'Jules Verne' to plunge into earth's atmosphere on Sept. 29

[Richard]

Mumbai (PTI): The European spacecraft 'Jules Verne' which recently spent five months docked to the International Space Station for delivering supplies, will plunge into Earth's atmosphere on September 29, according to National Space and Aeronautical Administration (NASA).

The 22-tonne 'Jules Verne' is about to become a fireball and on September 29, with NASA aircraft looking on, will plunge into Earth's atmosphere over the south Pacific Ocean and harmlessly disintegrate, NASA scientists said in Friday's alert news.

Jules Verne recently spent five months docked to the space station where it delivered supplies, used its engines help the station avoid a piece of space junk, and served as an impromptu bedroom for the ISS crew.

Mission was accomplished, and the doomed spacecraft is now making its final orbits around Earth glowing about as brightly as Polaris (the North Star).

US and European observers are favoured with flybys this weekend. Those interested to see Jules Verne can see the, website http://spaceweather.com/flybys.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/008...200306.htm

[Sily]

I have a bit of a strange post here, but I want to share:

1. I love spaceweather.com.  It's one of my fav sites.
2. The satellite tracker rocks.
   
3. Whatever unseen energy is behind the name or letters in "Jules Verne" appeals to me.

That's all.  :) That's all I wanted to say.

[Polly]

Sily, Jules Verne was crashed today.

http://www.earthfiles.com/

Jules Verne, Europe's 22-ton, biggest spacecraft, finished its 6-month mission of delivering supplies to the International Space Station in a controlled crash through the Earth's atmosphere today, turning into a disintegrating fireball as it plunged over the south Pacific Ocean. Two engine firings brought Jules Verne lower and its fiery descent was monitored by the European Space Agency's (ESA) freighter control center in Toulouse, France.

[Sily]

Bye bye Jules Verne.  Mission accomplished.

Polly, I've just come from spaceweather.com.  The picture of the "cloud of hot gas held in the grip of solar mag. fields" ----  well, I just wanted to say I'm seeing to the right a *figure*, arm outstretched in the gas.  *sigh*... it's been a long day, I suppose.

[Polly]

Sily, I see what you are seeing.  My mind looks for shapes when viewing stuff like that.  Clouds, gases, smoke, fire.  Wave hello to the figure.  icon_swinken

[Sily]

I'll wave....  icon_wave  Hello gas-cloud-forming-into-a-pointing, robe-wearing figure.