In Venus Express runs out of fuel

In the last few days the machine Venus Express несколько dangerous maneuvers with dipping into the upper atmosphere of Venus . Maneuvers may be the last for the spacecraft, but so far so good. ESA experts are hoping that Venus Express will be able to survive until 2015.

Initially, the unit starts the calculation of the period of work, the 2 + 2 (two nominal and two additional), but has already passed 8 years of successful operation. He corny running out of fuel, which makes it possible at last to take the risk and get valuable scientific information about our nearest neighbor planet,.

Venus Express has survived aerotormozhenie summer 2014 , thus reducing the period of revolution around the planet from 24 to 22 hours (and severely hampered life operators in the world, who work in shifts). For a whole month the unit dived into the atmosphere by about 100 seconds and surfaced again. During the dive, he declined up to an altitude of 130 km, although the nominal its orbit periapsis was 250 km. It should be noted that at a height of 165 and 130 km atmospheric density increases nearly 1,000 times.



Now the fuel is consumed more and more. Due to a combination of gravity of Venus and the Sun Venus Express periapsis constantly approaching the planet, plunging into the atmosphere of the satellite with devastating effect. Accounts on a daily basis include motors to lift it to a safe orbit (3-5 km per day).

Now everything depends on the fuel and oxidizer on board. According to the calculations, the oxidizer left 3 to 5 kg, with part of his may not be available due to the movement of fuel in the tanks. It is assumed that the need for new maneuvers 1, 4 kg to 2 kg of fuel and oxidant. Should suffice.

Even if you are successful maneuvers, after the depletion of fuel Venus Express mission will come to a natural end. This is very unfortunate, because the satellite is in excellent condition.

During his tenure, Venus Express made a number of discoveries . He found a surprisingly cold region in the upper atmosphere, as well as high-altitude ozone layer. Venus Express confirmed that Venus loses water from the upper atmosphere that supports the theory that once it was similar to the Earth.

In the upper atmosphere detected a variety of options of sulfur dioxide, and on the surface of Venus - the traces of volcanic activity in the last geological epoch.

Source: geektimes.ru/post/242184/