GOCE

GOCE (Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer) is an human made satellite that will map the gravity variation of earth.
It will also map the streams of the oceans and sea's of Earth.
GOCE accelerates by an ion thruster, just like Dawn accelerates.
GOCE is sometimes called: the sexy satellite, because of it's sience fiction likely shape.
==Launch==
The launch was successfully finished on 17 March,14:21 GMT, 2009 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia.
A old Rockot broad GOCE itnto space. the CCCP have also ussed the rocket.
At 295 Km above earth, the main rocket and the upper part of the rocket were separated.
==The Satellite==
===gradiometer===
===ion thuster===
main article: Ion thruster
GOCE is driven by an xenon ion thruster.
an ion thruster produces very, very few horse powers.
It is comparable with the power that an A4 paper pushes your hand down when it is laying on your hand.
Although after a long time it can accelerate an spacecraft up to 11 km/s.
==Gallery of GOCE==
main article: Gallery of GOCE
Image:GOCE 1.jpg
Image:GOCE 2.jpg
Image:GOCE 3.jpg
Image:GOCE 4.JPG
==See also==
*Gravitation
*Ion thruster
==References==
Category:Artificial satellites