Jupiter Control Center

Hours before a European Space Agency Ariane 5 rocket launch, a computer monitor displays cryogenic data at the CDL3 launch centre at ESA's Space Centre at Kourou, French Guiana. It shows the status of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen propellant systems within a Vulcain engine. Stored in the launcher tanks and fed to the engine, they react chemically and expand in the engine combustion chamber then forced through the nozzle to provide the thrust that propels the vehicle into orbit. Cryogenic engines utilise propellants that are liquid under cryogenic conditions, at a temperature much lower than normal ambient conditions (-251°C for hydrogen and -184°C for oxygen). The advantage of cryogenic propellants is that they provide the highest thrust performance.

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esa_guiana05014-08-2007_1.jpg

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Richard Baker

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5315x3554 / 1.5MB

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French Guiana French Guyana colonial space technology reportage photojournalism science satellite launch rocket ESA Ariane 5 Kourou tropical equatorial orbital communications business aerospace European Space Agency Arianespace portal agency CNES port spatial European multinational co-operation international lancement complex mission commercial countdown Europropulsion payload launcher member states telecommunications navigation satnav GPS Spaceway 3 Hughes Lockheed-Martin BSAT-3 pre-flight preparations teamwork transportation transport vehicle industry work career job Richard Baker CDL3 center centre executive director telemetry trajectory hi-tech post code automated French Europe EU perspective scale facility French Space Agency high tall tower height exploration project spaceport cryogenic status monitor liquid oxygen liquid hydrogen propellant systems Vulcain engine combustion thrust temperatures propellants performance

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