Few local restaurants

There is a large choice of restaurants in French Guiana. Though there are held by people from different origins (Chiese, Brazilian, Surinamese, Creolian...), some typical Guyenese dishes are often available on the menu, for instance: Pimentade d'accoupa, Grilled Mérou sauce chien (or maracuja), Ragout de cochon bois (Pécari or Pakira stew), Fricassée de poulet au curry (Chicken carry), Crevettes au lait de coco (Shrimps in coco milk), stuffed crab, Rougail de Porc (Porc Rougail) or boucané, etc... and  as side dishes, salade the couac, lentils, red or green beans, rice are the most frequent ones...
Never forget the gratin de papaye (or sometimes the choucroute de Papaye) which, when finely prepared, are so delicious that you would not be surprised to find them on the menu of a three star restaurant in Paris or Lyon...
Regardless the way they are prepared, ALL restaurants serve outsanding fish dishes. This can may be explained by the the fact that they are extremely fresh i.e. they are cooked (almost) the same day they are fished. Fishes seem to be still abondant along the Guyenese coasts and local fishing is not as massive as in in the rest of the world. On the top of that, fishing seems to be a national hobby here.
As far as meat is concerned, one can see cattle grazing around as we already reported in this blog. Mainly: zebus and water buffalos. Beef meat is also imported from Argentina (via Paris!). Games is very popular on the menu but fortunately controls punish regularly places that served protected species (click here to see the list of endangered species in French Guiana).
Funnily enough to be mentioned: No italian restaurants around, but pizzas are served everywhere and most of the time you would be amazed by the quality.
So in one word: Food in Grench Guiana is really a nice surprise to be discovered with a bit of patience, education and curiosity. Just dare, you will never be disappointed :-)
Last but not least we should never forget few talented members of the Thales crew who prepared meals for the whole team at certain points in the campaign. Namely Salvatore (speciality: Spaghetti ai gamberi), Gerard (Pissaladiere) and Roger (please pronounce "RoDger", don't forget the D). One of his numerous recipes is the Marinade d'Acoupa (he fished and prepared the fish himslef). Certainly the best guy to have with you if by mistake you get lost in the jungle or the rain forest :-)
The few pictures below will give an idea, not on the food, but about the atmosphere you will enjoy in the various restaurants which have been visited by the MSG-3 teams during the launch campaign.
1-Le Saramacca, quartier Simarouba, Kourou (French/Creolian)

2-Le karting, Kourou (French/Creolian). Excellent grill. MSG-3 "canteen". if you ask for Erci, you will be red carpet treated!

3-Chez Mathilde (Dominican Republic), Kourou, Pimentade de Mérou and Gratin de papye***

4-Le Mistral (Brazilian), Quartier Monnerville/Monnerville district, Kourou. Excellent Pancakes.

 5-Mansoa del dorado (Pure Creole), Mana. Don't look at the menu just listen Sylvain, he will advice the best you can have.

6-Chez Modestine (International local cuisine :-), Saint Georges sur Oyapock

7- Wayki Village (Creolian), Roura.  Marinade d'Acoupa à la tahitienne **

8-Oiapoque, Carbet restaurant on the river. The view is likely the best there.

9-Breakfast at Hotel Floresta, Oiapoque, Brazil. Gorgeous fruits ***

10-L'Ancre Bleue, Vieux Bourg, Kourou. Guyanese specialities for a very reasonable price.

11-Kaz Kréol, Au Grand Pavois, Montsinéry. Good cooking and service, extremely nice location

12-Le Massalé (Pure Creolian), Quartier de Roches/Roches district, Kourou
Photo to be published later
 
13-Restaurant of the Ariatel (Novotel), Kourou, nice location...

14-l'Oasis Plage, located in Remire-Monjoly, excellent shrimps prepared according a secret recipe :-)

15-La Belle Amédéee, 5900 route des plages, Remire Montjoly, Cayenne 97354

16-Le Delili, 68 Avenue des Iles, 97310 Kourou (Chinese)

17-Le Pakira, 22bis rue C. Verderosa, 97315 Sinnamary. Nice location with a carbet terrace situated along the river. Excellent Guyanese cuisine (Pimentade d'Acoupa, Columbo de porc…)

18-Le Perroquet, 1 rue Jérémy, 97356 Bourg de Montsinéry. Cuisine Créole. Beautiful view on the river

This list is of course not exhaustive and may surely be complemented by other nice discoveries...

