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ESA signs three new contracts with Arianespace
The jury decided that Earthnet was helping to achieve one of the objectives set by the European scientific community, namely, safeguarding our future environment. Minister Clelio Darida, representing the Italian Government, presented the “Targa d’oro” to Mr. Roscian and Mr. Marehi, the heads of ESRIN and the Earthnet programme respectively, who were representing ESA’s Director General at the festival’s closing ceremony.
2.12. ESA SIGNS THREE NEW CO-
WiTH ~1~~~~1’6’
On 10 December 1985 ESA signed three new contracts with Arianespace, two for future launches and one for technical assistance for the launch of passenger satellites on the first flight of Ariane 4. The two launch contracts concern the launch of ECS-4, scheduled for the second quarter of 1986, and of Hipparcos, scheduled for June 1988. ECS-4 will replace ECS-3, lost due to the launch failure of Ariane V 15 on 12 September 1985. The spacecraft was in production at that time and was scheduled for launch in early 1987. Its completion has been accelerated and Arianespace is providing the earliest possible launch slot in accordance with the relaunch conditions contained in the ECS-3 launch contract. Hipparcos, which is one of ESA’s scientific projects, will be dedicated to the extremely important task of providing m~surements of the positions, annual proper motions and parallaxes of some 100 000 pre-selected stars. From its position in the geostationary orbit, the satellite will scan the whole sky systematically and repeatedly throughout its two and a half year lifetime. The measurements made by Hipparcos will provide a reference system of ~precedented precision, of great importance for studies of the Earths motion, of the Solar System and of our Galaxy as a whole, upon which all aspects of ground and space astrometry will be based in the future. The third contract provides for technical assistance by Arianespace for payload operations for the first Ariane 4 launch. The first flight of Ariane 4, which is an integral part of the Agency’s Ariane 4 development programme, will be carried out under ESA’s responsibility. This launch, scheduled to take place during the third quarter of 1986, is designed to demonstrate the operational capability of Europe’s most powerful launcher to date, Ariane 4. ESA is supplying part of the payload for this launch with Meteosat P2, a refurbished spacecraft from the pre-operational series designed to bridge a possible gap between Meteosat 2 and the first of the operational meteorological spacecraft, MOP-l, scheduled for launch in late 1987. Additional payload elements comprise Amsat Phase III-C, the second unit of the third generation of the radio (‘“IESA News Release No. 39 of 10 December
1985.
67
amateur “Oscar” series and a telecommunications satellite which remains to be selected. The contracts were signed for ESA by Mr. G. Salvatori, Director of Telecommunications (for the launch of ECS-4) by Mr. R. M. Bonnet, Director of the Scientific Programme (for the launch of Hipparcos), by Mr. M. Bignier, Director of Space Transportation Systems (for Ariane 4 technical assistance) and, for Arianespace, by Mr. C. Bigot, Director General.
2.13. FIRST 08SERVATtONS MADE FROM SPACE OF HALLEY’S COMEI’”
The first observations from space of Comet Halley have been made with the International Ultraviolet Explorer spacecraft (IUE). These observations were made in the context of a world-wide co-operation of Astronomers, the International Halley Watch, especially established for the observation of this comet which approaches the Sun once every 76 years. The observations with the IUE satellite observatory were made under the responsibility of Drs. Festou (Observatoire de Besancon) and Feldman (Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore), who co-ordinate the ultraviolet observations of Comet Halley. The very first observations from space were already made with the IUE Spacecraft in early April 1985, when the comet was still 700 million km from the Earth. In December a more intensive cycle of observations started which will last until the comet has returned to the outer regions of the Solar System after its closest approach to the Sun (perihelion) on 9 February 1986. More than 150 hours of observing time will be dedicated to the observations of Comet Halley with the IUE Observatory satellite. The observations will be continued and especially intensified at the time of Halley encounters of the various special cometary spacecraft such as the Giotto spacecraft of the European Space Agency, which will make its closest approach to the comet on 14 March 1986. Spectra taken with IUE in the ultraviolet on 15 December 1985, when the comet was at a distance of 115 million km from the Earth, showed clear evidence of a considerable increase of activity in the comet caused by the enhanced solar radiation. The results obtained showed that in this relatively young periodic comet the gas composition is similar to that found in other older comets observed earlier with the IUE spacecraft. The characteristic emission of the elements hydrogen, carbon, oxygen and sulphur as well as the emission of molecules such as carbon sulphide and the possible decomposition product of water, hydroxyl, were identified. The production of gaseous
““ESA News Release No. 1of 2 January 1986.
