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Comet’s Head Selected as Landing Site for Rosetta’s Historic Philae Lander
universetoday.com ^ | September 15, 2014 | Ken Kremer on

Posted on 09/15/2014 9:10:55 AM PDT by BenLurkin

Site J is an intriguing region on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko that offers unique scientific potential, with hints of activity nearby, and minimum risk to the lander compared to the other candidate sites, according to ESA.

“As we have seen from recent close-up images, the comet is a beautiful but dramatic world – it is scientifically exciting, but its shape makes it operationally challenging,” says Ulamec.

“None of the candidate landing sites met all of the operational criteria at the 100% level, but Site J is clearly the best solution.”

Philae’s history making landing on comet 67P is currently scheduled for around Nov. 11, 2014, and will be entirely automatic. The 100 kg lander is equipped with 10 science instruments.

“All of Rosetta instruments are supporting the landing site selection,” said Holger Sierks, principal investigator for Rosetta’s OSIRIS camera from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Gottingen, Germany.

(Excerpt) Read more at universetoday.com ...


TOPICS: Science
KEYWORDS:

1 posted on 09/15/2014 9:10:55 AM PDT by BenLurkin
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To: BenLurkin

Should be very interesting. Thanks for posting.


2 posted on 09/15/2014 9:16:03 AM PDT by onedoug
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To: BenLurkin

Wow - how are they gonna pull that off - landing on a comet that’s most probably tumbling rapidly?


3 posted on 09/15/2014 9:18:08 AM PDT by alancarp
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To: BenLurkin
It's not like they could land on the tail.

4 posted on 09/15/2014 9:19:27 AM PDT by BitWielder1 (Corporate Profits are better than Government Waste)
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To: alancarp

(and yes — I read the article... but still!)


5 posted on 09/15/2014 9:20:40 AM PDT by alancarp
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To: alancarp
Wow - how are they gonna pull that off - landing on a comet that’s most probably tumbling rapidly?

As long the probe is tumbling the same way, it's easy.
6 posted on 09/15/2014 9:32:23 AM PDT by TexasGunLover ("Either you're with us or you're with the terrorists."-- President George W. Bush)
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To: TexasGunLover

The comet has something like a 12 hour rotation period.


7 posted on 09/15/2014 9:41:36 AM PDT by cripplecreek ("Moderates" are lying manipulative bottom feeding scum.)
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To: BenLurkin

This fascinates me. I’ve thought for years it would be neat to put some kind of communications package on comets and track them, and take observations of the universe as they travel... and now they are doing it.

I think they should also stash a bottle of Guiness. But thats just me.


8 posted on 09/15/2014 9:55:51 AM PDT by marron
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To: BenLurkin

How big is this comet? Does it have its own gravitational field? What’s going to hold the lander in place once it touches down?
Inquiring minds want to know


9 posted on 09/15/2014 10:08:20 AM PDT by Tucker39 (Welcome to America! Now speak English; and keep to the right....In driving, in Faith, and politics.)
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To: Tucker39

Its got very low gravity but the lander has a harpoon to anchor itself when it touches down.


10 posted on 09/15/2014 10:14:46 AM PDT by cripplecreek ("Moderates" are lying manipulative bottom feeding scum.)
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To: Tucker39

Of course the comet has a gravitational field. We would need to know its mass to calculate the strength of the field.


11 posted on 09/15/2014 10:18:32 AM PDT by reg45 (Barack 0bama: Implementing class warfare by having no class.)
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To: marron

I think it was Buzz Aldrin who proposed using asteroids that cross the orbit of both earth and mars as freight haulers.

Good idea for moving cargo that isn’t time sensitive. Land it on the asteroid when it passes earth and in a few years launch the cargo toward mars.

If the asteroid is big enough we could even hollow out a habitat to move astronauts.


12 posted on 09/15/2014 10:20:39 AM PDT by cripplecreek ("Moderates" are lying manipulative bottom feeding scum.)
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To: BenLurkin; SunkenCiv
BumPing
13 posted on 09/15/2014 10:43:29 AM PDT by mikrofon (APOD Bump)
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To: cripplecreek

Ahhh. There’s what I was looking for. What’s going to hold it in in place after it lands? Because the comet’s gravitational force can’t be very great. I thought of some sort of a screw-in anchoring device that the lander could be lashed to, like one would use to tie out a dog or a horse or something. The “harpoon” idea seems workable.
Thanks.


14 posted on 09/15/2014 6:54:17 PM PDT by Tucker39 (Welcome to America! Now speak English; and keep to the right....In driving, in Faith, and politics.)
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To: Tucker39

I think they actually tested a screw anchor but decided against it because it would be hard to screw in in such low gravity.

The harpoon will fire right before touchdown and be reeled in.


15 posted on 09/15/2014 7:22:07 PM PDT by cripplecreek ("Moderates" are lying manipulative bottom feeding scum.)
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To: cripplecreek

Sounds like a plan.
A screw anchor WOULD be difficult in ice, rock, whatever.
Thanks.


16 posted on 09/15/2014 9:00:28 PM PDT by Tucker39 (Welcome to America! Now speak English; and keep to the right....In driving, in Faith, and politics.)
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To: cripplecreek

Suction cups are always an option but not in a near-vacuum environment. Wondering how super glue cures in space.


17 posted on 09/15/2014 9:11:15 PM PDT by steve86 ( Acerbic by nature, not nurture)
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