December 2005 Top Stories
»» First light for the Venus Monitoring Camera
[Thursday, December 1, 2005] This image, taken by the Venus Monitoring Camera (VMC) during commissioning of the Venus Express instruments, shows Earth and Moon from 3.5 million kilometres away.
»» Venus Express Payload Commissioning Continues
[Monday, December 5, 2005] During the reporting period all the activities for the Near Earth Commissioning of the instruments have been conducted according to plan. The SPICAV instrument has been successfully switched ON for the first time.
»» MESSENGER Engine Burn Puts Spacecraft on Track for Venus
[Monday, December 12, 2005] NASA's Mercury-bound MESSENGER spacecraft successfully fired its large bipropellant thruster today for the first time since launch, completing the first of several critical deep space maneuvers that will help the spacecraft reach Mercury orbit.
»» Venus Express Status Report for Period 2 to 8 December 2005
[Sunday, December 18, 2005] During the reporting period all the activities for the Near Earth Commissioning of the instruments have been conducted according to the plan.
»» Last Chance to Send Us a Postcard from Venus!
[Monday, December 19, 2005] Less than a month remains to submit entries to The Planetary Society's Venus Express Art contest, which ends January 13, 2006.