Dress Rehearsal

The Dress Reheasal is an overall rehearsal of the countdown as it will take place at L-0 (Launch day). It starts 9 hours before the launch. The virtual launch today was planned at 14:00 Kourou time. Then, the dress rehearsal started today at 5:00 am. An early wake up for some of the team members to make the first connection with ESOC (Germany).
There are many centres involved in the coundown rehearsal as showed by the list below:
In CSG (French Guiana):

• Jupiter II (Control Center)
• LBC-1 (The place where all the MSG-3 data are monitored)
• CDL-3 (Centre de Lancement-3/Launch Center)
• Meteo/Weather forecast station

 In Darmstadt (Germany):

• ESOC
• EUMETSAT

...and all stations (under ESOC control) required to track the spacecraft trajectory after orbit injection:

• Malindi or Melinde (Kenya)
• Perth (Australia)
• Maspalomas (Spain)
• Kourou (French Guiana)

Here below a picture at the LBC-1 @ 07:26 am (29/06/2012)

An overall external view of the Jupiter building

General overview inside the control room inside Jupiter

A close up on the "MSG-3 corner"

On the foreground from left to right: Francois (ESA), Jean-Claude, Christian (EUMETSAT)
On the background: Stéfane (ESA), Denis (Thales), and Béatrice (Arianespace)
Then, back to LBC-1...
At 16:48 , Kourour time, i.e.12 minutes before lift-off! all lights are "green" in the LBC-1.

00:00.00 : launch time. Fortunately nothing happened today :-)
However, the simulation carries on with the mission of the launcher till the separation of MSG-3 and Echostar-17 spacecrafts from the launcher. This lasts about 30 minutes. Done.
Another usefull and succesfull day.

Fairing got labelled

On 28/06/2012, while the secret story related to launcher preparation was continuing in BAF :-), activities performed on the payload remained limited to RF (Radio Frequency) testing. The purpose was to check the communication link with MSG-3 encapsulated on the launcher. The montoring was done from the LBC-1 at the EPCU S5, the room where stands all the equipment bays (EGSE). After few adjustements of the test set up in the BAF, the correct levels were obtained.
On the same day, one could also noticed a more visible activity in the BAF: the installation of the paylod stickers onto the fairing.
Echostar XVII in upper position

and MSG-3 just below.

VA 207 launcher got (almost) labelled!
Tomorrow 29/06/2012 (Launch -4 working days) a significant activity will take place: The Dress Rehearsal, i.e. the rehearsal of the launch countdown. Some of the team will have to wake up very early as the connection between CSG and  ESOC, the European space Operations Centre located in Darmstadt, Germany, will be made around 05:00 am (Kourou time)...

MSG-3 encapsulation completed

This is the platform at the 11th floor of the BAF where MSG-3 was left yesterday (26/06/2012) after mating on the top of the Ariane 5 launcher...

Few mechanical operations had still to be done: namely, the finalisation of the thermal blanket (MLI) on the top of the spacecraft as well as the removal of the last Non Flight items (also known as red tag items). At that point, MSG-3 reached its flight configuration.
Today 27/06/2012, was the last chance to see MSG-3, "dressed to kill", before the encapsulation in the upper composite (fairing) started.

In the meantime, MSG-3 co-passenger (Echostar-17) was put in the upper part of the fairing on the ground floor of the BAF.
The half loaded fairing had to be lifted from ground Zero through this large chimney to reach the 11th floor of the BAF or the PFEI (Platforme Elévatrice Inférieure/Lower Platform) where stands MSG-3.

1- Here below, the upper composite is reaching the PFES (PlateForme Elévatrice Supérieure/Upper Plaform), on the top of the PFEI.

2-Moving the upper composite laterally to align the fairing with MSG-3

3-Alignment OK,

4-Moving the fairing down

5-Below, one can see that encapsulation is almost done. The fairing is left for about 1 hour  and a half few centimeters away from the launcher in order to perform the last electrical connections beween the upper composite and the launcher equipment bay. This position is secured with shims. Then, the final phase of the encapsulation can take place.

