Jules Verne ATV Blog

Jules Verne ATV Blog http://webservices.esa.int/blog/blog/1 Welcome to the ATV 'Jules Verne' Blog! This blog is operated by ESA - the European Space Agency - as an unofficial and in-depth source of information for the general public. The ATV Blog is provided strictly on an unofficial, 'best-effort' basis and ESA makes no warranty that the comments, opinions or information expressed in this blog are confirmed, accurate, official or in any way reflect the formal policies of the European Space Agency. administrator 2013-02-22T19:13:32Z ATV nestles into 'parking' orbit to wait for docking http://webservices.esa.int/blog/post/1/212 <a id="res_287" href="http://webservices.esa.int/blog/gallery/1/tpp_sequence.jpg"><img src="http://webservices.esa.int/blog/gallery/1/previews/tpp_sequence.jpg" border="0" alt="Transfer, phasing & parking profile" align="left" /></a>Today's news from ATV-CC is good: Just after 13:00 CET today, Jules Verne nestled into a 'parking orbit', located some 2000 km ahead of the ISS and at approximately the same altitude, to await the first of a series of docking manoeuvres starting at the end of March. We spoke with ESA's Bob Chesson, the head of human spaceflight operations, by telephone shortly afterwards; he said: "This is where we need to be, and where we will stay until 27 March; everything's nominal." (More details after the jump...) -- Daniel Last night, the ATV mission control team conducted two big boosts on the second propulsion chain - which enabled them to check pressure regulators - all went perfect. The first burn came at midnight, and the second one at around 01:00 CET. Further small burns were ordered today, at 11:51, 12:06 and 12:51 CET. The fact that the team used the second propulsion chain confirms that everything is working fine with Jules Verne's propulsion system. There were also mid-course manoeuvres on 13 and 16 March, as ATV entered the 'TIV' zone - 'Transfer to ISS Vicinity'. One really interesting development here was ATV passing below the ISS - underneath by about 30 km! We also spoke today with Alberto Novelli, the ESA Mission Director at ATV-CC, and he explained that they asked for an image capture (which he thinks was done using the camera on the ISS robotic arm). Unfortunately, the image came down showing nothing but a tiny speck of white light, and it was decided not to publicise it. :-( Alberto says the team at ATV-CC is doing well, with about 120 ESA & CNES mission control and extended support people on site, plus several dozen more from Astrium, the ATV prime contractor. He also explained that they have gathered together all of the mission progress and operation records from the now-ended Transfer & Phasing period and have submitted these to the ISS partners in a report to be assessed on 25 March. This will be a formal technical review that provides validation for the start of the 'demonstration days' beginning on 29 March (Demo Day 1 on 29 March, Demo Day 2 on 31 March); the team are confident that everything will be fully and successfully validated. Now that the T&P period is over, ATV has met all of the critical milestones planned, including attitude control (demonstration of the ATV's ability to control attitude in yaw steering, including Earth-pointing mode and slew), absolute GPS (demonstration of the ATV-CC's capability to perform orbit navigation with ATV GPS) and orbital control (demonstration of ATV's ability to execute orbital manoeuvres). Alberto mentioned that the spacecraft is now oriented "a little traverse, with respect to its axis of velocity - like a crab." If you were on board Jules Verne facing to the front, it would appear that you were orbiting in the direction of your shoulder. Here is an mp3 audio extract of our telephone call earlier today: <a href="http://a1862.g.akamai.net/7/1862/14448/v1/esa.download.akamai.com/13452/mp3/anovelli_parking_orbit.mp3" target="_blank">Access mp3 audio here</a>: <object data="http://webservices.esa.int/blog/flash/mp3player/mp3player.