omega tau » satellites

/26/ Satellite Buses

admin — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:53:53 +0000

This is an episode on how satellites work with James Penson from Surrey Satellite Technology. Specifically we talk about satellite buses, the infrastructure part of the satellite on which the (typically scientific) payload is mounted. The conversation covers structure, thermal protection, energy supply, communication, guidance and attitude control as well as propulsion. This will be the last episode on space related topics for the time being :-)

/23/ Ares Orion and Small Satellites at NASA Ames

admin — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 19:19:24 +0000

This is the third and final episode covering the interviews I did when I was visiting NASA Ames. It consits of two interviews. The first one is about Ames’ involvement in the Ares/Orion projects which are part of the Constellation moon/mars exploration programme. I talk about this with Dr. George Sarver. The second part of the episode covers small satellites and why they are becoming more and more important (compared to traditional, larger satellites). In this part, my guest is Elwood Agasid.

/21/ Space Mission Control at ESA’s ESOC

admin — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:25:47 +0000

This episode covers my visit at the European Space Agency’s (ESA) European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt,Germany. After a short tour of the facilities with Andreas Schepers I had the chance to interview Uwe Feucht (Head of Flight Dynamics Division) on space flight dynamics and Paolo Ferri (Headof the Solar and Planetary Missions Division) on Mars Express, Venus Express and Rosetta.

Keplers Law of Planetary Motion
Orbital Classifications
Escape Velocity
Gravity Assist/Swing-By
Special Relativity
Rosetta at ESA and at Wikipedia
Mars Express at ESA and at Wikipedia
Venus Express at ESA and at Wikipedia
Ulysses at ESA and at Wikipedia
Cluster Mission at ESA and at Wikipedia