HR: 12:05h
AN: G32A-08    [Abstracts]
TI: GOCE: ESA's gravity mission getting ready for launch
AU: Floberghagen, R
EM: rune.floberghagen@esa.int
AF: European Space Agency/ESRIN, Via Galileo Galilei, Frascati, 00044, Italy
AU: * Muzi, D
EM: danilo.muzi@esa.int
AF: European Space Agency/ESTEC, Keplerlaan 1, Noordwijk, 2200 AG, Netherlands
AB: The Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) Mission is the first Earth Explorer Core mission of the Living Planet programme of the European Space Agency (ESA). The satellite is in the final stages of testing and is getting ready for launch in spring of 2008. The primary objective of the GOCE mission is to provide global and regional models of the Earth gravity field and the geoid, its reference equipotential surface, with unprecendented spatial resolution and accuracy. The high resolution static gravity field and gravimetric geoid measured by GOCE will stimulate research in a wide range of disciplines spanning studies of ocean circulation, cryosphere, solid-earth physics, natural hazards, geodesy and surveying. In this paper we will present the status of the development and testing activities of the GOCE satellite proto-flight model, the instruments and the ground segment elements, including the expected performance of the GOCE data products.
UR: http://www.esa.int/livingplanet/goce
DE: 1200 GEODESY AND GRAVITY
DE: 1214 Geopotential theory and determination (0903)
DE: 1219 Gravity anomalies and Earth structure (0920, 7205, 7240)
DE: 1222 Ocean monitoring with geodetic techniques (1225, 1641, 3010, 4532, 4556, 4560, 6959)
DE: 1294 Instruments and techniques
SC: Geodesy [G]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting