Philae Probe lands on comet Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

After a long voyage the Rosetta mission achieves the the goal of landing a probe on a comet.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-30027650

 

Re: Phiale Probe lands on comet Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

Philae lander 'bounced twice' on comet but is now stable, Rosetta mission scientists confirm

 

Re: Phiale Probe lands on comet Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

And here as a gif.

Seems like they're currently afraid to use any mechanical instruments which might shift Philae, or, heaven forbid, cause another bounce. But no such woes can take the awesome away form Philae.

 

Re: Phiale Probe lands on comet Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

We are having a couple of... tense days at the university right now. That's the understatement of the year.

So much excitement, joy, anxiety, and bouncing between terror and exhilaration.

 

Re: Phiale Probe lands on comet Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

I'm impressed by how well everything has gone, considering the duration of the project, the resources available, the likelihood of mishaps, and the fact that much of this has never been done before. Job well done by everyone involved, so far!

 

Re: Phiale Probe lands on comet Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

An impressive accomplishment!

 

Re: Phiale Probe lands on comet Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

I am very much in awe of the accomplishment of intercepting a fucking comet after several swing-by maneuvers and a decade-long journey alone. Then actually landing the Philae probe on the fucking thing... it does boggle the mind.

"Amazing" doesn't even come close to describing this triumph.

 

Re: Phiale Probe lands on comet Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

I can imagine. It was already exciting and amazing enough just landing on the comet, but the drama associated with the harpoon not firing and it landing on an uneven surface that might block the solar arrays somewhat has to be nerve-wracking. It's been fascinating to watch this play out, and the pictures are unbelievable.

 

Re: Phiale Probe lands on comet Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

 

Re: Phiale Probe lands on comet Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

I was listening to a news report on the way to work this morning that the ESA has produced sound which apparently has the eerie resemblance of the same sounding clicks that the Predator alien made - is coming from comet.

How does a comet in the vacuum of space without an atmosphere make any sounds at all?

 

Re: Phiale Probe lands on comet Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

Well no. But Dryson who frequently posts threads about alien conspiracy theories in this forum and likely visits Scott Warings webiste UFO Sightings Daily far to oftenwill likely disagree.

In all seriousness, I really don't understand how a comet can make any sounds at all without an atmosphere.

 

Re: Phiale Probe lands on comet Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

Presumably they're talking about vibrations transmitted through the surface. The probe could pick those up from being in direct contact.

 

Re: Phiale Probe lands on comet Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

I see. So they make the vibrations audible here on Earth. Still strange they'd choose the Predator like clicking as a sound choice to do so.

 

Re: Phiale Probe lands on comet Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

So I heard them say that the probe is in too much shade and likely will not be able to charge from its solar panels, which will cut the mission for Philae short by quite a bit. I wonder if they could deploy the drill with the hope that it will move Philae across the comet once more, possibly out of the shade.

Edit: Just checked Philae's twitter and found this:
"Back to work! I’m now drilling into the surface of #67P… I’ll give you updates as soon as I can! #CometLanding".

I wonder if they are trying to move it.

 

Re: Phiale Probe lands on comet Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

Too bad that Philae couldn't be equipped with any sort of long term power source that could augment her solar power.
Or just claw herself over the comet, walk into a better source of sunlight.

 

Re: Phiale Probe lands on comet Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

A friend of mine posted this one Facebook, we're currently arguing which Spacedock scale they're using, TSFS or TNG.

 

Re: Phiale Probe lands on comet Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

It's not really a "sound". ESA press release says it's oscillations in the comet's magnetic field.

So basically it's variations of the magnetic field, transformed into sound to make them audible. Not unlike using false colours to make temperature differences visible in a thermal picture.

The lander is now in hibernation. The drill was successful, but it's not clear if it collected a sample. All data from the First Science Sequence have been transmitted, which is awesome. The last operation was moving the lander trying to catch a bit of more of sunlight, but we will know if the maneuver was successful only when the comet comes closer to the sun.

It has been a very long two days. I don't even work on the mission, but the emotional investment has been immense.

Science is fucking awesome.