June 6, 2012 — It is getting cosmic around here! VPT is powering systems on ESAs Venus Express, launched in 2005. Yesterday and today this spacecraft was busy taking measurements during the transit of Venus across the Sun.
According to the Venus Express blog, the spacecraft orbiting Venus is measuring sunlight as it filters through Venus atmosphere, revealing the concentration of different gas molecules at different altitudes. Simultaneous ground-based measurements will be compared with Venus Express data to test techniques use to characterize rocky Earth-size planets.
Read more on Venus Express here: http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/area/index.cfm?fareaid=64.
