New Mars Forums

Yang Liwei Rocket

Member

Registered: 2004-03-03

Posts: 993

Re: Planck - ESA mission to measure the CMB

Planck is the first European mission to study the birth of the Universe, Planck will look back at the dawn of time, close to the Big Bang, and will observe the most ancient radiation in the Universe, known as the 'cosmic microwave background'. More than 40 European and some US scientific institutes will participate in the construction of the instruments. An Ariane-5 launcher will carry Planck into space in July 2007. Saab Ericson Space in Sweden will give the Attitude Control Computer its Central Data Management Unit, Ametek United States will give Planck the Reaction Control System's Latch Valves, Northrop Grumman United States provides the Attitude Control Management System - Gyroscope, Datasat United Kingdom will provide the Electrical Engineering Support, Alcatel Espacio in Spain will build the Radio Frequency Distribution Network's X-Band Transponder.Planck's objective is to analyse, with the highest accuracy ever achieved, the remnants of the radiation that filled the Universe immediately after the Big Bang, which we observe today as the Cosmic Microwave Background.
http://www.newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3903
Planck is scheduled to fly in 2007, It seems Planck and Herschel will be launched together to save money.

---

'first steps are not for cheap, think about it...
did China build a great Wall in a day ?' ( Y L R newmars forum member )

Yang Liwei Rocket

Member

Registered: 2004-03-03

Posts: 993

Re: Planck - ESA mission to measure the CMB

Preparations for Thermal Balance Testing of Planck FM#1
08 Mar 2006 18:09
The final preparations of the Planck satellite and the cryogenic test chamber are being made at Centre Spatial de Liège (CSL), Belgium.
http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object … ctid=38915
The flight model of Planck will be closed inside the vacuum chamber as of Friday 10 March for a 17 days thermal test campaign. The primary objectives of the test are to verify the thermal design of the service module, a so-called thermal balance test, and the acceptance test of one of the two cryogenic sorption coolers. For the latter test, temperatures as low as -251 °C (18 Kelvin) will be achieved by the cooler.

---

'first steps are not for cheap, think about it...
did China build a great Wall in a day ?' ( Y L R newmars forum member )

EuroLauncher

Member

From: Europe

Registered: 2005-10-19

Posts: 299

Re: Planck - ESA mission to measure the CMB

some links

http://www.sr.bham.ac.uk/yr4pasr/projec … uction.htm
http://www.stanford.edu/~schurch/planck.html
http://orbits.esa.int/orbits/science/sa … ellite.htm

Planck ESA's CMB mission

Mars_B4_Moon

Member

Registered: 2006-03-23

Posts: 9,776

Re: Planck - ESA mission to measure the CMB

launching with Herschel
infrared mission

SpaceNut

Administrator

From: New Hampshire

Registered: 2004-07-22

Posts: 29,433

Re: Planck - ESA mission to measure the CMB

Introducing the 'coolest' spacecraft in the universe

The European Space Agency's (ESA) Planck mission, which will study the conditions present in our Universe shortly after the Big Bang, is reaching an important milestone with the integration of instruments into the satellite at Alcatel Alenia Space in Cannes, France.

The spacecraft is equipped with a sophisticated cryogenic cooling system which cools the instruments to levels close to absolute zero (-273.15 degrees C), ranging from -253 degrees Celsius to only a tenth of a degree above absolute zero.

No that is cold.....

Yang Liwei Rocket

Member

Registered: 2004-03-03

Posts: 993

Re: Planck - ESA mission to measure the CMB

NASA's done a version of this mission called WMAP)

http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/m … 30211.html

ESA's Planck will work between Wavelengths of 30–857 GHz

Gallery of pics to be found here
http://www.rssd.esa.int/index.php?proje … ctures_top

---

'first steps are not for cheap, think about it...
did China build a great Wall in a day ?' ( Y L R newmars forum member )

EuroLauncher

Member

From: Europe

Registered: 2005-10-19

Posts: 299

Re: Planck - ESA mission to measure the CMB

Successful Planck RF Telescope Test at 320 GHz

http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object … ctid=41481

Yang Liwei Rocket

Member

Registered: 2004-03-03

Posts: 993

Re: Planck - ESA mission to measure the CMB

Uncovering the Big Bang

---

'first steps are not for cheap, think about it...
did China build a great Wall in a day ?' ( Y L R newmars forum member )