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="320" height="20" class="ltPlayer"> <param name="quality" value="best" /> <param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /> <param name="movie" value="http://webservices.esa.int/blog/flash/mp3player/mp3player.swf" /> <param name="FlashVars" value="&file=http://a1862.g.akamai.net/7/1862/14448/v1/esa.download.akamai.com/13452/mp3/anovelli_parking_orbit.mp3&height=20&width=320" /> </object> The image at the top of this post, by the way, gives a graphical illustration of what ATV has gone through since launch -  the numerous ponts indicated as "Sx" are numbered way-station points that correspond to a specific location and distance with respect to the ISS. We'll be hearing a lot more about these starting on 29 March when Jules Verne goes through Demonstration Day 1 - up to point S2, 3,500 m directly behind (astern?) the ISS. Here's a bigger version of the graphic, click it to access the FULL version in our gallery (under "Mission profile"): <a id="res_287" href="http://webservices.esa.int/blog/gallery/1/tpp_sequence.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://webservices.esa.int/blog/gallery/1/previews-med/tpp_sequence.jpg" border="0" alt="Transfer, phasing & parking profile" /></a>   Transfer & phasing 2008-03-19T15:17:53Z danielscuka Animation of CAM http://webservices.esa.int/blog/post/1/206 <a id="res_283" href="http://webservices.esa.int/blog/gallery/1/cam_ani.jpg"><img src="http://webservices.esa.int/blog/gallery/1/previews/cam_ani.jpg" border="0" align="left" /></a> Access an animation showing, roughly, what a CAM looks like on the ESA portal (link below). -- Daniel <blockquote> "Upon detection of a critical failure or an unsafe situation, the Monitoring and Safing Unit (MSU) isolates the ATV’s nominal system and commands a Collision Avoidance Manoeuvre (CAM). This brings the ATV on a safe trajectory within the monitoring corridor towards the ISS. Once the Collision Avoidance Manoeuvre is completed, the MSU points the vehicle towards the Sun, thus ensuring sufficient power from the solar panels during the ‘survival’ mode that the vehicle enters."  </blockquote> <a href="http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Operations/SEMWJMM5NDF_1.html" target="_blank">CAM animation</a>  Transfer & phasing 2008-03-14T14:50:51Z danielscuka CAM demonstration success: "Perfect performance" http://webservices.esa.int/blog/post/1/205 <a id="res_282" href="http://webservices.esa.int/blog/gallery/1/atv_engineering.jpg"><img src="http://webservices.esa.int/blog/gallery/1/previews/atv_engineering.jpg" border="0" align="left" /></a> The news is in: This morning's CAM (Collision Avoidance Manoeuvre) demonstration went 'flawlessly', as described by John Ellwood, ESA's ATV project manager. Maria and I spoke with Alberto Novelli, ESA's Mission Director at ATV-CC, about an hour after the demonstration, and he was just delighted with the results. He explained there was some stress before the manoeuvre, but that everything went well and that the team continues to be really pleased with the spacecraft, which continues to perform even better than expected (more details including mp3 audio file after the jump). -- Daniel Notes from our discussion with Alberto and from ESA's media relations office: <ul> <li>The CAM demo started today at 08:57 CET - exactly as planned - and it went perfect. </li> <li>The MSU (Monitoring and Safing Unit) commanded the ATV exactly as expected. This caused the ATV to fire 4 thrusters in a retrograde sense with respect to the velocity vector. The burn (of around 5 m/sec) was perfectly executed - afterwards the spacecraft went into sun-pointing survival mode controlled by the MSU with attitude control provided by gyros. </li> <li>Afterwards, the team got a perfect recovery of the spacecraft.</li> <li>There was a full reset of computers on board the ATV, which also went very well. </li> <li>ATV is now back in cruise mode.</li> <li>The 200-second thruster burn went as expected; no news on the new orbit as of 12:30 CET as the flight dynamics folks are still doing an orbit determination. The thrusters gave a delta-V (change in velocity) of 5 m/sec - again, exactly as expected.</li> <li>Based on the flight dynamics recalculation, there are still additional boosts planned, possibly later today, over the weekend and one around 18 March; the plan is to reach parking orbit in front of the ISS on 19 March. The team doesn't expect too much to happen between now and 19 March.