The ATV-5 shallow re-entry observing campaign web site :-
http://atv5.seti.org/
An impressive range of assets and instruments to make various observations
of the re-entry including the NASA DC-8 Airborne Laboratory.
http://atv5.seti.org/participants.html
ESA ATV-5 web site :-
http://blogs.esa.int/atv/
Quote:
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Originally Posted by NASA on ATV re-entry campaign
Science goals
In this proposed mission, the final moments of ATV-5 "Georges LeMaitre" will be observed in detail by a joint ESA-NASA airborne observation campaign. This will record the spacecraft's shallow reentry with a range of instruments in order to determine how the ATV-5 breaks up as it passes through the Earth's atmosphere. This information is invaluable for comparing with previously developed computer models of the ATV-5 reentry, which will help to enhance safety assessments of the future de-orbit of the International Space Station and the uncontrolled reentry of other ESA and NASA spacecraft.
It is envisioned that the mission will deploy imaging cameras on the International Space Station, looking down on the reentry, and on an airborne platform that will provide a side view of the reentry. The observations aim to characterize the fragmentation sequence for debris footprint evaluation and study the behavior of the spacecraft early during the descent, after loss of telemetry. Three breakup recorders provided by NASA, ESA and JAXA will monitor conditions inside the spacecraft before breakup and trace each one fragment path following the breakup.
This will be the only controlled reentry of a large spacecraft in some time to come.
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