back to article A big day for the ESA: Sentinel snaps and ExoMars brakes

If you're trying to sell something to the European Space Agency, today could be the day to move in and close the deal because there should be smiles all round after two missions achieved important milestones. The most visible achievement is depicted above (here for mobile readers): the Italian port city of Brindisi, as …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    from wikipedia:

    The Latin name Brundisium comes from the Greek Brentesion (Βρεντήσιον) meaning "deer's head"

    Nothing to with toasting, unless you have a pub nearby called "The Stag's head"

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: from Google Translate

      Fare un brindisi - Make a toast

      While you (or rather Wikipedia) is probably right about the etymology of the name, a quick translation yields "toast" nowadays. As that fits the occasion quite nicely, I'd say we should let ESA have its fun.

  2. John Brown (no body) Silver badge
    Coat

    ExoMars...as the mission starts to slow down.

    Surely to go into a lower orbit you speed up?

    1. BristolBachelor Gold badge
      Boffin

      Re: ExoMars...as the mission starts to slow down.

      Nope; you slow down. Imagine that you swing a weight on a string around you. As you go slower, the circles are smaller, and as you go faster, the circles are larger. It's not exactly for the same reason, but the visualisation may help.

      Note that speed up and slow down here refer to the speed of the object; not the time per orbit.

  3. BristolBachelor Gold badge

    Sentinels

    Note that this isn't the second Sentinel satellite. However, it is the 2nd Sentinel 2. There are also 2 Sentinel 1s (1A and 1B), and there is a Sentinel 3A already in orbit. Sentinel 2C is currently in manufacture as well. The Sentinel 4s are due to go up with MTG-S, so are still a few years off, and Sentinel 5 will go up even later on Metop (although they'll be a Sentinel 5-precursor to start getting data sooner). Sentinel 6 will be the new Jason in combination with the NASA.

    1. allthecoolshortnamesweretaken

      Re: Sentinels

      Maybe it's just me, but I find that confusing.

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