Some updates:
1.
CHEOPS fairing sticker winning design
A colourful design capturing the essence of ESA's CHEOPS mission, which will measure the size of planets as they cross in front of their parent stars, has been selected for the rocket carrying the satellite into space.
The design will be placed, together with ESA's and other logos, on the Soyuz rocket's fairing, the tough outer shell that protects the satellite during launch and as it passes through the atmosphere into space.
The winning designer, Denis Vrenko of Celje, Slovenia, is a 25 year-old graphic designer and final-year architecture student at the University of Ljubljana.
2.
Arrived at Madrid!
Members of the CHEOPS consortium could be proud of their achievement as the science instrument of the upcoming exoplanet mission left Bern on its journey to Madrid last month.
The science instrument and its tailor-made handling equipment left Switzerland by truck in six containers, designed to provide protection from shock, moisture and dust, on 10 April 2018. Its safe arrival in Spain the following day marked a key milestone for the CHEOPS project and enabled Airbus Defence and Space Spain, the prime contractor that has designed the spacecraft, to integrate the science instrument and the spacecraft platform and begin test activities.
The science instrument, including among other elements the telescope and Charge Coupled Detector, or CCD, cannot operate without the satellite platform, which comprises solar panels, thrusters, radio transmitters and reaction wheels for providing power, propulsion, communications and attitude control.
One of two CHEOPS plaques that will carry children's drawings into space.
Credit: ESA/Boffin Media
The CHEOPS spacecraft during baffle cover alignment at Airbus Defence and Space Spain.
Credit: Airbus Defence and Space Spain
Oh, and lastly, we have this:
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuJMt-r4atU"]Cheops: how to build a planet-watcher model - YouTube[/ame]
The music is... hmm... :lol: