European Shock-Tube for High Enthalpy Research

Reports from the research team

European Shock-Tube for High Enthalpy Research - Reports from the research team

Category Archives: events

Ready!

The ESTHER hosting laboratory is at last ready! Only some minor works remain to be done, such as the painting of the technical floor panels, as well as the testing of the electrical and ventilation equipments,

Please join us in a little walktrough on the building interior, before it is filled with the corresponding scientific equipment!

Dump Tank and Gas Bottles rooms

Door to the Experimental Hall

Experimental Hall view (1/2)

Experimental Hall view (2/2)

Technical Room view (1/2)

Technical Room view (2/2)

Bathroom view

Preparation Room view (1/2)

Preparation Room view (2/2)

Control Room view (1/2)

Control Room view (2/2)

Meeting Room view

Entry Corridor view (1/2)

Entry Corridor view (2/2)

Main Building Entry

View of the Building Rooftop

Mars Science Laboratory scheduled to enter Mars Atmosphere in a few hours

The NASA spacecraft Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) is fast approaching Planet Mars. If everything goes according to plan, the spacecraft will successfully enter Mars atmosphere and deploy the nearly 1Tonne rover Curiosity in the surface of the Gale Crater.

With a 4.5m diameter and a nearly 4Tonne Weight, Mars Science Laboratory is the largest spacecraft ever to enter Mars atmosphere, at an initial speed of 5.8km/s.

As with the past NASA PHOENIX mission, the ESA Mars EXPRESS spacecraft, currently orbiting planet Mars, will track the MSL spacecraft entry. However, unlike PHOENIX, Mars EXPRESS will be too far apart from the MSL entry point to properly track any optical entry signal. It will nevertheless track the radio signal of MSL up to the landing phase.

The ESTHER team expresses its best wishes of success to this unprecedented mission. In the upcoming decades, Planet Mars will be an important target for international scientific exploration, and the ESTHER Shock-Tube is expected to provide added insight on the physical-chemical processes in Martian-type CO2-N2 shocked flows.

Artist view of the MSL atmospheric entry

Artist view of the MSL atmospheric entry (source: NASA)

Artist view of Curiosity's "Sky Crane" manoeuver

Artist view of Curiosity’s “Sky Crane” manouever (source: NASA)

Ceremony for the opening of the Loures Campus of IST

The ceremony for the opening of the Loures Campus of IST has taken place today in the ITN campus, with the presence of the President of IST, Prof. Arlindo Oliveira, the President of the Science and Technology Foundation, Prof. Miguel Seabra, the Dean of the Technical University of Lisbon, Prof. António Cruz Serra, the Mayor of Loures, Eng. Carlos Teixeira, and the Secretary of State for Science, Prof.ª Leonor Parreira.

General view of the opening ceremony

General view of the opening ceremony

What better occasion for making a short jump to the construction site and witness the latest developments?

General view of the building front

General view of the building front

View of the building gas storage room

View of the building gas storage room

View of the future experimental hall with the shock-tube slab cradle

View of the future experimental hall with the shock-tube slab cradle

View of the future experimental hall

Detail of one of the anti-seismic pads holding the 40 Tonne slab in place

View of the future experimental hall

View of the future support rooms

Beginning of the ESTHER building construction

The construction of the ESTHER Shock-Tube hosting laboratory started yesterday (Tuesday 20th March).

A visit of the construction site has been carried out today, in company of Dr. Lionel Marraffa, who is supervising the project from the ESA side, and Prof. Vitor Leitão, the member of the directorate of IST in charge of the management and supervision of IST civil engineering works.

View of the construction site

Dr. Lionel Marraffa (ESA), Prof. Vitor Leitão (IST) and Dr. Mário Lino da Silva (IST-IPFN)

IST celebrates the 50th anniversary of the First Human Spaceflight

By the initiative of IST, Lisbon celebrates the 50th anniversary of the First Human Spaceflight. This year, Yuri’s Night has been organized in partnership between IST, IPFN, and Radio Zero.

Yuris Night program

The program of the celebrations includes:

– The premiere exhibition of the movie “First Orbit” in the central Hall of IST
– A thematic exposition about Mars imagery, also in the central Hall of IST
– The first seminar on SPACE: The Portuguese contribution for research and development
– a Yuri’s Night party in AEIST bar.

A presentation about the ESTHER project has been included in the seminar program. The PDF version of the presentation slides can be downloaded here.