Additional Pictures of Last Week's Activities
23 Feb 2004 13:50
16 February 2004
| The Project Manager John Ellwood, along with a few of his team members, found time in their busy schedule to go and say farewell to the Rosetta spacecraft. |
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17 February 2004
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Many experiments have covers which protect delicate sensors against damage after the instrument is installed on the spacecraft. These covers are removed as close to the launch date as possible, to ensure that the detectors are in optimal condition at the time of the launch. |
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| It is not always easy to get access to some instruments. |
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This picture shows the Rosetta spacecraft with all the protective covers removed, taken a few moments before the fairing is put in place. The batteries were connected early in the morning and have been charged to full capacity. |
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Late Tuesday evening the fairing was ready to be lifted to the top of the launcher and was placed over the Rosetta spacecraft. The fairing protects the spacecraft during the last days on the launch pad and during the first part of the flight itself. The fairing is jettisoned from the launcher about 3 minutes after lift-off. |
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18 February 2004
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The spacecraft is now inside the fairing and ready for launch. The large hose connected to the fairing provides a continuous airflow of 3400 cubic meters per hour to keep the satellite in a clean, temperature controlled environment until the launch. |
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Last Update: 25 Mar 2004
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