(C13) Mounting of the top antennas

The antenna's on top of MSG have to be mounted during the launch campaign otherwise the size of the container to transport the spacecraft would not fit in the Antonov, the plane used to bring the spacecraft from Europe to French Guiana. The single element  shown on the picture is in fact composed of two antenna's: The TT&C antenna and the Toroïdal Pattern Antenna (TPA). The tip is the TT&C antenna (S-Band) used to receive TeleCommands (TC) from the ground ant to transmit satellite TeleMetry (TM) to the ground. The large cylinder below is the Toroïdal Pattern Antenna (TPA). It is normally used to receive the processed images and the meteorological products by the ground segment for the retransmission of the users. In case of failure of the main raw data transmission antenna (L-Band EDA), it can also be used to transmit to the ground the raw data from SEVIRI and GERB.

 

TPA before mounting on MSG

This antenna has to be mounted on the top of the Spacecraft (on the picture below, in the center of the black circular area as the spacecraft is in horizontal position). At the moment, a  protective cover in plexiglass is in place to protect the the very fragile UHF antennas located all around the Main Communication Platform (MCP).

 A front view of the main Communication Platform (MCP); MSG-4 in horizontal position,

A Thales technician is busy to perform the mechanical and electrical connections of the antenna with the support of another colleague responsible of the quality control. The access behind the antenna is not so easy and required a lot of attention and skills.

Max and David during assembling and integration activities

On Saturday 23/05 the integration of the TPA on MSG-4 was successfully completed.

Overall View of th MSG-4 with the TPA

The RF mast that has been shown in previous messages will now be used to perform a series of communication tests.  For more information on MSG communinication , click here.

(C12) Mounting of the batteries

After the successful reconditioning activities, the two batteries are now to be mounted on MSG-4. This is integration has to be conducted very carefully from mechanical and electrical point of views (shocks, connections…). On the picture below, the hoisting of the battery with a dedicated counter weight device can be seen.

From left to right: Jef, Max and Mamadou from the Thales team

Credits: Thales

II - Forever spinning… The Urania world clock

Urania is known as the muse of astronomy by the Greeks but it is also the name of the world clock (Wetlzeituhr) located on the Alexanderplatz in Berlin, another "forever spinning" object...

Urania -Weltzeituhr, Alexanderplatz-Berlin

This spinning clock, with a shape strikingly similar to MSG-4, was designed by Erich John and erected in 1969 at the time of DDR. The rotating inner cylinder gives the time of the 24 Earth time zones in 148 cities around the world (but not including Cayenne :-( ). On the top, one can find a representation of our solar system with its planets.

From the perspective of the picture below, one can see the edge of the Alexanderplatz Bahnhof, the S-Bahn tracks and, in the background, a second spinning object: the restaurant at the top of the television tower (Fernsehturm).

Urania and Fernsehturm/TV tower - Berlin

Can the TV tower/World clock be compared to the Earth/MSG couple? No, the rotating restaurant sees the Urania clock every hour (or even more) while MSG, from its GEO position, always looks at the same portion of the Earth. If there is no way to see MSG from Earth, you may have a chance to observe the world clock from the restaurant at the top to the TV tower. The happy few who did that on 04/11/1989  have seen what a crowd the Urania clock was attracting that day!, Why?

Alexanderplatz in 1989 around Urania

…on November 1989, large demonstrations took place in the Eastern part of Berlin. These demonstrations that started earlier in Leipzig led to to the fall of the Berlin wall on 09/11/1989.
In more quiet periods, the world clock seen from the "spinning restaurant" would appear on the Alexanderplatz together with few circulating streetcars, tourists as well as commuting Berliners…
Below, two pictures of the Urania Clock seen from the TV tower/Fernsehturm in such quiet periods:

Left: in 2009, for the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall, with an exhibition of posters remembering the demonstration slogans. Right: Easter 2015.

So when MSG-4 eventually disappear to take up duty in orbit, as time goes by, just visit the Alexanderplatz in Berlin to get rid of any MSG nostalgy (but not "Ostalgy" :-)!

Urania clock in good "spinning company" !

VA-224 - Launcher Status (2)

The upper composite has been integrated in the BIL (Batiment Intégration Lanceur) on 19/05/2015. This element contains the "intelligent units" of the launcher i.e. the on-board computer, the control and navigation systems...

 

Credits: ESA/Arianspace/CNES

 

Credits: ESA/Arianspace/CNES 

Credits: ESA/Arianspace/CNES

A more complete overview about the VA-224 launcher can be found on the CNES blog

(C11) LBC-2 : The MSG-4 Control Room

We already introduced the LBC (Local Blanc de Contrôle) during the MSG-3 Launch campaign. The same control room has been set up for MSG-4. The Spacecraft that stands for the moment in the next room (S1B High Bay) is being checked from this room called LBC-2. MSG-4 and the staff working in the clean hall can be seen from the large opening on the left of the picture. This room, as it can be seen below, mainly contains monitor screens where the various spacecraft parameters can be read. The connection to MSG-4 is made through check out equipment. This  room will be used up to the the launch but reconfigured as needed during the different phases of the campaign.

 

LBC2 in S1B.

 Test activities are continuing as planned:

-Battery reconditioning was successfully completed today (21/05). Battery will then be integrated on the Spacecraft

-Propulsion tests (UPS) are in progress

Family pictures (2)

Wednesday 20/05/15 a family picture was taken at 11:00 in the S1 High Bay with all teams in front of a "naked" spacecraft.  It is always difficult to get all the people present at the same time in a launch campaign, sorry for the few missing ones,  but one can see that the MSG-4 campaign is now running full speed.

