[SatNews] Clad in white to stay cool, these modules making up BepiColombo—the ESA–Japan mission to scorching Mercury—will be on show to the public at this Sunday’s ESTEC Open Day, part of World Space Week.
Two out of three modules of the ESA-JAXA BepiColombo mission to Mercury, due to launch in 2015. The Mercury Transfer Module, bottom, will transport the mission to Mercury orbit using chemical and electric propulsion. The Mercury Planetary Orbiter, above it, will image the planet with a variety of cameras and spectrometers. In addition an additional module, Japan's Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter, not seen here, will study Mercury's mysteriously strong magnetic field.
Photo courtesy of ESA.
This is the ‘engineering model’ of the spacecraft, basically identical to the flight model but built specifically for testing.
The Mercury Transfer Module, bottom, will transport the mission to Mercury using chemical and electric thrusters. The Mercury Planetary Orbiter, above it, will study the planet with a variety of cameras and other sensors.
An additional module, Japan’s Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter, not seen here, will study Mercury’s mysteriously strong magnetic field.
BepiColombo is on display as part of the ESTEC Open Day this Sunday, when ESA’s technical heart opens its doors to the public. Visitors will have a chance to meet astronauts, talk to the scientists and engineers designing and running ESA missions, and handle retrieved hardware that has flown in space.
Visitors have to register through this link: http://www.esa.int/estecopenday2013. As the total number of visitors must be limited, to ensure a great experience for all who do attend, book as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.