radiation from the Big Bang. A 'time machine that takes todays astronomers towards the beginning of space and time as we know it now.

2009 has also been an important year for ESAs comet chaser Rosetta. On the 13th of November, on its way to comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko, Rosetta did its third and last Earth swingby, capturing the lights of North American cities at night and spectacular views of South America and Antarctica.

Glimpses of a living planet that one day may also be seen by the newly recruited ESA astronauts.. A new generation of European explorers, prepared and willing to take Europe back to the Moon, Mars and even beyond. After a complex selection process, out of more than 8,000 candidates, 6 astronauts from Denmark, France, Germany, Italy and the UK were finally selected and are now training at Europes Astronaut Centre in Germany ...

http://www.esa.int/
.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• highlights
• european
• human
• space
• flight
• 2009
• esa
• nasa
• agency
• launches
• iss
• international
• station
• shuttles
• soyuz
• missions
• frank
• de
• winne
• christer
• fuglesang
• goce
• smos
• planets
• herschel
• planck
• satellites
• technology
• science
• proba
• stars
• suns
• achievements
• spacecraft
• observations
• earth
• climate
• change
• weather
• infrared
• observatories
• origins
• universe
• ariane
• telescopes
• astronomers
• time
• comets
• rosetta
• astronauts
• centre
• moon
• mars

[greycloud24]

its a good thing europe is still doing this stuff. the usa is falling way behind on the field of science, i blame the current trend of americans faith in myths as the big road block holding the usa back.

[greycloud24]

europe is looking better and better to me all of the time....

[greycloud24]

@M1NDC0N7R0L the majority of US citizens embrace the magic thinking of religon, specifically the myth that the world was created by a diety and that this diety does not want humans to understand how the universe works.

[M1NDC0N7R0L]

@greycloud24 myths?

[ondamountain]

DAMM. only 73 views from being 4,200'th veiwer

[sukumarstock]

Europe is advancing too fast. every1 is falling behind them... They are again proving the power of unity which is very rare in other part of the world.

I am sure if whole worlds gets united and work together human race can develop much more faster...

[theonlydanphillips]

I love this stuff.

[faysalbest1]

so beautiful :) 1:44 (thumbs up if u love it too ) :D

[franczazou]

The footage of all the astronauts in space is just amazing! Imagine in 20 years...

[evilednaface]

Yay for Timothy Peake.. good to see the Brits back in the loop :o)

[TheBrogFather]

@sandslash123 Cannibal Corpse - Make them suffer (Great song)