6-On 27/06/2012 @ 16:00 encapsulation of both spacecrafts, Echostar-17 in upper position and MSG-3 in lower position was completed.

The next step is to put in place and torque 420 screws and bolts around fairing flange to firmly fix the upper composite (loaded fairing) to the launcher. As you can see, the (swiss) army of crews and washers is ready on the table for this purpose :-)

In the next days, few operations will take place  to make sure that our "baby" on the rocket can still communicate with the base. As from today one thing is sure, MSG-3 will strart to live its own life...

MSG-3 mated on Ariane 5

After its transfer to BAF yesterday evening, MSG-3 was mated on the top of the Ariane 5 ECA launcher today 26/06/2012 @ at 09:34 am (CSG time). As these operations are under Arianespace responsibility, (very) few persons only form the MSG-3 launch campaign team were authorised to witness this activity.
The following pictures were taken directly form the TV monitor available in EPCU S5 but give a a rather good idea of this exciting event.
1-MSG-3 lifting to the top of the BAF

 2-Getting slowly down to the level of the PFES (Platform Elévatrice Supérieure/Upper platform). Note the large grey hose on the floor (formerly called "Boa") that will be used in BAF to cool down the batteries during charging activities.

3-Successful MSG-3 mating on the top of the Ariane 5 launcher at the level of the PFEI (PlateForme Elévatrice Inférieure/ Lower Platform).

Another view (from top with Camera#1). Both operating platfomrs can be seen (PFES and PFEI)

Activities will continue with the TAS MSG-3 team with the Spacecraft inspection and the review of the last flight and Non flight items...

MSG-3 moved to the BAF!

The last activity before MSG-3 is transferred to BAF (Final Assembly Building) took place on 25/06/2012 at the EPCU S5B where the spacecraft and its flight adaptor were integrated in the CCU-2 (Container de Charge Utile/Payload Container). The CCU-2 is then loaded on the trailer platform that will be tugged by a truck up to the BAF.
The CCU-2 has already been evoked several times in this blog. Today, it appears open like a "large Easter chocolate egg" :-) for permitting these operations.

The CCU-2 has been moved closed to the Spacecraft in EPCU S5B. MSG-3 stands on its adaptor where it was left since Friday 22/06/2012.

Transfer of the spacecraft together with its flight adaptor towards the CCU-2.

A view of MSG-3 once mated on the CCU-2.

CCU-2 once closed.

Moving MSG-3 encapsulated in the CCU-2 to the trailer platform.

Loading of the CCU-2 onto the trailer platform.

Eventually after weeks in EPCU S5, MSG-3 is ready to go to BAF.

Departure form EPCU S5B took place 25/06/2012 @ 19:30...
There are ca 10 kms between EPCU S5B and BAF. The speed of the truck is 8 km/h in the straight road and 5 km/h in the curves. The MSG-3 transfer will last in total about 2 hours.
...Today's activities represent a significant step forward in this launch campaign.

Few local churches

Christianity came to French Guiana together with colonisation and is still very present today. The Catholic group is the largest Christian community through the French Guyenese region. Local catholic practices have sometimes mixed with popular beliefs. The number of churches in each village all across the French Guiana reflects the importance of this presence even today. It is striking to observe the various architectural styles and materials that have been used for their construction. Some of these churches have been built (and decorated) by forced work prisoners.
Some of them may be noticed for a particular feature: For instance, the cathedral of Cayenne is the copy of Saint-Jean Baptiste de Grenelle in Paris. At Iracoubo, wooden interior of the church has been so remarkably painted that the church belongs now to the list of Monument historiques...
The few pictures below is just a poor selection of all this rich patrimony that can be seen when travelling through French Guiana.
1-Church in Roura

2-Church of Montsinéry

3-Church of Saint-Georges de l'Oyapock

4-Church of Sinnamary

5-Church of Mana

6-Church of Saint-Laurent du Maroni

7-Cathedral of Cayenne (bell tower)

8-Church of the Royal Island (Ile Royale)

9-Church of Iracoubo

10-Chuch of Regina