GOCE

GOCE
mapping earth's gravity
Organization	ESA
Satellite Of	Earth
Launch	17 March,14:21 GMT, 2009
Launch Vehicle	Rockot
Mass	1,100 kg (2,400 lb)
Webpage	GOCE Home
Eccentricity	near circular
Inclination	96.70°
Periapsis	270 km (170 mi)

GOCE (Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer) is an human made satellite that will map the gravity variation of earth. It will also map the streams of the oceans and sea's of Earth. GOCE accelerates by an ion thruster, just like Dawn accelerates. GOCE is sometimes called: the sexy satellite, because of it's sience fiction likely shape.

Launch[]

The launch was successfully finished on 17 March,14:21 GMT, 2009 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia. A old Rockot broad GOCE itnto space. the CCCP have also ussed the rocket. At 295 Km above earth, the main rocket and the upper part of the rocket were separated.

The Satellite[]

gradiometer[]

ion thuster[]

main article: Ion thruster GOCE is driven by an xenon ion thruster. an ion thruster produces very, very few horse powers. It is comparable with the power that an A4 paper pushes your hand down when it is laying on your hand. Although after a long time it can accelerate an spacecraft up to 11 km/s.