</li> </ul> How did it feel in the ATV-CC? <ul> <li>"The operation went smooth, so there was a lot of excitement."</li> <li>There is no initial feedback from NASA rep who sat on console watching the entire process; Alberto expects to get a formal report later today.</li> </ul> Here is an mp3 audio taken during our call with Alberto, in which he describes the process this morning for recovering the spacecraft; he also adds a comment on how pleased the team are. <a href="http://a1862.g.akamai.net/7/1862/14448/v1/esa.download.akamai.com/13452/mp3/anovelli_recovery_from_cam_demo.mp3" target="_blank">Access mp3 audio here</a>: <object data="http://webservices.esa.int/blog/flash/mp3player/mp3player.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="320" height="20" class="ltPlayer"> <param name="quality" value="best" /> <param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /> <param name="movie" value="http://webservices.esa.int/blog/flash/mp3player/mp3player.swf" /> <param name="FlashVars" value="&file=http://a1862.g.akamai.net/7/1862/14448/v1/esa.download.akamai.com/13452/mp3/anovelli_recovery_from_cam_demo.mp3&height=20&width=320" /> </object>   Transfer & phasing 2008-03-14T12:03:33Z danielscuka CAM test A-OK http://webservices.esa.int/blog/post/1/203 <a id="res_188" href="http://webservices.esa.int/blog/gallery/1/vlcsnap-176239.png"><img src="http://webservices.esa.int/blog/gallery/1/previews/vlcsnap-176239.png" border="0" align="left" /></a> Today's CAM (Collision Avoidance Manoeuvre) test went smoothly! At 14:30 CET today, a command to initiate the test was sent up to Jules Verne from the ATV Control Centre (ATV-CC) in Toulouse, France. The test included checking if the back-up functional chains - commanded by the Monitoring Safety Units (MSU 1 & 2; there are two of them) - worked, and they did. ESA's Mission Director Alberto Novelli called in at 17:30 CET this afternoon for a telephone report - listen to the mp3 audio under 'Full story'. -- Daniel The mission control team are clearly anticipating tomorrow's full CAM demo, set to start Friday morning at 08:57 CET and run several hours. Alberto sounded very confident; nonetheless, knowing that the Russian and NASA partners will be watching everything closely must cause at least a little stress. Here is an mp3 extract of our phone call, and the full article is on the ESA Web portal (link below). <a href="http://a1862.g.akamai.net/7/1862/14448/v1/esa.download.akamai.com/13452/mp3/anovelli_cam_test_report.mp3" target="_blank">Access mp3 audio here</a>: <object data="http://webservices.esa.int/blog/flash/mp3player/mp3player.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="320" height="20" class="ltPlayer"> <param name="quality" value="best" /> <param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /> <param name="movie" value="http://webservices.esa.int/blog/flash/mp3player/mp3player.swf" /> <param name="FlashVars" value="&file=http://a1862.g.akamai.net/7/1862/14448/v1/esa.download.akamai.com/13452/mp3/anovelli_cam_test_report.mp3&height=20&width=320" /> </object> <a href="http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Operations/SEMV5LM5NDF_0.html" target="_blank">"Jules Verne ready to demonstrate critical manoeuvre"</a>   Transfer & phasing 2008-03-13T21:05:35Z danielscuka ATV Jules Verne CAM demonstration: critical operations on Friday http://webservices.esa.int/blog/post/1/202 Friday is shaping up as a critical day for ATV Jules Verne and the mission controllers at ATV-CC in Toulouse. The day includes a live test of the CAM (Collision Avoidance Manoeuvre) system, and the spacecraft will actually be 'induced' into a non-nominal, 'survival' mode while it relies solely on the CAM system. Of course, it's still a long way from the ISS so there's no danger to any astronauts, but mission controllers will be watching very closely as the test runs its course. Here's an audio description of the CAM system and its functioning from ESA's Bob Chesson. -- Daniel <a href="http://a1862.g.akamai.net/7/1862/14448/v1/esa.download.akamai.com/13452/mp3/bchesson_cam_demo.mp3" target="_blank">Access mp3 audio here</a>: <object data="http://webservices.esa.int/blog/flash/mp3player/mp3player.