The Moonster Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 It's the single best reasonf ro manned spaceflight. With the best will in the world, an electrical fault in a heating system can cripple an unmanned probe with no hope of repair. At least if you've got someone up there you can do something about it. Which makes this unmanned mission all the more amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renton Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 Which makes this unmanned mission all the more amazing. Well yeah, between this and Cassini-Huygen it's been a great decade for the unmanned probe business. What's so impressive about this is the confidence in the machinery to put it in a hibernation mode for 7 years, it's a sign that they are confident they can engineer the equipment to work reliably but on a budget, and without the 'gold plating' like big nuclear batteries etc, you'd see on the earlier probes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 I think the press conference is about to start: http://rosetta.esa.int/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 Just starting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 It's landed on it's side on two legs: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgecutter Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 Quite impressed that they managed to get Einstein to help with the press conference tbh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Kincardine Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 The journey. Whoever planned the route must have stayed awake in geometry. http://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Videos/2013/10/Rosetta_s_twelve-year_journey_in_space That is brilliant. I was wondering how they 'caught up' with the comet but am amazed at the complexity of it. Magic achievement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dee Man Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 Indeed. And at the other end of the spectrum we have this. I had a fiver on that dick for first goalscorer that day. Fud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 Thing I love about this stuff is that you can understand most of it with a very basic knowledge of mechanics and how gravity works. The winch to drop Mars Curiosity onto the surface was my kind of science, simple but ingenious. Now they're working out if they could right the lander with a short spin on the drill, or even have a wee jump by firing the harpoons again so they can get some sunlight on the solar panels. In next to zero gravity Newton’s third law of motion is King: " For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." Even I can get what they're talking about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JogaBonito Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 Some of the comments re: funding reminds me on NDT's (astrophysicist, head of the Hayden planetarium, and recent presenter of Cosmos) words on NASA funding. He's amazing to listen to, albeit can be nauseating and evangelical. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=RQhNZENMG1o#t=22 (edit: different video because that was a bit short and I hate Bill Maher!) Incredible stuff, especially if this and other similar projects could excite a new generation of kids of both genders into the scientific fields. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 Google hangout (whatever that is) starts at 1pm with updates. http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/11/14/rosetta-mission-results-from-comet-landing-14-nov-1300-gmt/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 Sounds like they think the battery is almost dead and they won't be able to charge it again sufficiently with the solar panels because the lander seems to have fallen down a hole. They'll find out late this evening if there's any power left when it's due to upload data, if so they might try to use any remaining power to hop it out of the hole. If not, they've already learnt loads. P.S. Guardian zooms in on the essentials of the mission.: http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/nov/13/why-women-in-science-are-annoyed-at-rosetta-mission-scientists-clothing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 Lander's communicating so battery's not dead yet. They're talking about trying to turn it a smidgeon to get a larger panel in line with the sun when it appears, but that will give a tiny better chance of it carrying on. I hope they gamble everything and try a jump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergeant Wilson Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 I hope they gamble everything and try a jump. I always did...with varying results to be fair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DA Baracus Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 I would suggest getting Bruce Willis and co up there to sort this shit but Bear is dead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 Follow ESA OperationsVerified account@esaoperations Lander now performing 'lift & turn' of the main body on the landing gear - will last about 10 mins. telecomm link is good #CometLanding Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergeant Wilson Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 Lander now performing 'lift & turn' of the main body Aye, on a good night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zen Archer (Raconteur) Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 Lander's communicating so battery's not dead yet. They're talking about trying to turn it a smidgeon to get a larger panel in line with the sun when it appears, but that will give a tiny better chance of it carrying on. I hope they gamble everything and try a jump. Would 'liking it' on Facebook help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 Aye, on a good night. You mean the 10 minutes? You stud! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergeant Wilson Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 You mean the 10 minutes? You stud! 10 minutes? I'd be on my road back after about 5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.