Envisat / Polar Platform Hydra test

Polar Platform structural model in its launch configuration on ESTEC's new Hydra 6-degrees-of-freedom hydraulic shaker undergoing the sinusoidal vibration qualification test. The lower (yellow) section is the Service Module (SM); the upper (black) section is the Payload Module (PLM) on which the mechanical dummies of the Earth observation instruments are visible on the nadir face. At the lower part of the PLM, the inclined instrument is the Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR). Vibration tests performed in January 1997. [Image Date: 01-01-97] [97.01.011-028]