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="320" height="20" class="ltPlayer"> <param name="quality" value="best" /> <param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /> <param name="movie" value="http://webservices.esa.int/blog/flash/mp3player/mp3player.swf" /> <param name="FlashVars" value="&file=http://a1862.g.akamai.net/7/1862/14448/v1/esa.download.akamai.com/13452/mp3/bchesson_cam_demo.mp3&height=20&width=320" /> </object>   Transfer & phasing 2008-03-13T18:20:32Z danielscuka Teamwork & sweat: ESA's Bob Chesson explains ATV propulsion problem and how it was solved http://webservices.esa.int/blog/post/1/201 <a id="res_60" href="http://webservices.esa.int/blog/gallery/1/DSCN2378.JPG"><img src="http://webservices.esa.int/blog/gallery/1/previews/DSCN2378.JPG" border="0" align="left" /></a> We've got a series of great mp3 audio clips from a telephone call with ESA's Bob Chesson with a detailed explanation on the propoulsion problem involving the PDE (Propulsion Drive Electronics) that caused excitement on Sunday evening, shortly after orbit injection. The problem's now solved, but Bob mentions what caused the issue to occur, the solution and the incredible teamwork (Astrium, ESA, CNES) behind devising and implementing the fix (click on 'Full story' to access mp3 links). -- Daniel Admittedly, the audio is a little techie - but after all, it **is** rocket science. <img src="http://webservices.esa.int/blog/js/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-wink.gif" border="0" alt="Wink" title="Wink" />  ESA's Bob Chesson is located at ATV-CC in Toulouse, and as the head of the Human Spaceflight Operations team, he's watching every minute of ATV operations very closely. He has first-hand participation in all aspects of ATV activities and spoke to us yesterday on the PDE (Propulsion Drive Electronics) problem. First off, here is Bob describing the origin of the problem. In the audio, he mentions the two propulsion reactants: "MON" and "MMH" - these are the oxidising agent, MON (mixed or modified oxides of nitrogen) and the fuel itself, Monomethylhydrazine (MMH). These are examples of so-called 'hypergolic' reactants, which ignite spontaneously when they come into contact. Due to their reliability, hypergolic systems are widely used by many spacecraft and rockets, including ATV, the Shuttle, Ariane and others. <a href="http://a1862.g.akamai.net/7/1862/14448/v1/esa.download.akamai.com/13452/mp3/bchesson_pde_issue_details.mp3" target="_blank">Access mp3 audio here</a>: <object data="http://webservices.esa.int/blog/flash/mp3player/mp3player.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="320" height="20" class="ltPlayer"> <param name="quality" value="best" /> <param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /> <param name="movie" value="http://webservices.esa.int/blog/flash/mp3player/mp3player.swf" /> <param name="FlashVars" value="&file=http://a1862.g.akamai.net/7/1862/14448/v1/esa.download.akamai.com/13452/mp3/bchesson_pde_issue_details.mp3&height=20&width=320" /> </object>   Next, Chesson explains the fix: essentially, a set of new commands that were devised by engineers at Astrium, builders of the ATV, tested by Astrium with their engineering model of the ATV and by the ATV mission controllers using their simulation software, and then radioed up to ATV. In the audio, Chesson mentions "OMP" commands - these are <a href="http://www.spaceflight.esa.int/projects/index.cfm?act=default.page&level=11&page=781" target="_blank">Onboard Mission Plans </a>that are uploaded to the Jules Verne computer for subsequent execution. <a href="http://a1862.g.akamai.net/7/1862/14448/v1/esa.download.akamai.com/13452/mp3/bchesson_pde_issue_solution.mp3" target="_blank">Access mp3 audio here</a>: <object data="http://webservices.esa.int/blog/flash/mp3player/mp3player.