(C18) Spacecraft finalisation before transfer to fuelling facility

All health checks, safety and functional tests have now been completed in S1B by the ThalesAleniaSpace team. Though few integration activities remains to be done (integration of the pyro arming, thermal blanket finalisation...), the spacecraft is about to be ready for a new phase of the campaign: the transfer to the fuelling facility (S5B). This move is nominally foreseen by end of next week. The few pictures below show MSG-4 close to its flight configuration before the transfer on the CCU (Container de Charge utile/Payload Container).

Some spacecraft areas have now been unveiled like the Main Communication Platform (MCP) where the UHF antenna are fully visible (white crosses), These antennas are used for Search and Rescue functions (detection of distress signals emitted by radio beacons).

 

Solar Array Panels are now visible as the protection covers have been removed. In the center, the rectangular thermal windows still need to be integrated. On the bottom of the spacecraft, the Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) are still covered with their blue caps.

 

Below, a full view on the spacecraft as it looks on Saturday 30/05 in the S1B High bay. Few "Red tag items" or Non Flight items can still be seen (e.g. red cover on the SEVIRI baffle cover, or caps on the thrusters...).

 

III - Forever spinning … Starry nights

Who has not been fascinated by starry skies? If the Nebra sky disc is supposed to be one of the oldest cosmic representation, its interpretation remains cryptic. Does it really tell us how/what early human generations did understand about the celestial mechanics? More than describing the spinning sky, the disc seems to show the different evolution of the moon crescent among few stars…

Nebra sky disc, froze 30cm diameter, ca 1600 BCE,

Credit Wikipedia

Before applying scientific methods and using tools for their investigations, our ancestors did also see in the sky all kind of fairy animals being the active players of  mythological legends. The play was repeated every night, all along the year, with noticeable differences according to the seasons... a rich matter for well inspired artists!

Andreas Cellarius, Südlich Sternhimmel (from Marmonia Macrocosmica,1660),

Stadtbibliothek zu Berlin

Today, large telescopes and satellites are used to look at the deep space. This is the modern way to try to better understand our universe (including Earth). In the picture below, the spinning move of the Earth can be recorded  with a camera pointing a the pole with a long pause.

Starry night at ESO, Very Large Telescope, 23/08/2010 

Credit: ESO

Coming back to the artist's impression, who better than Vincent Van Gogh has represented the spinning moves of the starry night...The spinning effect is produced by an amplified deformation of the reality. This effect of distortion produced on our senses will be developed any further by various German Expressionist groups just after the turn of the XXth century.

Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890), starry night, 1889, 

The Museum of Modern Art, NY

Robert Delaunay may give us in his painting below a modern artist version of the Nebra disc (elementary circular shapes or geometrical fragments). His work is mainly based on  abstraction. Tough the title uses "figurative" words (Sun and Moon) does this representation still give any feeling of spinning?

Robert Delaunay (1885-1941), Formes circulaires, Soleil, lune, 1912/13,

Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam

Finally, Paul McCartney  tells us also something on  the "spinning world" in the lyrics of the song the "Fool on the hill" composed in 1967:

"but the fool on the hill 

Sees the sun going down 

And the eyes in his head 

See the world spinning round"

This short trip simply invites us to keep on admiring with kids' eyes all  kinds of "forever spinning" starry skies...

(C17) Antenna Connection Test

On 28/05, the Antenna Connection Test (ACT) was successfully performed. This test is performed to validate the connection of the top antennas' already mentioned in a previous message (C13). For this test, the Spacecraft is configured  very close to  its  flight configuration: Solar Array Panel (SAP) protections have been removed, as well as few Non Flight items that could interfere with the test.The horns on the RF mast are facing the spacecraft top antennas'. The set up of this test can be seen below.

Credits: ThalesAleniaSpace

Claude and Anthony from the ThalesAleniaSapce team preparing the ACT

During the Antenna Connection Test, top antennas' (TT&C and TPA) are tested in emission (S-Band TTC and L-Band TPA) and reception (S-Band TPA). As the Spacecraft is emitting, the procedure requires to check the electromagnetic field a certain distance of the spacecraft during the test.

Credits: ThalesAleniaSpace

Patrick form the ThalesAleniaSpace team measuring the electromagnetic field around the spacecraft

Successful VA-223 Launch !

On 27/05/2015 @ 18:16 an Ariane 5 launcher lifted-off from the CSG European Spaceport in Kourou to put in orbit two TV satellites: Direct TV-15 and Sky Mexico-1 respectively built by Airbus Defense and Space and Orbital ATK.

The launch was seen from the "Toucan" observation point (ca 5 kms for the ELA-3 launch pad where the pictures below have been taken.

VA-223 on the ELA-3 launch pad @17:44 (local time)

VA-223 few seconds after lift-off

Already gone...

Fumes left over on the ELA-3 launch pad after the VA-223 lift-off

Today, the success of the VA-223 is an important milestone for MSG-4 which will be taken to orbit by the next Ariane 5 launch (VA-224 mission) early July. In between, a Vega launch with an ESA/EU spacecraft (Sentinel-2) on-board is scheduled.

(C16) Electrical test of the solar array panels

After the integration of the Solar Array Pannels (SAP), an electrical test called "flood test" was performed today (27/05). The light of the S1B high bay was switched off. Then one SAP after the other is illuminated with a powerful lamp for a short period of time. As the spacecraft is switched on and there is no light in the room, the battery discharges. This sudden intense light causes a flow of current all over the panel and a slight modification of the battery discharge current. This test validates the proper installation, connection and the good working of the SAP. On the picture below, the cover protection over the SEVIRI panel has been removed to perform the electrical flood test (metaphor of water flood as the flow of current spread over the panel?).

Here below, one can see the full test set up with the lamp with low intensity,

Thales team performing the flood test on MSG-4 in dark S1B

...and then with the high intensity needed for the test.

For each panel, the flood test lasts few seconds just the time needed to check and record the electrical values as required by the procedure.

(C15) Integration of the Solar Array panels

The eight Solar Array panels (7 Standard and 1 SEVIRI) have been integrated on 26/05. The first panel to be installed is the SEVIRI one. This panel is different from the other ones and can be easily recognised by the oval shape of the opening that will fit around the SEVIRI imager aperture.

 Anthony and Mickey from the Thales team preparing the mounting of the SEVIRI panel 

In the integration sequence, panels are installed with an empty interval to allow a better accessibility for the operators...

...but as showed below, the last ones remain always tricky to mount and to connect. One can also notice that  the SEVIRI panel is slightly larger than the Standard panels. The reason is explained in MSG for dummies :-)

 

Mamadou and Max  from the Thales team mounting the last panel

Activity has been successfully completed today (26/05). The protective covers giving this silver appearance are still in place over the Solar Array panels and will be removed soon for the next series of tests (RF test).

(C14) Spacecraft inspection before mounting the Solar Array Panels

MSG-4 has been thoroughly inspected today (25/05) as the interior of the Spacecraft will not be accessible anymore as from tomorrow (26/05) when  the eight solar array panels will be mounted all around the spacecraft. Therefore, cleanliness, connectors, harness, flight and non flight items, thermal blankets (MLI)... have been checked before this integration activity can start.

 MSG-4 in S1B moved from horizontal to vertical position after inspection

This is the last chance to view the "naked" spacecraft before MSG-4 gets dressed to kill.

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Credits: Stéfane

Tortues Luth/Leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys Coriaceae, Dermochelydae), Remire-Montjoly beach, French Guiana, Saturday 23/05/2015, ca 21:00 

Note: All pictures taken with filtered red light, NO FLASH.