Live coverage: Rosetta comet landing
- Thread starter Locutus
- Start date
If the Philae lander (named after Philae Island in the Nile where an obelisk was found and used, along with the Rosetta Stone, to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics) lands successfully, the British-built Ptolemy will measure stable isotope ratios of key volatiles on the comet's nucleus (whatever that means).
The comet has very little gravity, so the Philae lander may just bounce off the comet. But if it does land sucessfully then little drills will emerge from Philae's legs and drill into the comet to anchor Philae in place. It will also use harpoons to anchor itself.
Ptolemy
Philae lander
Any second now.....
This picture from Rosetta's Osiris instrument shows the Philae lander on its way to the comet
The comet has very little gravity, so the Philae lander may just bounce off the comet. But if it does land sucessfully then little drills will emerge from Philae's legs and drill into the comet to anchor Philae in place. It will also use harpoons to anchor itself.
Ptolemy
Philae lander
Any second now.....
This picture from Rosetta's Osiris instrument shows the Philae lander on its way to the comet
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It could have landed now but we won't know for another 28 minutes because of the distance. It takes about half an hour for the signals to get to Earth.
The Rosetta orbiter (far right) and its solar panels can be seen as the Philae lander separated
Europeans aren't as formal as the Americans on these occasions. The Americans will all be wearing suits and ties.
Jonathan Amos
Science correspondent, BBC News
What is going on up there?
What's happening now on Philae as it approaches the surface?
Well, its onboard commands have told it that the landing is imminent. For 40 minutes prior to the expected touchdown, all data and images that it is collecting are being stored onboard, hopefully for retrieval later.
Much like a voice-data recorder on an aeroplane, this storage system works on a loop. If the preparation period lasts longer than 40 minutes, any data recorded at the beginning of the landing window will be over-written.
This ensures that the very latest data, acquired just as Philae touches down, is the information that gets preserved.
Jonathan Amos
Science correspondent, BBC News
What is going on up there?
What's happening now on Philae as it approaches the surface?
Well, its onboard commands have told it that the landing is imminent. For 40 minutes prior to the expected touchdown, all data and images that it is collecting are being stored onboard, hopefully for retrieval later.
Much like a voice-data recorder on an aeroplane, this storage system works on a loop. If the preparation period lasts longer than 40 minutes, any data recorded at the beginning of the landing window will be over-written.
This ensures that the very latest data, acquired just as Philae touches down, is the information that gets preserved.
The guy with the tie doing absolutely nothing appears to be the manager. No doubt he will also get the bonus for the success of the mission.
Seems to me the girl is the only one doing anything but for all we know, they are playing electronic battleship.
idiots standing around.... why don't they show us the footage from the orbiter or lander instead of idiots standing around?
fvck it, I'll just watch the replay a few days later
I thought I saw a minesweeper window up on one of them screens. lol
fvck it, I'll just watch the replay a few days later
I thought I saw a minesweeper window up on one of them screens. lol
