Rosetta comet chaser completes "big burn"

shedweller

http://news.sciencemag.org/space/2014/11/end-nigh-philae-comet-lander

Looks like they are considering more risky manouvers now that the "end is nigh".
If they get the science they wanted then it will be a job well done. They did well to get this far in any case!

mickmackey1

Google hangout now

https://plus.google.com/events/c78o050l93ub7cm4kcoltjnt424

Harold Finchs Machine

Far better than a 7 word twitter.^^^

Sciencemag

brevity

https://twitter.com/RosettaSD2/status/533239124367773697

Alun

Let's just hope and pray that the power holds out long enough not just to drill and analyse the sample, but actually upload the data to Rosetta!!!

brevity

I think they will get a drip feed from when the sun hits it every so often. I heard there is still about 60 hours left in the batteries.

quad_red

Alun wrote: »

Let's just hope and pray that the power holds out long enough not just to drill and analyse the sample, but actually upload the data to Rosetta!!!

Shiraz 4.99

Why not give all these things nuclear batteries like Curiosity & Voyager ?

Alun

Shiraz 4.99 wrote: »

Why not give all these things nuclear batteries like Curiosity & Voyager ?

They talked about this on the Google Hangouts video (from about 50:15 onwards).

Basically a) there's no expertise in manufacturing these things in Europe b) launching something with plutonium in it raises serious safety concerns and c) politically it's a bit of a minefield.

brevity

Update from The Guardian

Summary

Simulations suggest battery power will last long enough for tonight’s data transmission from Philae between 21:00 and 23:00 GMT.
Esa is considering whether to spin Philae’s flywheel (designed to keep the craft upright during flight) to ‘bounce’ the lander into a new position where its solar arrays will get more sunlight to recharge its batteries.
80-90% of the intended science will have been carried out, but there’s some doubt over whether all the data will be uploaded before the lander loses all power.
All the lander’s instruments are working well. MUPUS and APXS instruments were used last night and the drill was activated. They will know this evening whether drill samples have been taken successfully. There will be more radar data to try to locate Philae.
As the comet reaches its closest approach to the sun, there may be enough power from Philae’s solar panels to wake up the lander.
84 images of the comet are being awaited from Rosetta, which will be used to try to locate the lander. There will also be descent and touchdown images relayed from Philae to Rosetta.
A manoeuvre command has been sent to Rosetta to keep the Philae landing area in sight over the coming days.

http://www.theguardian.com/science/across-the-universe/live/2014/nov/14/rosetta-mission-philaes-third-day-on-comet-as-it-happens

Sierks: Next August the comet will be “active as hell”. This is because the sun’s heat will vaporise the comet’s ices.

Cool!

Capt'n Midnight

Shiraz 4.99 wrote: »

Why not give all these things nuclear batteries like Curiosity & Voyager ?

Juno will be using solar when it gets to Jupiter where there's only 4% of the sunlight you'd get here. Even for the recent rovers on Mars and the Moon nuclear when used is mainly used to keep things warm rather than an efficient source of power.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juno_%28spacecraft%29#Solar_panels

global shortage of Pu-238, as well as advances made in both solar-cell technology and efficiency over the past several decades, makes it economically preferable to use solar panels of practical size to provide power at a distance of 5 AU from the Sun.

expectationlost

brevity wrote: »

https://twitter.com/RosettaSD2/status/533239124367773697

if you've taken the time to copy the link you might aswell copy the message too

Mickeroo

expectationlost wrote: »

if you've taken the time to copy the link you might aswell copy the message too

You should be able to see the tweet embedded on your screen from just the link.

expectationlost

Mickeroo wrote: »

You should be able to see the tweet embedded on your screen from just the link.

i don't

brevity

Apologies, I thought the tweets were displaying automatically for everyone. I'll copy and paste the text the next time.

Thargor

Lead scientist sobbing and apologizing about that shirt:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/11231320/Rosetta-mission-scientist-Dr-Matt-Taylor-cries-during-apology-over-offensive-shirt.html

Thargor

brevity wrote: »

Apologies, I thought the tweets were displaying automatically for everyone. I'll copy and paste the text the next time.

They are, he must be using a dodgy theme or browser or something...

Alun

Thargor wrote: »

Lead scientist sobbing and apologizing about that shirt:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/11231320/Rosetta-mission-scientist-Dr-Matt-Taylor-cries-during-apology-over-offensive-shirt.html

Some pretty offensive comments at the bottom of that article there.

Alun

Hmmm, shouldn't they have re-acquired the signal by now? Nothing on any of the twitter feeds. I'm crossing my fingers (or even pressing my thumbs in German )

Capt'n Midnight

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/11/15/turning-philae/

on tenterhooks here


Please, please, please let it be like this https://xkcd.com/695/

brevity

It's alive!

https://twitter.com/FrancescoTop/status/533386015449571328

And here is again! We have telemetry flowing!

https://twitter.com/esaoperations/status/533386168147402753

SIGNAL IS BACK #AOS Stable comms w/ @Philae now reestablished - telemetry & science data are flowing from the surface of #67P #CometLanding


That XKCD comic is more than a little heart breaking.

brevity

Looks like they are gonna try and move it so it can get more sunlight.

brevity

Oh my god, this thing is amazing

https://twitter.com/Philae2014/status/533393729156308992

Also my rotation was successful (35 degrees). Looks like a whole new comet from this angle:)

josip

You spin me right round baby, right round....

irishgeo

are the hoping to keep the lander going all they away around the sun?

Hmmzis

Hopefully the new position will give them some more power from the panels than 4Wh per day.

Was just thinking, if the drill went into the surface and the leg extension and rotation of the body didn't cause the lander to lift and bounce again. Would that mean its legs are stuck to the surface/cliffs/ice/whatever is there?

brevity

Uh oh..the battery is almost dead

https://twitter.com/Philae2014/status/533403430489178112

expectationlost

Thargor wrote: »

They are, he must be using a dodgy theme or browser or something...

using boards.ie beta, tried the boards.ie new beta, it show the twitter embeds but chose before not to use it because its too bright

shedweller

brevity wrote: »

Uh oh..the battery is almost dead

https://twitter.com/Philae2014/status/533403430489178112

That looks like a whole lot of science was done AND transmitted, finished off with a lash of flywheel!
I just hope the increased solar gain, combined with a good rest, will give Philae an extended stay on 67p.

brevity

Really is an amazing feat. I'm glued to twitter trying to find out what will happen to the poor thing.