We are now twenty five days into the mission and tests on the instruments and spacecraft have gone very well. Telescope and spacecraft The telescope has been kept “warm” at 170 K for decontamination and outgassing, and the pointing system has been successfully checked out. Now the heaters have been switched off, and once the …
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In-flight testing of SPIRE has continued during the last three days, with members of the SPIRE team at the European Space Agency’s control centre in Darmstadt, Germany, commanding the instrument in real time and monitoring the data being transmitted back to Earth. On Wednesday May 21, they checked out the delicate moving mechanism used in …
At the launch party in the School of Physics and Astronomy at Cardiff University, scientists and engineers were interviewed to find out what the Herschel and Planck missions mean to them. The video below provides an insight into how those involved with these missions feel after the successful launch and what they think Herschel and Planck …
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Testing of the Herschel instruments has already started. The SPIRE instrument was switched on for the first time on Tuesday May 18th. Over a period of ten hours, the SPIRE team commanded the instrument in real time from the European Space Agency’s control centre in Darmstadt, Germany. Everything is working well so far. More key …
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The Herschel and Planck telescopes were blasted into space, and at Cardiff, nerves were taking over during the launch live feed. Staff from the University, local media and guests including the Welsh Assemby First Minister, Rhodri Morgan, gathered at the launch event in the School of Physics and Astronomy to watch events unfold. Thirty minutes …
The Herschel Space Observatory has cleared its final hurdle before observations can start. On Sunday June 14th, the protective cover over the instruments was successfully removed, allowing scientists to see out for the first time. Opening the cover was a vital step – if it had not worked, Herschel would never be able to make …
The European Space Agency’s Herschel Space Observatory and Planck Surveyor were launched successfully on Thursday May 14 from Kourou, French Guyana. These are two of the most powerful and ambitious astronomical satellites yet flown. They will explore the Universe throughout almost its entire history, from just moments after the Big Bang, through the formation and …
The doors of the spacecraft integration building were opened on the night of 12th-13th May, ready for rolling the launcher out to the launch site.
The fairing (nose-cone) of the Ariane 5 rocket was finally placed on the launcher on May 10th, giving us one final glimpse of Herschel, before it is launched.
Herschel has been mounted on the top of the Ariane 5 rocket, where it now sits on top of it’s lower passenger, the Planck Surveyor observatory. With Herschel and Planck now on Ariane 5, preparations for the May 14 launch from French Guiana move into their final phase – with several peculiarities for the pioneering …
