Here’s a listing of the planned manoeuvres to be performed by ATV Albert Einstein this week, leading up to its controlled destructive re-entry over the Pacific on Saturday, 2 November, around mid-day.
For background, read Mike Steinkopf’s detailed update (Update on first post-undocking manoeuvres) and note especially that, for the first time, ESA and NASA are planning to position the ISS such that the station’s downward-pointing video cameras (and, hopefully, the crew!) can watch the reentry as it happens in real-time.
Note that the times are in UTC (= CET-1 this week) and, as always, these are subject to change as the mission progresses.
Start | Est end | Est duration | |
TPO1 | 28/10/2013 20:06:22 | 28/10/2013 20:09:34 | 00:03:12 |
TPO2 | 28/10/2013 20:48:26 | 28/10/2013 20:51:38 | 00:03:12 |
MC1_1 | 31/10/2013 07:31:52 | 31/10/2013 07:34:36 | 00:02:44 |
MC1_2 | 31/10/2013 08:17:47 | 31/10/2013 08:20:31 | 00:02:44 |
TV1_1 | 01/11/2013 18:27:46 | 01/11/2013 18:31:46 | 00:04:00 |
TV1_2 | 01/11/2013 19:13:22 | 01/11/2013 19:17:22 | 00:04:00 |
On Saturday, 2 November, there will be two additional burns, the so-called ‘de-orbit burns’.
These will tip ATV out of its orbit, slow it down and allow it to be caught by the upper atmosphere and begin its controlled re-entry around mid-day.
And break up? ATV-CC estimates that Albert Einstein will meet its demise at around 80 km altitude, with any surviving fragments landing on the surface of the S. Pacific around 12:15 UTC (13:15 CET).
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