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="320" height="20" class="ltPlayer"> <param name="quality" value="best" /> <param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /> <param name="movie" value="http://webservices.esa.int/blog/flash/mp3player/mp3player.swf" /> <param name="FlashVars" value="&file=http://a1862.g.akamai.net/7/1862/14448/v1/esa.download.akamai.com/13452/mp3/bchesson_pde_issue_solution.mp3&height=20&width=320" /> </object>   At the end, Chesson mentioned several times the immense teamwork displayed by everyone involved in the mission: prime contractor Astrium, ESA, CNES and ATV-CC - plus many sub-teams within these organisations. Bob mentions the Astrium engineers - they are working, in part, at the Astrium facility at Les Mureaux, France, where the contractor's core design and qualification teams for ATV are on stand-by. <a href="http://a1862.g.akamai.net/7/1862/14448/v1/esa.download.akamai.com/13452/mp3/bchesson_pde_issue_team.mp3" target="_blank">Access mp3 audio here</a>: <object data="http://webservices.esa.int/blog/flash/mp3player/mp3player.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="320" height="20" class="ltPlayer"> <param name="quality" value="best" /> <param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /> <param name="movie" value="http://webservices.esa.int/blog/flash/mp3player/mp3player.swf" /> <param name="FlashVars" value="&file=http://a1862.g.akamai.net/7/1862/14448/v1/esa.download.akamai.com/13452/mp3/bchesson_pde_issue_team.mp3&height=20&width=320" /> </object>               Transfer & phasing 2008-03-13T17:59:05Z danielscuka CAM test foreseen for today http://webservices.esa.int/blog/post/1/200 We're working today on a couple of updates, including news of the CAM (Collision Avoidance Manoeuvre) test scheduled for this morning, and preparations for tomorrow's CAM demonstration. Plus: An mp3 audio interview with ESA's Bob Chesson. -- Daniel Transfer & phasing 2008-03-13T11:46:55Z danielscuka More on today's successful manoeuvres http://webservices.esa.int/blog/post/1/197 <a id="res_22" href="http://webservices.esa.int/blog/gallery/1/209870main_suffredini_atv_013108a.jpg"><img src="http://webservices.esa.int/blog/gallery/1/previews/209870main_suffredini_atv_013108a.jpg" border="0" align="left" /></a> Today's <a href="http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMN1FM5NDF_index_0.html" target="_blank">update on the ESA portal says it all</a>: "Jules Verne ATV successfully performed two boosts, bringing the spacecraft to an altitude of 303 km – half-way between the insertion orbit reached after last Sunday's launch and the orbit of the International Space Station." In addition, we had some excellent updates earlier in the day on the progress of the burns and there's also news on the upcoming CAM test and (critical) CAM demonstration, scheduled for tomorrow and Friday, respectively. We also have an mp3 audio clip from Bob Chesson, ESA's manager of the Spacecraft Operations dept., speaking about today's activities. Click on 'Full story' for more up-to-the-minute details on ATV Jules Verne. -- Daniel First, a quick recap of the day's big news. ATV successfully performed two boosts today, bringing the spacecraft to an altitude of 303 km (half-way between the insertion orbit reached after last Sunday's launch and the orbit of the International Space Station). <ul> <li>The boosts used two of the four main engines; each lasted for approximately 2 minutes and provided a change in velocity of just over 6 m/s</li> <li>Before the burns today, ATV was in an orbit at 282 kms circular. After today's burns, ATV was at 303 kms circular; the ISS is currently at 340 kms circular</li> <li>By 18 March, ATV should be located directly below the ISS; it will then go into a parking orbit ahead of the ISS</li> </ul> Next, I'd like to share a couple of emails that came in earlier, which definitely made my day! The first was from Bob Chesson, manager of ESA's Human Spaceflight Operations dept., who wrote in between today's burns: <blockquote> For your information, the first burn was completely nominal. The second at 14:01 will be commanded and monitored using the Artemis spacecraft due to there being a gap in TDRS coverage at about the time of the manoeuvre. </blockquote> That's a nice confirmation that Artemis is contributing significantly to the ATV mission. It's nice to see this long-time sat, launched in July 2001, being given new tasks to perform; it is usually used to relay data from Envisat. A little later, Alberto Novelli, ESA's Mission Director at ATV-CC in Toulouse, sent in this note: <blockquote> I confirm that the 2 pair of boosts went successful today as planned. Now the ATV is at around 303 km orbit slightly elliptical. Best Regards, Alberto </blockquote> Alberto doesn't say, but I am sure the ESA & CNES mission controllers were watching today's activity very closely. I've also heard that the team is a lot more relaxed there today after the hectic pace of Monday and Tuesday, and of course the extra work involved in implementing the propulsion system recovery plan. Finally, I have an mp3 audio clip of a phone call with Bob Chesson late this afternoon: <a href="http://a1862.g.akamai.net/7/1862/14448/v1/esa.download.akamai.com/13452/mp3/b_chesson_12mar2008_mp3.mp3" target="_blank">Access mp3 audio clip here</a>: <object data="http://webservices.esa.int/blog/flash/mp3player/mp3player.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="320" height="20" class="ltPlayer"> <param name="quality" value="best" /> <param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /> <param name="movie" value="http://webservices.esa.int/blog/flash/mp3player/mp3player.swf" /> <param name="FlashVars" value="&file=http://a1862.g.akamai.net/7/1862/14448/v1/esa.download.akamai.com/13452/mp3/b_chesson_12mar2008_mp3.mp3&height=20&width=320" /> </object> ((In the audio, Bob Chesson mentions "We have a great GNC" - he is referring to the ATV's Guidance, Navigation and Control system, which I've heard is working very well - the mission control team are overall delighted with the spacecraft.))  Later, we plan on providing some additional background on the recovery operation and to explain a little more of what's involved with the CAM test and the CAM demo, due for Friday. G'night all! -- Daniel Transfer & phasing 2008-03-12T22:13:12Z danielscuka Today's burns: 13:14 GMT & 14:04 GMT http://webservices.esa.int/blog/post/1/194 We're working on a short update from the mission control team for the end of the day on today's and yesterday's manoeuvres. So far the news is good and the team is very happy. Today's burns are scheduled for 13:14:23 GMT (14:14 CET) and 14:04:29 GMT (15:04 CET), both with a planned "delta V" (change in velocity) of approximately 6 m/sec. -- Daniel Transfer & phasing 2008-03-12T10:19:46Z danielscuka More images of ATV... http://webservices.esa.int/blog/post/1/193 <a id="res_270" href="http://webservices.esa.int/blog/gallery/1/100308ATV1.jpg"><img src="http://webservices.esa.int/blog/gallery/1/previews/100308ATV1.jpg" border="0" alt="ATV over Leiden, The Netherlands 10 March 2008. Credit: Dr Marco Langbroek http://sattrackcam.blogspot.com" align="left" /></a> A number of amateur photographers/astronomers have dropped us notes to their postings of images of ATV. Marco Langbroek, in Leiden, Netherlands, posted this:     <blockquote> "Against my expectations, it was clear this morning, allowing me the chance to observe the 04:21 UTC pass of the newly launched ATV-1 Jules Verne (08-008A), the first European cargo ship on its way to the ISS. It was launched last Saturday on Sunday night from Kourou by an Ariane 5 rocket. ATV stands for Automated Transfer Vehicle. I watched it coming out of earth shadow at about 50 degrees altitude in Ophiuchus around 04:21:10 UTC. It was nice and bright, reaching mag. 0.5." </blockquote> Click on 'Full story' for links and pics... (thanks Marco!) -- Daniel Marco took this picture with a Canon Digital Ixus 400 compact camera, 10.7 sec exposure (click on image below for hi-res). Original post is here: <a href="http://sattrackcam.blogspot.com/2008/03/atv-1-jules-verne-nice-and-bright.html" target="_blank">http://sattrackcam.blogspot.com/2008/03/atv-1-jules-verne-nice-and-bright.html</a> <a id="res_270" href="http://webservices.esa.int/blog/gallery/1/100308ATV1.jpg"><img src="http://webservices.esa.int/blog/gallery/1/previews-med/100308ATV1.jpg" border="0" alt="ATV over Leiden, The Netherlands 10 March 2008. Credit: Dr Marco Langbroek http://sattrackcam.blogspot.com" /></a> Also, there's a link to a (cool) short animation of ATV posted over on the SatObs.orgmail list: <a href="http://www.satobs.org/seesat/Mar-2008/0132.html" target="_blank">http://www.satobs.org/seesat/Mar-2008/0132.html </a> Transfer & phasing 2008-03-11T19:18:01Z danielscuka