 

CNES, Thales, ESA, EUMETSAT teams

 Another good opportunity to make a second ESA family picture...

From left to right: François, Hans-Jurgen,Stefano, Stéfane, Elaine, Cyril, Frank 

(C10) Battery reconditioning in progress

After a short hiccup period this Monday morning (18/05), the MICE was activated and the two batteries are now maintained at a constant temperature for reconditioning (charge/discharge cycles).

 

Cooled air blown from the 2 boas onto the two flight batteries

This non stop activity will last till next Thursday (21/05). After this progressive recharge, performance will  be evaluated before integration of the two batteries on the Spacecraft.

Last Friday (17/05) a Post Test Review (PTR) confirmed that the Spacecraft was in good health after a series of tests on Telemetry and TeleCommand (TTC), Main Communication Platform (MCP), Attitude and Orbit Control System (AOCS) and the two Payloads: SEVIRI and GERB.

At 10:22 am this morning, one could ear a short "click" in the EPCU S1 High Bay confirming  that  the SEVIRI mechanism was properly locked for the last time. This corresponds to the SEVIRI configuration for launch meaning also that the  next time it will be unlocked will be... in orbit!

I - Forever spinning … Spinning wheels

To spin - According to the Oxford compact dictionary, the first meaning of this verb is to turn or cause (a person or thing) to turn…, but also draw out or twist (whool, cotton, etc…) into thread, make yarn in this way…

This first post on spinning will illustrate the tool which was derived from the original meaning of this verb: the spinning wheel... used for centuries to produce yarn.

The few drawings and paintings collected below from the Renaissance to the XIXth century show the importance this tool has played in people daily life till the industrial revolution (another interesting "spinning" word) left it as a collectable for musea...

1-In this Lucas van Leyden's engraving, a woman is seated at the spinning close to a young boy on the ground exhibiting a ball of yarn. Despite the artistic value of this engraving, the drawer's intention seems more to stress woman's work at home by mean of an allegory (or a morale?)
A morale may definitely be found in another painting Man and Woman at the spinning wheel, ca 1560/70 by Pieter Pietersz (1541-1603) exhibited in the Rijksmuseum where the woman sitting at the spinning wheel is being seduced by a man with a jug of beer...

 Lucas von Leyden (1494-1533), Young lady at the spinning wheel, 1513, Cabinet Edmond de Rothschild, Musée du Louvre, Paris

2-The main interest of the painting below is likely not the spinning wheel itself despite the very realistic representation but the elegance of the woman and her clothing gear (scarf, shirt…). This is certainly a very special day! This early XVIth century painting is in fact one part of a dyptic, the other part being the portrait of her man. This painting, likely made for the engagement of the couple (?), is acknowledged according to the Rijskmueum as the earliest representation of Dutch citizens.

Maarten van Heemskerck (1498-1574), Portrait of a couple (left part), possibly Anna Codde, 1529, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam

 3-This painting from the Dutch golden age period brings us in the private sphere of a lady deeply concentrated at her the spinning work. The light reflected in this tiny corner and no-frills surrounding emphasize the dedication of this lady to her task. Nicolas Maes was an expert in this type of interior scenes giving us much details on people and their daily activities at the time. His paintings contains also a mine of information on social conditions, dressing, tooling and techniques at the time...

Nicolas Maes (1634-1693), A woman spinning, 1655, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

4-In the van Brenkelenkam's painting below, a man, this time, is seating at the spinning wheel. Was that odd for the time or an early sign of interest for gender equality? The guy is talking with an angler while he is drinking a jug of wine. One can then question the work output compared to the the lady in Maes' painting above :-) Any morale or lessons learnt intentions to be drawn here?

Quirijn van Brekelenkam (1622/29-1669/79), Interior with an Angler and a man at spinning wheel and Reel, 1663, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

5-Spinning yarn must have been a boring, monotonous and tiring exercise! This gives opportunity to Courbet to represent a sleeping girl next to her wheel. His work focuses here on body posture showing the bent neck and the open hands of the subject giving the impression of a very deep sleep. The details of plies and shadows on the stripped shawl shows Courbet's painting talent. In this rest interval, the spinning work completely left apart.

 Gustave Courbet (1819-1877), La fileuse endormie, 1853, Musée Fabre - Montpellier

6-This van Gogh's drawing  made one year before the Potato eaters represents an early work in his short career. If his interest for "peasant genre" and copies of J-F Millet's paintings (e.g. The sower, 1890) is well documented, the interior scenes are very important as well. In this case, van Gogh re-visits a well illustrated thema from the Flemish and Dutch schools (see Nicolas Maes above) though his drawing shows here a very simple perspective (front view). The naturalist aspects (painfulness of the work and social condition of the worker) are may be emphasized by the rather tarnished colors (grey und brown).

Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890), Woman at the spinning wheel, spring 1884, Private collection, New York

7-In this painting, Wilhelm Leibl shows two women seated perpendicularly working silently in a room furnished with a table and a large high chest. The light coming from the two windows fills the room and falls on a bare wooden floor; a refined painting hangs on the wall as the only sign of decoration. The room is not a workshop but likely the maid room of a bourgeois house where some versatile works can be made by the employees. Could we assume that the main intention of the artist here was simply to represent the atmosphere of this scene with a high degree of reality?

Wilhlem Leibl (1844-1900), Die Spinnerin/Woman spinning, 1892, Museum der Bildenen Künste, Leipzig