Posts Tagged ‘ Mark Drinkwater ’

Mapping Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity to improve understanding of the Earth’s water cycle – By Mark Drinkwater, Head, Mission Science Division (European Space Agency)

md_btcThe European Space Agency’s Earth Explorer series of research-driven satellite missions continues with the upcoming 2nd November launch of the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission. Known as ESA’s Water Mission, SMOS is the first satellite dedicated to providing global measurements of soil moisture and ocean salinity. The mission’s new technologies will extend key European capabilities in Earth Observation and help advance research towards improving our understanding of the global water cycle. Read more

2009
10/06
CATEGORY
Mark Drinkwater
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Defying Gravity to Define Gravity – GOCE’s heart starts beating

What a fantastic day…aside the news arriving from the Kepler front regarding the acquisition of its first light it was also the day that the heart of ESA’s GOCE started beating…on this occasion the right person to tell us about what happened returned to Beyond the Cradle, Mark Drinkwater, GOCE Mission Scientist is here one more to share his thoughts with the readers:  

Over the course of the last weeks, since the successful launch from Plesetsk, Russia on 17 March, teams of flight operations staff have been feverishly working to commission the GOCE satellite. GOCE was injected into orbit at an altitude of 283 km on 17 March. Since then, it has been freefalling at a rate of 150 to 200 m a day and will be allowed to continue to do so in a controlled manner until we enter the so-called “drag-free mode” of ion thruster operation – before starting the first science measurement operations phase.

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2009
04/08
CATEGORY
ESA
GOCE
Mark Drinkwater
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GOCE is where it belongs!

This afternoon, after yesterday’s delay, expectations were high at Plesetsk cosmodrome in northern Russia, waiting to see if GOCE would finally make it.

It did.

As I couldn’t, personally, follow the launch, I came running on the first opportunity to check how things went and to post the more recent news, but looks like someone did the homework for me…looking at the recent comments there was one from Mark Drinkwater, GOCE Mission Scientist:

I can happily report that the GOCE satellite was successfully launched from Plesetsk today and has been placed into the correct orbit by its Rockot launcher! At my time of writing, we have had contact with the satellite on two successive revolutions at the Kiruna and Svalbard ground stations, and now the launch teams take a well-deserved break. ESOC in Darmstadt is now controlling the satellite and will continue with the Early Operations Phase to establish the health of the satellite now we are safely “on orbit”.

We are all elated that Europe has successfully opened a new Chapter in Earth Observation. The launch of GOCE is the first in a series of six Earth Explorer missions. Over the course of the next 9 months, we plan to launch the SMOS mission (in July), and then CryoSat-2 towards the end of the year. A busy year for ESA indeed, but a key marker for Europe in terms of consolidating its global position at the forefront of Earth Observation. 

Congratulations to ESA and the GOCE team in particular, now it is time to set the focus on the hard work ahead!

And Mark, many thanks for the time to keep us updated, that was really appreciated!

For more information read ESA’s press release.

2009
03/17
CATEGORY
ESA
GOCE
Mark Drinkwater
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GOCE launch delayed

Expected to reach its destiny today, GOCE, ESA’s mission to map our planet’s gravity field in unprecedented detail, saw its countdown stopped only seven seconds before launch.

Behind this decision was the fact of the doors of the launch service tower did not open, helding in position and not moving back. 

 

Investigations are under way, and Mark Drinkwater, GOCE Mission Scientist, informed Beyond the Cradle of the following: 

All information indicates we try again tomorrow at the same time. 

It is a simple case of an issue with the launch tower, and so countdown was stopped.

The satellite is safe and is ready to try again tomorrow, provided that go ahead is confirmed later this evening. 

GOCE is the first of a series of ESA’s Earth Explorer satellites in orbit, designed to provide information for understanding climate change as well as other critical Earth system variables.

 

For more information about the mission and updates concerning the launch visit GOCE’s site.

 

EDITED: Launch is now scheduled for tomorrow, March 17, at 14:21 UTC.

 

Image credit: ESA – AOES Medialab

 

2009
03/16
CATEGORY
ESA
GOCE
Mark Drinkwater
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GOCE: destined to reveal more about one of the Earth’s most intimate attributes – Gravity. – With Mark Drinkwater

Dr. Mark Drinkwater

GOCE Mission Scientist and Head of Mission Science Division,

ESA Earth Observation Programmes

 

The European Space Agency (ESA) is launching the Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE)

satellite to map our planet’s gravity field in unprecedented detail. As part of ESA’s Living Planet Programme, GOCE is the first of a series of Earth Explorer satellites in orbit, designed to provide information for understanding climate change as well as other critical Earth system variables.

 

The Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) mission is currently on schedule for lift off on a Rockot launch vehicle on Monday 16 March at 15:21hrs CET (14:21hrs GMT) from Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia.  GOCE, the European Space Agency’s first Earth Explorer mission, promises to match its good looks with high quality global gravity data acquired by a satellite and sensor package that embodies the latest technology (See GOCE mission site).

 

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2009
03/13
CATEGORY
ESA
GOCE
Mark Drinkwater
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