After 16 years spent gathering a wealth of data that has revolutionized our understanding of Earth, ESA's veteran ERS-2 satellite is being retired. This pioneering mission has not only advanced science, but also forged the technologies we now rely on for monitoring our planet.
ERS-2 was launched in 1995, following its sister, the first European Remote Sensing satellite, which was launched four years earlier.
Carrying suites of sophisticated instruments to study the complexities of the atmosphere, land, oceans and polar ice, these two missions were the most advanced of their time, putting Europe firmly at the forefront of Earth observation.
The twin satellites were identical, apart from ERS-2's additional instrument to monitor ozone in the atmosphere. Both exceeded their design lifetime by far, together delivering a 20-year stream of continuous data.
In 2000, ERS-1 unexpectedly stopped working and now it is time to bid farewell to ERS-2 before it succumbs to a similar fate. (...)
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Image Caption: ERS-2 satellite prior to launch. ERS-2 was launched in 1995, following its sister, the first European Remote Sensing satellite ERS-1, which was launched in 1991. The two satellites were designed as identical twins with one important difference – ERS-2 included an extra instrument to monitor ozone levels in the atmosphere. Credits: ESA
Posted on: Tuesday, 5 July 2011, 13:08 CDT
Read more http://www.redorbit.com/news/space/2074346/pioneering_ers_environment_satellite_retires/
ERS-2 was launched in 1995, following its sister, the first European Remote Sensing satellite, which was launched four years earlier.
Carrying suites of sophisticated instruments to study the complexities of the atmosphere, land, oceans and polar ice, these two missions were the most advanced of their time, putting Europe firmly at the forefront of Earth observation.
The twin satellites were identical, apart from ERS-2's additional instrument to monitor ozone in the atmosphere. Both exceeded their design lifetime by far, together delivering a 20-year stream of continuous data.
In 2000, ERS-1 unexpectedly stopped working and now it is time to bid farewell to ERS-2 before it succumbs to a similar fate. (...)
---
Image Caption: ERS-2 satellite prior to launch. ERS-2 was launched in 1995, following its sister, the first European Remote Sensing satellite ERS-1, which was launched in 1991. The two satellites were designed as identical twins with one important difference – ERS-2 included an extra instrument to monitor ozone levels in the atmosphere. Credits: ESA
Posted on: Tuesday, 5 July 2011, 13:08 CDT
Read more http://www.redorbit.com/news/space/2074346/pioneering_ers_environment_satellite_retires/
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