* Astronomy

Blobrana · L

RE: Herschel Space Observatory

Blobrana · L

The Herschel space observatory will blast off from Kourou, French Guiana, on May 14 aboard a European Ariane-5 rocket that will also carry the Planck spacecraft. The twin probes will collect the most detailed information yet gathered about the formation and evolution of the cosmos.

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Blobrana · L

Two deep space telescopes, dubbed Herschel and Planck, will probe the ancient history of the cosmos going right back to the dawn of time at the Big Bang - and possibly before.
Boffins are running final checks on the European Space Agency probes - the most sensitive ever - before they are fired into space on an Ariane 5 rocket on May 14.

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Blobrana · L

Launch of the Herschel telescope, the most powerful infrared telescope ever flown into space, has been rescheduled for May 14, the European Space Agency (ESA) said Tuesday. The launch had originally been set for April 16 but was postponed when an anomaly was discovered during tests of a sub-assembly identical to the one on the Ariane 5 launch rocket that is to put the Herschel telescope and the Planck microwave observatory into orbit.

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Blobrana · L

Due to an anomaly discovered during tests on a subassembly identical to the one on the Ariane 5 launcher, Arianespace has decided to carry out additional checks, which will take several days.
A new launch date will be announced shortly.

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Blobrana · L

Having completed all functional tests the Herschel spacecraft has been moved from the S1B building to the S5B building where the hydrazine fuelling activities will be performed. Everything is in place for fuelling to be completed this week.

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Blobrana · L

With the additional checks related to the flight worthiness of the Herschel telescope now completed, ESA and Arianespace have set the launch date of Herschel and Planck for 6 May 2009.
Over the last few days, during the final cross-check of the Herschel telescope documentation carried out by an independent panel of experts led by the ESA Inspector General and Arianespace, it has been confirmed that the required safety margins are met and the telescope is fully qualified for launch.

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Blobrana · L

Stare into the curve of Herschel's mirror too long and you get a slightly giddy feeling that comes from not being able to judge where its surface really starts.
It is enchanting, spectacular and - at 3.5m in diameter - it will soon become the biggest telescope mirror in space, surpassing that of Hubble.
The great 18th Century astronomer William Herschel would have been astonished by the silver sensation that now bears his name.

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Blobrana · L

The mirror of the Herschel telescope has now been assembled with the payload and service module, completing the spacecraft structure - an important milestone in the days following through to launch.
The sunshield and solar arrays were assembled with the cryostat and service module on 11 April. The telescope was assembled on 16 April. The spacecraft will be subjected to several mechanical tests over the next few weeks.

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Blobrana · L

University of Nottingham astronomers will be studying icy cosmic dust millions of light years away using the biggest space telescope ever built.
Experts in the School of Physics and Astronomy will be using the Herschel Space Observatory, the most powerful telescope ever launched into space, as part of a giant survey to find out more about some of the coldest objects in the Universe.
The Herschel Space Observatory, launched by the European Space Agency this Summer, promises to take our knowledge of the far reaches of space to a new level. It will have the largest mirror of any space telescope twice the size of the famous Hubble that will detect the 'glow' of spacedust at around -250C, rather than the light from stars.

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