If an asteroid were close in on our planet , we ’d cognize about it quickly thanks to a dedicated web of astronomers . But this week , the Near Earth Object Coordination Center ( NEOCC ) had its eyes fixed on something else : two Mars - hold spacecraft attempting to escape Earth ’s gravity well . And they did a bang - up job capturing the outcome in real - time .
ExoMars — a joint European and Russian commission that’llsearch for signboard of lifeon the Red Planet — boom off Earthaboard a Russian Proton rocket on Monday . Because of the complex serial publication of railway locomotive burns and orbital maneuvers needed to motivate the ballistic capsule out of Earth ’s cranial orbit , it was twelve anxiety - induct hours before the European Space Agency could announce thelaunch a success . But that long windowpane give the NEOCC a rare observing opportunity .
Using data on the predicted trajectory of ExoMars , the NEOCC determined that the spacecraft would be visible in the Southern cerebral hemisphere sky . mention mate around the earth were alerted , and over the course of the sidereal day , telescopes began to account sighting of a serial of bright objects streaking away from us . The composite image below shows ExoMars and a jettisoned fuel cooler , as see a few hour after launching by scope in Australia and New Zealand :
The coolest image by far , however , came subsequently in the day , when ExoMars was schedule to have a major locomotive engine sunburn that would finally propel it on an escapism trajectory . The OASI Observatory in Brazil get the event in military action . In the image below ( an annotated version of the one at the top ) , the ExoMars spacecraft are palisade by throw away fragments of the Proton projectile ’s upper stage . It ’s simply incredible that we have the ability to witness a flyspeck craft , shake off undesirable baggage as it moves by from us at 20,000 mi per 60 minutes :
The intact observing campaign mime what would happen if a obstinate asteroid , or amysterious lump of space trash , was on a hit course with our planet . It ’s solace to know that such a web exists and is ready to marshal in a jiffy should we discover a cosmic intruder on our doorstep . And if that same connection can occupy the role of a gravely badass spaceflight lensman ? Even considerably .
[ ESA ]
asteroidsAstronomyExoMarsrocketsSpaceSpaceflight
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