ATV Re-entry Video

By Nancy Atkinson - September 30, 2008 at 6:30 AM UTC | Space Exploration
atv-reentry-03.jpg

A spectacular video recorded on September 29 shows the Jules Verne Automated Transfer Vehicle (A T V)plunging through Earth's atmosphere and breaking apart. It doesn't take long for the action to start -- about 7 seconds into the video, there's a bright flash -- which portrays the demise of the first and very successful space station freighter ship built by the European Space Agency. Two observation teams were chasing Jules Verne, in two separate aircraft, taking video and images. This video shows the spacecraft breaking up over the Pacific Ocean beginning at about 15:36 CEST. Below are more images, too:

Jules Verne launched on March 9, 2008 on an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana. The ATV delivered 6 tonnes of cargo to the International Space Station, and remained docked to the ISS for five months. During docked operations, it also performed a maneuver to help the ISS avoid a piece of space debris. For more info on Jules Verne see some of our past articles

here (yesterday's article about the deorbit)

, or here, describing

about how great it was

, and

here, when it pulled into port at the ISS.

Here's a few images of the breakup, and farther below is an image of the interior of Jules Verne as it was docked to the ISS, and finally, an image of the ATV as it undocked from the station on Sept. 5. Au revoir Jules Verne! [/caption]

[caption id="attachment_18815" align="alignnone" width="520" caption="A shower of debris results as the ATV continues its plunge through the atmosphere. Credit: ESA"]

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[caption id="attachment_18816" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Expedition 16 and 17 crewmembers inside Jules Verne ATV. Jules Verne is Europe's first Automated Transfer Vehicle. Jules Verne docked with the International Space Station on 3 April 2008. Credit: NASA"]

[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_18817" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="ATV after it undocked from the ISS on Sept. 5. Credit: NASA"]

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Source:

ESA

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com