Vidulini
Two sophisticated European spacecraft, SMOS and Proba-2 successfully in the early morning of the 2nd November launched into space. Just launch was carried out Russian missile-carriers Rockot with former military raketodroma Plesetsk in northern Russia. After a few tens of hours of both spacecraft successfully pulled out of their solar panels for electricity supply and construction of a complex delta-radio antennas are required to perform measurements. Communication with the spacecraft was successfully established. Over the next few months, followed by calibration and testing instruments, and then their years-long work. This whole project is worth around 350 million!
SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity) project of the European Space Agency. The functioning of the spacecraft will take care of the French space agency (CNES). Its purpose is to study and measurement of parameters and interactions between the ocean, air and soil and water salinity and soil moisture. All in order to better understand climatic factors that affect the climate of our planet. SMOS is part of a large European project called Earth Observation Envelope Program, which belongs earlier in the year launched GOCE spacecraft , which have already been discussed.
SMOS spacecraft in Earth orbit, art show
SMOS is the first spacecraft of its kind specifically designed to measure the salinity of water in the oceans and seas. For this purpose it is equipped with up to 69 specially designed antenna, mounted on a special structure in the form of a triangle with each side length 3 m, which act as a single system at wavelengths of 23 cm (1.4 GHz). System called MIRAS and LICEFs, working on the principle of interferometry. It is a mode where each individual sensory systems independently of each other sends data to the computer, what are then collected, processed and presented as the final product sensor (antenna and receiver) is significantly larger physical dimensions than is the case here. When to use only one antenna is comparable with the resolution of such a craft to large size could not launch rockets into space existing!
Data over the next three years to collect complete SMOS will be executed with those earth stations and ultimately used in climatological expertise. Problems of salinity of water masses in the oceans is extremely important for long-term prediction of weather conditions on our planet. The mechanism of so-called. Heat pumps are known from textbooks as the Gulf Stream keeps climate as we know it. Disorders of salinity in the Atlantic would disastrously impacted by our civilization, and move the "critical point" to the Earth in a few years back in the right ice age. It may sound paradoxical, but "warm and hot years" and melting glaciers are actually an introduction to the process that ultimately bears the name "White Snowball" - planet ice for up to the shores of the Adriatic Sea!
Proba-2, European technology demonstrator 725 km above the Earth
The second spacecraft, Proba-2 is considerably smaller in size and you can visualize it as the object size travel suitcase. It is part of ESA's General Support Technology Programme and is designed to explore new technologies that will be built over the years in unmanned spacecraft "Made in Europe". Since the instruments Proba-2 carries a digital sensor to explore the Sun, high-precision magnetometer, devices for research in physics, GPS receivers, wide-angle camera and more. Proba-2 will be during the two month trial operation and calibration of instruments to achieve full operating capability. According to the plan should remain operational over the next two years. SMOS is in orbit around the Earth, 760 km above the surface, Proba-2 is positioned slightly lower at 725 km altitude.
Marino Tumpić