A nice note sent in by ESA’s Charlotte Beskow from the team in Kourou working on ATV-5 – Ed.

This morning (9 May) we took a ‘family picture’!

The people present in Koruou took a short break from the activities of the day and gathered for the traditional family picture before ATV transfer. A sure sign that we are approaching the moment when ATV preparation activities have reached the point where we are ready for fuelling (transfer to the filling hall at Kourou is planned before the end of this week).

The traditional 'family' photo of everyone working on ATV-5 in Kourou, just prior to fuelling. Credit: ESA

The traditional ‘family’ photo of everyone working on ATV-5 in Kourou, just prior to fuelling. Credit: ESA

ATV-5 itself is hidden behind the people, but you can see it above the heads of those in the top row.

Even though the picture is hardly a close-up, it is easy to see the smile on everyone’s faces.

— Charlotte