After successful exploration runs in 2013 and 2015 the Dutch polar cruise company Oceanwide Expeditions has announced two new expeditions to the Ross Sea in 2017. The ice-strengthened vessel “Ortelius” will be accommodated with helicopters for the two Antarctica cruises, sailing from the South-American continent to the Antarctic Peninsula, crossing the Polar Circle, further west to Peter I Island, sailing in the Bellingshausen sea along the ice-edge of “deep Antarctica” into the Ross Sea. The voyage continues to the uninhabited sub-Antarctic Campbell Island and ends after 32 days in New Zealand. The second cruise offers the same itinerary, but in reverse.
The Ross Sea Challenge
The Ross Sea region of Antarctica has always presented a dream but also a challenge to visit to explorers. The Ross Ice Shelf prevents a full seasonal operation and distances are enormous. Apart from the extremes, landing sites are still difficult to reach. “With the advantages of the “Ortelius” in combination with the use of helicopters, our travelers are having some great opportunities exploring Antarctica’s most fascinating sites”, says CEO Michel van Gessel.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7726051-oceanwide-expeditions-new-ross-sea/
Ball Aerospace successfully delivered the Joint Polar Satellite System-1 (JPSS-1), NOAA’s next-generation polar orbiting weather satellite, to Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Aug. 31, where it is scheduled to launch Nov. 10, 2017. This follows a successful pre-ship review with NASA at Ball’s Boulder, Colorado, manufacturing complex.
“The arrival of the spacecraft at Vandenberg is a tremendous milestone for the program and the culmination of excellent collaboration and hard work by the JPSS-1 team – NOAA, NASA, Ball, Harris, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman,” said Rob Strain, president, Ball Aerospace. “This advanced weather satellite will play a significant role in providing actionable environmental intelligence to decision makers in government and business, and to the general public.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/7703951-ball-aerospace-noaa-jpss-1-weather-satellite/
NOAA’s Joint Polar Satellite System-1 (JPSS-1) is encapsulated inside the fairing (nose cone) of a United Launch Alliance Delta II launch vehicle ready for lift off from Space Launch Complex-2W at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, on November 14, 2017 at 1:47 a.m., PST. JPSS-1 is a collaborative effort between NOAA and NASA.
“The JPSS-1 bus is based on our Ball Configurable Platform 2000, a proven, agile spacecraft, which has 50 years of on-orbit operations and is designed for cost-effective, remote sensing applications,” said Alex Chernushin, JPSS-1 Program Manager, Ball Aerospace. “JPSS-1 is the twelfth spacecraft built on this core architecture, including the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) spacecraft launched in 2011.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/7987651-ball-aerospace-joint-polar-satellite-system-jpss-1-launch/
