Power
GOCE has fixed solar panels, which will produce 1,300 W of power and cover the Sun-facing side of GOCE.
The ion propulsion electric engine, designed and built at QinetiQ's space centre in Farnborough, ejects xenon ions at velocities exceeding 40,000 m/s, which will compensate for the orbital decay losses. GOCE's mission will end when the 40 kg xenon fuel tank empties (with a predicted lifetime of about 20 months). However, the ESA has reported that unusually low solar activity (meaning a calmer upper atmosphere, and hence less drag on the craft) may mean the mission could extend past its predicted 20 months due to fuel savings - possibly into 2014.
The 5 m × 1 m frame incorporates the fixed solar panels as fins to stabilise the spacecraft while it orbits through the residual air in the ionosphere (also called thermosphere).
Read more about this topic: Gravity Field And Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer
Famous quotes containing the word power:
“It is better to have the power of self-protection than to depend on any man, whether he be the Governor in his chair of State, or the hunted outlaw wandering through the night, hungry and cold and with murder in his heart.”
—Lillie Devereux Blake (1835–1913)
“It recognizes no morality but a sham morality meant for deceit, no honor even among thieves and of a thievish sort, no force but physical force, no intellectual power but cunning, no disgrace but failure, no crime but stupidity.”
—Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924)
“Power, I said. Power to walk into the gold vaults of the nations, into the secrets of kings, into the holy of holies. Power to make multitudes run squealing in terror at the touch of my little invisible finger. Even the moon’s frightened of me. Frightened to death. The whole world’s frightened to death.”
—R.C. Sherriff (1896–1975)