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2008 |
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04/02/2008
Telespazio and MARS Center take part in scientific experiments on board the International Space Station
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Through its subsidiary MARS Center (Microgravity
Advanced Research and Support Center)
Telespazio, a Finmeccanica/Thales company,
is set to take part in scientific experiments
to be conducted on board the International
Space Station (ISS).
NASA’s Space Shuttle Atlantis, after been postponed twice in December, will set off on mission STS-122 on 7 February 2008 at 9.45 pm Italian time. The main goal of the mission will be to install the Columbus module, built in Italy by Thales Alenia Space, on the International Space Station.
The Naples-based MARS Center, which is 100% controlled by Telespazio, was given the role of Facility Responsible Center by the European Space Agency (ESA) for the Fluid Science Laboratory that will operate in the Columbus module. The laboratory will conduct experiments into the behaviour of fluids in microgravity. The experiments will be carried out both by the astronauts on board the ISS, and by MARS operators via commands sent from the control room in Naples.
The MARS Center will be responsible for running the Fluid Science Laboratory during operations on board the ISS, and will be required to co-ordinate all the pre-mission activities, prepare the experiments and promote the scientific use of the facility itself to potential customers.
The MARS Center will be actively involved in Geoflow, the first experiment to be carried out inside the Columbus module, which will simulate the geophysical characteristics of the Earth’s liquid core. The aim is to gain a better understanding of the phenomena generated by the Earth’s magnetic field.
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