Free at last!
The 16m long Radar for Icy Moons Exploration (RIME) antenna on the ESA Juice spacecraft, which had been stuck for a month after unfolding 2 of its 6 segments, is finally free 🛰️ 🎉
A mechanical device called a ‘non-explosive actuator’ (NEA), located in the jammed bracket was fired today. The resulting shock moved the stuck pin just enough to allow the antenna to break free and unfold.
Here is an example of a non-explosive actuator (NEA) and a video of its operating principles. NEAs deliver a sharp force by releasing a spring-loaded bolt. They are triggered by an electrical current. https://youtu.be/nAIru9vHkWc #ESAJuice#ESA#Jupiter
3/n
ESA is getting ready to "shake loose" the 16m long RIME antenna on the Juice spacecraft, which has been stuck after unfolding 2 of its 6 segments.
A tiny stuck pin is believed to be preventing the antenna segments from hinging out.
The attitude control thrusters and the large 400-newton main engine will be used to shake the pin loose. The spacecraft will also be slewed to rotate the stubborn mounting bracket towards the sun and warm it up.
The ESA Juice spacecraft has two Radar for Icy Moons Exploration (RIME) antenna. Each is 16 m long and extend out on the 2 sides of the spacecraft.
RIME is a 9 MHz radar sounder instrument that can penetrate the surface of the Galilean icy moons to a depth of 9 km, to study sub-surface structures and water.
Deployment of the 2nd antenna has not begun yet.
The 10.5 m magnetometer boom was deployed on April 21.
An update on our #JUICE mission to Jupiter & its icy moons, describing the problems we’re having deploying the big RIME radar antenna designed to penetrate the icy surfaces 🚀🛰️
Fingers crossed that our expert project engineering & spacecraft operations teams can find a solution 🤞
Otherwise deployment & commissioning progress is nominal 👍
#Jupiter-Mission: Der Ausleger, auf dem das Magnetometer-Instrument auf der #JUICE-Raumsonde installiert ist, wurde erfolgreich ausgeklappt. Das J-MAG besteht aus mehreren Sensoren. Einer der Sensoren wurde an der #TUBraunschweig entwickelt. https://lnk.tu-bs.de/jFL1q5 #ESA#space
Sharing some of my favorite #Hubble images from the #NASA archives to commemorate the space telescope’s 33rd anniversary. We should take a moment to appreciate the beauty and wonder of the universe.
Information about the images + Hubble facts, a thread: 1/x
#Hubble captured a stunning image of #Jupiter from a distance of 653 million kilometers from Earth. The image shows the giant planet's turbulent atmosphere, a new storm brewing, and a changing #GreatRedSpot. Also, the image features Jupiter's icy moon #Europa.
Now that I have a new home on solarsystem.social, here's a new #introduction!
I am a #planetary scientist working at the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (#IPGP) in France. My research uses the #gravity field, #topography, and #MagneticField of the planets to decipher their internal structure and geologic evolution. My favorite terrestrial body is the #Moon, but I also work with #Mercury, #Venus, and #Mars. Soon I will need to learn about #Psyche and the icy satellites of #Jupiter!
Starting today I will post a page of my "Good Night(sky) Stories" each #Moonday. It's a visual journey through our solar system and beyond, combining cute cartoons with scientific facts and trite humor. Basically the result of an artist and an astrophysicist distracting themselves during boring meetings.
German version: https://mastodon.art/@eyeling/109501818170699384 #sciart#scicomm#astronomy#astrodon
Vor sechs Jahren haben ein Astrophysiker und ich angefangen, uns langweilige Konferenzen mit Spinnerein zu vertreiben. Das Ergebnis waren astrophilosophische Cartoons, die jetzt bald gebunden erscheinen werden. Hier schonmal ein erster Blick. #Astronomie#astrocomic#illustration#MastoArt
(English version in the works, too)