Waspie_Dwarf Posted October 22, 2013 #1 Share Posted October 22, 2013 Gaia: launch postponed 22 October 2013Due to recently-discovered technical issues, ESA has decided to perform additional verifications on its Gaia satellite, and therefore we have requested that Arianespace postpone the Gaia launch, currently scheduled for November 20, 2013.A new launch date will be announced as soon as the availability of the satellite is confirmed. Read more... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freetoroam Posted October 22, 2013 #2 Share Posted October 22, 2013 (edited) Does not say why, is it this: mass spectrometer was used to detect changes in the concentration of helium inside the envelope once pressurisation had occurred. Any rise above the baseline level of helium present in the atmosphere would have indicated a leak. No leaks were detected, but, to be certain, this test will be repeated at lower sensitivity once Gaia has arrived at the launch site, to ensure that no damage has occurred in transit. http://sci.esa.int/gaia/51955-journal-12-flight-model-testing-completed/ Seems some damage did occur in transit? Edited October 22, 2013 by Waspie_Dwarf Placed quoted text inside quote function. freetoraom, please use the quote function, it's what it is there for., Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waspie_Dwarf Posted October 22, 2013 Author #3 Share Posted October 22, 2013 Does not say why, is it this: Well since it does not say why that is a question that can't currently be answered. Seems some damage did occur in transit? Not necessarily. All satellites are incredibly complex devices. Delays due to technical issues are common and are rarely the result of damage in transit (see HERE for example). Without knowing what the technical issue is you can't logically come to that conclusion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freetoroam Posted October 23, 2013 #4 Share Posted October 23, 2013 Well since it does not say why that is a question that can't currently be answered. Not necessarily. All satellites are incredibly complex devices. Delays due to technical issues are common and are rarely the result of damage in transit (see HERE for example). Without knowing what the technical issue is you can't logically come to that conclusion. Wasn`t really a conclusion, such thought it could be, because according to the ESA article, all tests had been done and it was sound and ready to go, the only thing to do now was to transport it, and tests would have to be done again after the transportation in case damage occurred in transit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waspie_Dwarf Posted October 25, 2013 Author #5 Share Posted October 25, 2013 Wasn`t really a conclusion, such thought it could be, because according to the ESA article, all tests had been done and it was sound and ready to go, the only thing to do now was to transport it, and tests would have to be done again after the transportation in case damage occurred in transit. What you did was find a piece of information which you clearly did not understand about one single instrument on a hugely complex satellite, take it totally out of context and then jump to an illogical conclusion. Not only was it illogical, it was also (not surprisingly) 100% wrong. The problem was not with the instrument you highlighted. Gaia was not damaged in transit and the initial problem was not even on Gaia itself. (See below) Gaia launch postponement update 23 October 2013 Yesterday, the decision was taken to postpone the launch of ESA’s Gaia mission after a technical issue was identified in another satellite already in orbit.Gaia shares some of the components involved in this technical issue and prompt notification of this problem has allowed engineers working on the final preparations for Gaia’s launch to take additional precautionary measures. The issue concerns components used in two transponders on Gaia that generate ‘timing signals’ for downlinking the science telemetry. To avoid potential problems, they will be replaced. Read more... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freetoroam Posted October 25, 2013 #6 Share Posted October 25, 2013 And a good evening to you too Waspie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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