You are at netAirspace : Forum : Air and Space Forums : Space

Around a couple of hours ago

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-30026398

The landing on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko was confirmed at about 1605 GMT.

The landing caps a 6.4 billion-kilometre journey that was begun a decade ago.

The lander sank about 4cm into the surface, suggesting a relatively soft surface.

They're still trying to figure if it's anchored properly, though. It also led Foxnews.com (and probably several other outlets).

And this news excites me like there is no tomorrow.

And the battery is set to die in less than 24 hours. Oops.

Lucas wrote:And the battery is set to die in less than 24 hours. Oops.

Wasn't it solar rechargeable? I recall reading it was supposed to work intermittently...

How do you land a probe that has the weight of a coin? Apparently it was a little tough to do. It 'bounced' a kilometer high, and when it finally came down it was in a location were there are only 1.5 hours of sunshine per day.

Recall that when the lander bounced, the comet was still rotating.

FlyingAce wrote:Wasn't it solar rechargeable? I recall reading it was supposed to work intermittently...

Yep, but where it ended up it's getting something like 1.5hrs' light in every... 12? 24? hours, which isn't nearly enough.

I've been gripped by this story, it's absolutely intriguing. I hope they pull off a miracle.

Issue is that where it finally landed after two bounces, it's next to a small cliff and shield from sunlight during most of the day. Also, the bounces seem to provide evidence that portions of the surface are much more, surprisingly so, solid/rock like than expected. Even if the life is greatly reduced as a result, this completely changes what we think about comets which is a phenomenal result in and of itself.

bhmbaglock wrote:Issue is that where it finally landed after two bounces, it's next to a small cliff and shield from sunlight during most of the day. Also, the bounces seem to provide evidence that portions of the surface are much more, surprisingly so, solid/rock like than expected. Even if the life is greatly reduced as a result, this completely changes what we think about comets which is a phenomenal result in and of itself.

The sheer size of the comet is pretty cool.

bhmbaglock wrote: surface are much more, surprisingly so, solid/rock like than expected.

Which explains the bounce, instead of the dirty snow absorbing the landing, the harder rock bounced it right back. I wonder if the harpoons were designed more for a softer surface than solid rock.