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| Groningen Discovery Truck continues its journey of infrared inspiration |
| The Groningen Discovery Truck is continuing to bring the excitement of the infrared and Herschel, ESA's newest infrared space observatory, to a wide variety of audiences across Europe. In the first five months of the International Year of Astronomy around 20 000 visitors, including 13 000 school students, have passed through its doors to experience the world through infrared eyes. The main purpose of the Discovery Truck is to stimulate an interest in, and understanding of, science among secondary school students. However, to reach the widest possible audience, the Truck will also be present at special public events during 2009. |
| Date: 29 May 2009 |
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| XMM-Newton probes the inner mechanisms of Active Galactic Nuclei |
| Spectral analysis of XMM-Newton observations of 1H0707-495 (a narrow line Seyfert 1 galaxy) has for the first time revealed the presence of broad K and L iron lines. The simultaneous detection reveals hitherto unobserved details of the geometry and dynamics of the supermassive black hole at the centre of this galaxy. This is reported by Fabian et al in the 28 May 2009 issue of Nature. |
| Date: 27 May 2009 |
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| AKARI (ASTRO-F) Post-Helium Phase Announcement of Opportunity |
| Dear Colleague,
I am pleased to invite you to respond to the "Announcement of Opportunity" to submit proposals for observations to be performed with AKARI in the 2nd year of its Post-Helium phase. |
| Date: 25 May 2009 |
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| Historic Hubble Servicing Mission 4 ends with successful landing [heic0908] |
| The historic and successful Hubble Servicing Mission 4 concluded with a trouble-free Space Shuttle landing on Sunday. During a series of unprecedented spacewalks, astronauts replaced and repaired a total of four instruments. The Wide Field Camera 3 and Cosmic Origins Spectrograph were installed and the Advanced Camera for Surveys and Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph were successfully repaired. |
| Date: 24 May 2009 |
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| Herschel and Planck commissioning has begun |
| After a perfect injection by the Ariane 5 launcher on 14 May, the critical Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP) for Herschel and Planck has started to wind down, while commissioning of the scientific instruments and subsystems on both spacecraft has begun. |
| Date: 20 May 2009 |
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| Titan Fly-by - 21 May 2009 |
| On Thursday, 21 May, Cassini returns to Saturn's largest moon for the mission's fifty-sixth targeted encounter with Titan: T55. The closest approach to Titan occurs at 21:26:41 UTC at an altitude of 965 kilometres above the surface and at a speed of 6.0 kilometres per second. The latitude at closest approach is 22°S and the encounter occurs on orbit number 111. |
| Date: 19 May 2009 |
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| ESA en route to the origins of the Universe |
| ESA PR 10-2009: Two of the most ambitious missions ever attempted to unveil the secrets of the darkest, coldest and oldest parts of the Universe got off to a successful start this afternoon with the dual launch of ESA's far infrared space telescope Herschel and cosmic background mapper Planck on an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana.
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| Date: 14 May 2009 |
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| Ariane 5 carrying Herschel and Planck lifts off |
| At 15:12:02 CEST, at the beginning of a 55-minute launch window, the Herschel and Planck satellite pair lifted off on board an Ariane 5 from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana.
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| Date: 14 May 2009 |
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| Two major ESA astronomical missions set for launch |
| The European Space Agency (ESA) will launch two major astronomical spacecraft, Herschel and Planck, at 15:12 CEST (13:12 UTC) on 14 May 2009 from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Proudly displayed on the fairing of the Ariane 5 ECA launcher will be the logo and motto of the International Year of Astronomy 2009.
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| Date: 13 May 2009 |
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| ESA support team in action for HST servicing mission |
| The fifth and final servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is now underway. Although most eyes will be on the astronauts as they carry out the instrument replacement activities a lot of behind-the-scenes work will be going on in support of these activities. This includes the work of a dedicated ESA engineering support team monitoring the ESA hardware on the HST. |
| Date: 13 May 2009 |
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| Herschel and Planck are on the launch pad |
14 May 2009: The launch can be followed live on the ESA mogulus channel, and on the Arianespace webcast pages:
See timeline of key events for the Herschel and Planck launch at the end of this page.
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| Date: 13 May 2009 |
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| Successful Launch Readiness Review ahead of the launch of Herschel and Planck |
| The launcher for Herschel and Planck has been declared ready for launch following the successful conclusion of the Launch Readiness Review, RAL (Revue d'Aptitude au Lancement), held on 9 May and the close-out review held on 12 May. The launch from the European Spaceport at Kourou, French Guiana, is scheduled for 14 May 2009. |
| Date: 13 May 2009 |
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| 'Touching the Edge of the Universe' - planetarium show featuring Herschel and Planck |
| The world premier of a spectacular new planetarium show, presented by ESA, took place on 7 May 2009 in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Two of ESA's major astronomical spacecraft, Herschel and Planck, take the starring role in this brand new show premiered during the International Year of Astronomy. |
| Date: 08 May 2009 |
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| ESA announces workshop for science teachers |
| The European Space Agency invites teachers of science at secondary school to register to attend a Galileo Teacher Training Program Workshop to be held
at the NEMO Science Centre, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, from 29 June to 1 July 2009. A limited number of places are available for this hands-on workshop. Registration closes on 25 May 2009. |
| Date: 08 May 2009 |
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| Titan Fly-by - 5 May 2009 |
| On Tuesday, 5 May, Cassini returns to Saturn's largest moon for the mission's fifty-fifth targeted encounter with Titan: T54. The closest approach to Titan occurs at 22:54:15 UTC at an altitude of 3244 kilometres above the surface and at a speed of 5.8 kilometres per second. The latitude at closest approach is 14.1°S. The encounter occurs on orbit number 110 and just fifteen days after the previous fly-by. |
| Date: 05 May 2009 |
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| Servicing Mission 4 - the fifth and final visit to Hubble [heic0907] |
| On 11 May 2009, Space Shuttle Atlantis will launch with a crew of seven to visit the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and carry out the fifth and final servicing mission. The replacement and repair of several instruments will see Hubble equipped to continue its programme of discovery well into the next decade. |
| Date: 01 May 2009 |
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