(C25) Fueling completed

Today (20/06), the MSG-4 fueling with MON (oxidizer) and MMH (Fuel) has been successfully completed at ca 15:00 in the S5B facility. This important milestone in the Launch Campaign has been achieved by the highly qualified ThalesAleniaSpace team. A family picture of this outstanding team including the ESA support has been made for this special occasion.

The Thales fueling team, from left to right:

Maurice, Gérald, Jean-Pierre, Eric, Eric, Sébastien, Stéphane, Ferran (ESA)
Credits: Ferran

Congratulations to all!

(C24) MON filling completed

The first step of the MSG-4 fueling has been successfully completed on 18/06 with the filling of 603.3 kgs of MON by the ThalesAleniaSpace fueling team. The following professional pictures released by the CSG offer a better view than the ones of the previous post on this complex activity performed the last two day.

 

 

 

 

All pictures credits: ESA/AE/CSG

Half of the fueling work is done. The next step will be the MMH filling to be completed by 20/06.

(C23) MSG-4 fueling has started

Today (17/06), the first step of the MSG-4 fueling has started with the oxidizer (MON) filling. The next step will be the fuel (MMH) filling. These activities will be completed by 20/06. These operations are hazardous and require specialised personnel to work in a tight spacesuits (also called SCAPE suits). A fueling session lasts four hours, then a second team enters the S5B high bay to take over. The pictures below were taken from the TV monitors located in the S1B; this explains why they are not so sharp.

 

1- Checking the connection between MON Drum/Fueling equipment and the spacecraft

 

2- First drops of MON were poured in the spacecraft tanks on 17/06/2015@ 10:37

3- Operators have short pauses to recover of the physical demand as the SCAPE suits are heavy and tiring to wear

An important week for the project and an important date in the launch campaign!

Camouflage

Rain forest, swamps, flooded savannas, creeks, rainy seasons, makes French Guiana a paradise for "froggies" :-). Frogs are generally not scared by walkers and can be easily approached for observations. This gives opportunities to admire their camouflage strategies. The few ones shown below belong to the "grenouilles feuilles" family or Long-nose horned frogs (Megophrys Nasuta). This term reflects their ability to look like the leaves where they normal sit on to hide and catch food…

MSG-4 Launcher transferred for BIL to BAF

Today (16/06) the Ariane 5 launcher for the Flight VA-224 has been transferred for the Launcher Integration building (BIL) to the Final Assembly Building (BAF). In this last facility, the two spacecrafts StarOneC4 and MSG-4 will be mated on the launcher respectively in upper and lower positions. Our colleague Christian witnessed this event and forwarded the following pictures to the MSG-4 teams:

 

1-Overall view of the Ariane 5 Launcher during the transfer

 

2-Launcher between BIL and BAF seen from the Orchidée platform

 

3-View of the launcher during transfer from the CDL-3

4-Launcher in BAF

L'Auberge des Chutes Voltaire

The Chutes Voltaire is definitely a special place in French Guiana. Extremely different from the coastal savannas, this location offers a good insight of the rain forest combined with the unexpected show of a large water fall. The best way to enjoy this remote location is to overnight in the Auberge des Chutes Voltaire (Chutes Voltaire Inn) as a starting point for this excursion. This very nice inn can be reached after three hours driving on a mud road starting from Saint Laurent du Maroni.

Overal view of the inn

Few may enjoy a bed in one of the three available rooms located in a dedicated bungalow...

Rooms in the bungalow

whilst the other ones will have to sleep in hammock under the roof of a collective carbet. This is a unique experience to enjoy the "music" of the rain forest at night. Some will also discover that some birds may snore :-)

Hammock arrangement

The restaurant is located next to a cosy corner where it is nice to seat and chat before the meals. The large openings in the walls of the carbet offer gorgeous views on the garden.

Restaurant: view on the outside

But the view inside reveals another surprise: a nice fresco made by Dominique Jado in 1994. A special post will be dedicated to it.

Restaurant: inside view on the fresco

The garden with few trees with flashy flowers (Tulipier, Pommier d'eau...) attracts many kinds of birds. You may also have the chance to observe bands of toucans crossing the sky early morning and late afternoon. Their clumsy flight is so characteristic that you cannot miss them. On the left side, the creek with its sandy beach should not be forgotten. It is certainly a lovely place to have a swim when the water level is not too high.

The garden along the creek. high level of water during the rainy season

Last but not least, you will meet Eva who organises everything for her guests. Her kindness and her care for everything has made the short stay of the MSG teams quite enjoyable. Worth to mention, the food she prepares based on local ingredients is as imaginative as exquisite. Our guide, Pierre, should not be forgotten as well for all the things he learnt to the group during the excursion. Definitely an outstanding place to visit and a good start for the two hour walk to the Chutes Voltaire. It is a strange name for such a place isn't it? What is now sure is that the French Philosoph never slept in a hammock in this inn or even in the vicinity! We keep on investigating...

Gardens in Roura

Roura is a quiet and beautiful place twenty minutes drive after the Cayenne airport in the South-Eastern direction. It is a mandatory stop before the Kaw swamp (Marais de Kaw), another interesting excursion for nature lovers. This tiny city, located on a hilly area, concentrates many of the Guyanese peculiarities: old houses, trimmed gardens, river, creeks, flowers, birds, reptiles… From the church square, one can get dow to the bank of the Mahury river. It is definitely an attracting place for canoeing, fishing or just have "créole" meal and wander around looking for fauna and flora. All ingredients for a "Sunday postcard" and give you a flavor of the gardens in Roura.

View of the Mahury river from the church square

Palmiers du Voyageur, Ravenala Madagascariensis

Private garden along the road

Garden in front of the Presbytère

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Flowers of the Faux Flamboyant (Caesalpina Pulcherrima)