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Europe`s Mars Express heads for Red Planet
Moscow, June 03: Europe`s Mars Express orbiter and its lander Beagle-2 today headed the long journey to the Red Planet after a successful launch, but pitfalls lay ahead, including a possible encounter with the great galactic ghoul.
Moscow, June 03: Europe`s Mars Express orbiter and its lander Beagle-2 today headed the long journey to the Red Planet after a successful launch, but pitfalls lay ahead, including a possible encounter with the great galactic ghoul.
The probe, pride and joy of Europe`s space community since it lifted off from the plains of Kazakhstan late yesterday, "has left the Earth`s orbit and is now on its way" to Mars, said Vasily Moroz, head of the Russian team taking part in the mission.
The two-tonne vehicle completed a series of orientation manoeuvres while on a low terrestrial orbit and was then powered into space by a Russian-made Soyuz-Fregat propulsion rocket, raising it to its cruising speed, Moroz said.
Two days into its journey, while travelling at some 30 km a second, the Mars Express will detach itself from the rocket and travel unassisted in "sleep mode," only contacting Earth once a day, sources said, quoting officials at the European Space Agency.
An adjustment to the probe`s trajectory will be made in September, the ESA sources said, and the historic 400 million km journey will continue until late December when the Mars Express arrives at its destination and the real work begins.
All being well, after a preliminary circling of Mars, the probe will release its precious cargo, the Beagle-2 lander, on December 25 to land on the planet`s surface and start testing soil.
Bureau Report
The two-tonne vehicle completed a series of orientation manoeuvres while on a low terrestrial orbit and was then powered into space by a Russian-made Soyuz-Fregat propulsion rocket, raising it to its cruising speed, Moroz said.
Two days into its journey, while travelling at some 30 km a second, the Mars Express will detach itself from the rocket and travel unassisted in "sleep mode," only contacting Earth once a day, sources said, quoting officials at the European Space Agency.
An adjustment to the probe`s trajectory will be made in September, the ESA sources said, and the historic 400 million km journey will continue until late December when the Mars Express arrives at its destination and the real work begins.
All being well, after a preliminary circling of Mars, the probe will release its precious cargo, the Beagle-2 lander, on December 25 to land on the planet`s surface and start testing soil.
Bureau Report