The second and final deorbit boost is set to last 15 minutes and will send Jules Verne on a steep trajectory towards the Earth's atmosphere. Jules Verne is set to reach an altitude of 120 km at 15:31:33 CEST (13:31:33 UT) - this is when it reaches the upper atmosphere and the deorbit starts. -- Maria
Earlier, the ESA mission control team here were telling us that they actually expect ATV to tumble as it follows the reentry trajectory. The trajectory itself is very stable, but with the engine providing thrust at the rear and the centre of gravity offset from a normal stable location - and with the atmosphere starting to drag - the spacecraft will tumble nose-over-tail. -- Daniel
15:30 mins to go before deorbit burn No. 2. Everything's suddenly quiet here, as ESA Mission Director Jean-Michel Blois delivers a presentation and calls the play. -- Daniel
One of the ESA people on board the aircraft observing the re-entry is Jason Hatton. We managed to talk to Jason before he left for California a couple of weeks ago to prepare for today's observing campaign. He told us a bit more about the two aircraft that are being used. One is a Gulfstream V, the other NASA's DC-8. Both are suited to flying at the high altitude needed to perform the observations (12 to 14 km). --Maria
Sorry for the pause in proceedings for a while there. We had some internet problems here at ATV-CC. All resolved now. Jules Verne has just started its very last orbit! There is now just under 1 hour and 30 minutes left until the ATV is at 120 km altitude and starts to enter the Earth's atmosphere. -- Maria
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