68
2.12. ESA SIGNS THREE NEW CO-
WiTH ~1~~~~1’6’
On 10 December 1985 ESA signed three new contracts with Arianespace, two for future launches and one for technical assistance for the launch of passenger satellites on the first flight of Ariane 4. The two launch contracts concern the launch of ECS-4, scheduled for the second quarter of 1986, and of Hipparcos, scheduled for June 1988. ECS-4 will replace ECS-3, lost due to the launch failure of Ariane V 15 on 12 September 1985. The spacecraft was in production at that time and was scheduled for launch in early 1987. Its completion has been accelerated and Arianespace is providing the earliest possible launch slot in accordance with the relaunch conditions contained in the ECS-3 launch contract. Hipparcos, which is one of ESA’s scientific projects, will be dedicated to the extremely important task of providing m~surements of the positions, annual proper motions and parallaxes of some 100 000 pre-selected stars. From its position in the geostationary orbit, the satellite will scan the whole sky systematically and repeatedly throughout its two and a half year lifetime. The measurements made by Hipparcos will provide a reference system of ~precedented precision, of great importance for studies of the Earths motion, of the Solar System and of our Galaxy as a whole, upon which all aspects of ground and space astrometry will be based in the future. The third contract provides for technical assistance by Arianespace for payload operations for the first Ariane 4 launch. The first flight of Ariane 4, which is an integral part of the Agency’s Ariane 4 development programme, will be carried out under ESA’s responsibility. This launch, scheduled to take place during the third quarter of 1986, is designed to demonstrate the operational capability of Europe’s most powerful launcher to date, Ariane 4. ESA is supplying part of the payload for this launch with Meteosat P2, a refurbished spacecraft from the pre-operational series designed to bridge a possible gap between Meteosat 2 and the first of the operational meteorological spacecraft, MOP-l, scheduled for launch in late 1987. Additional payload elements comprise Amsat Phase III-C, the second unit of the third generation of the radio (‘“IESA News Release No. 39 of 10 December
1985.
67
amateur “Oscar” series and a telecommunications satellite which remains to be selected. The contracts were signed for ESA by Mr. G. Salvatori, Director of Telecommunications (for the launch of ECS-4) by Mr. R. M. Bonnet, Director of the Scientific Programme (for the launch of Hipparcos), by Mr. M. Bignier, Director of Space Transportation Systems (for Ariane 4 technical assistance) and, for Arianespace, by Mr. C. Bigot, Director General.
2.13. FIRST 08SERVATtONS MADE FROM SPACE OF HALLEY’S COMEI’”
The first observations from space of Comet Halley have been made with the International Ultraviolet Explorer spacecraft (IUE). These observations were made in the context of a world-wide co-operation of Astronomers, the International Halley Watch, especially established for the observation of this comet which approaches the Sun once every 76 years. The observations with the IUE satellite observatory were made under the responsibility of Drs. Festou (Observatoire de Besancon) and Feldman (Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore), who co-ordinate the ultraviolet observations of Comet Halley. The very first observations from space were already made with the IUE Spacecraft in early April 1985, when the comet was still 700 million km from the Earth. In December a more intensive cycle of observations started which will last until the comet has returned to the outer regions of the Solar System after its closest approach to the Sun (perihelion) on 9 February 1986. More than 150 hours of observing time will be dedicated to the observations of Comet Halley with the IUE Observatory satellite. The observations will be continued and especially intensified at the time of Halley encounters of the various special cometary spacecraft such as the Giotto spacecraft of the European Space Agency, which will make its closest approach to the comet on 14 March 1986. Spectra taken with IUE in the ultraviolet on 15 December 1985, when the comet was at a distance of 115 million km from the Earth, showed clear evidence of a considerable increase of activity in the comet caused by the enhanced solar radiation. The results obtained showed that in this relatively young periodic comet the gas composition is similar to that found in other older comets observed earlier with the IUE spacecraft. The characteristic emission of the elements hydrogen, carbon, oxygen and sulphur as well as the emission of molecules such as carbon sulphide and the possible decomposition product of water, hydroxyl, were identified. The production of gaseous
““ESA News Release No. 1of 2 January 1986.
68