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Thread: Space Post - Rosetta comet chaser / Philae lander

  1. 20-Jan-2014 #1
    Neil
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    Space Post - Rosetta comet chaser / Philae lander

    Suppose to wake up today after tens years in space, and prepare for its close encounter with a comet in August.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25782249

    Live coverage here, where we should get a signal about 18:00pm GMT - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/s...bernation.html
    Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there--on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam. [click for more]
    -Carl Sagan
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  2. 20-Jan-2014 #2
    AcesandEights
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    Quote Originally Posted by Neil View Post
    Suppose to wake up today after tens years in space, and prepare for its close encounter with a comet in August.
    I don't know, this is how bad scifi movies start (some good scifi movies, too)!

    "Men choose as their prophets those who tell them that their hopes are true." --Lord Dunsany
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  3. 20-Jan-2014 #3
    Neil
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    So far so good! - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25814454
    Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there--on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam. [click for more]
    -Carl Sagan
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  4. 21-Jan-2014 #4
    Legion2213
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    Praying that when the lander tries to take a sample it discovers an "alien alloy" just beneath the surface!

    But seriously...it's a great undertaking, yet like the Voyager mission, it is also really f*cking depressing that decades and lifetimes are involved just tootling around our own solar system...space is obscenely big. The sort of technological leaps we will need to ever visit the closest star in anything like a reasonable amount of time will look like magic to us (the sheer unimaginable scale of it is why I also believe that we have never been (or never will be) visited by "aliens").
    Last edited by Legion2213; 21-Jan-2014 at 05:27 AM. Reason: .
    Oblivion gallops closer, favoring the spur, sparing the rein - I think we will be gone soon
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  5. 21-Jan-2014 #5
    Neil
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    Quote Originally Posted by Legion2213 View Post
    it is also really f*cking depressing that decades and lifetimes are involved just tootling around our own solar system..
    Indeed! When I was younger I expected to see man on Mars, and missions to the seas of Enceladus, Europa and Titan. But it's getting to the stage now I suspect I won't live to see it happen

    - - - Updated - - -

    http://www.spaceflightnow.com/rosett.../#.Ut5PCqDFKmw

    Exciting stuff! Just hope it succeeds!

    A major course correction maneuver is planned for May to change Rosetta's velocity by approximately 800 meters per second, or 1,800 mph, and adjust the craft's trajectory to arrive in the vicinity of Churyumov-Gerasimenko in August.

    Rosetta's long-range camera should acquire the first images of the comet this spring, with the 3-mile-wide comet growing larger in the probe's apertures over the summer.

    In August, Rosetta is scheduled for a delicate, untried maneuver to enter orbit around the comet.
    Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there--on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam. [click for more]
    -Carl Sagan
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  6. 21-Jan-2014 #6
    wayzim
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    Quote Originally Posted by Legion2213 View Post
    ...space is obscenely big.
    You might think that it's a long ways to the chemist's ... ( fill in the rest of the quote. )

    Yep, we gotta figure out a practical way around the speed limitation which is Light - stat! Otherwise, it's sleeper or generation ships for us. Anyone for a decades long game of UNO?

    Wayne Z
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  7. 24-Jan-2014 #7
    Legion2213
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    Well Neil, at this point, I'd settle for a rocket belt...

    In all honestly though, if we pull this landing off, I think it will pave the way for those who are seriously looking at "asteroid mining".
    Oblivion gallops closer, favoring the spur, sparing the rein - I think we will be gone soon
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  8. 25-Jan-2014 #8
    Neil
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    Quote Originally Posted by Legion2213 View Post
    Well Neil, at this point, I'd settle for a rocket belt...

    In all honestly though, if we pull this landing off, I think it will pave the way for those who are seriously looking at "asteroid mining".
    Possibly, but look at this mission... TEN YEARS to land one little probe on a comet... And mining an asteroid and returning stuff is going to be cost effective?
    Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there--on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam. [click for more]
    -Carl Sagan
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  9. 28-Mar-2014 #9
    Legion2213
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    Space Post - Comet lander checks in with Earth

    The Philae lander, which Europe hopes to put on the surface of a comet later this year, has been re-activated after three years in deep-space hibernation.

    The small probe is currently riding piggy-back on the Rosetta satellite. This was despatched 10 years ago to rendezvous with the Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, and was itself awoken in January.

    "Mothership" and lander should arrive at the huge ice object in August.

    After a period of mapping, Rosetta will then release Philae on its challenging bid to attach itself to 67P in November.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-26790833

    Kind of exciting, we've landed plenty of little probes on planets, but asteroids...it's seems like a new chapter...a whole new undertaking.
    Oblivion gallops closer, favoring the spur, sparing the rein - I think we will be gone soon
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  10. 22-May-2014 #10
    Neil
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    Big 8hr burn today to get it on target - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-27498534

    Fingers crossed!

    - - - Updated - - -

    Success - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-27517090
    Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there--on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam. [click for more]
    -Carl Sagan
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  11. 03-Jul-2014 #11
    Neil
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    Only a month until it goes into orbit (hopefully) - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-28146472
    Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there--on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam. [click for more]
    -Carl Sagan
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  12. 15-Jul-2014 #12
    Neil
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    Double comet - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-27110882

    The pictures show that 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko appears to be not one but two objects joined together. It is what scientists call a "contact binary"
    Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there--on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam. [click for more]
    -Carl Sagan
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  13. 17-Jul-2014 #13
    Neil
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    The probes got to try and land on this! - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-28351234

    Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there--on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam. [click for more]
    -Carl Sagan
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  14. 06-Aug-2014 #14
    Neil
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    In orbit - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-28659783
    Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there--on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam. [click for more]
    -Carl Sagan
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  15. 06-Aug-2014 #15
    Legion2213
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    Yep...mission progressing nicely.

    We are capable of great things when we have a mind to do them...more of this please, world governments and scientists!

    Pic on the BBC link is the most detailed yet...incredible!
    Oblivion gallops closer, favoring the spur, sparing the rein - I think we will be gone soon
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