Posted on 11/13/2014 2:40:03 PM PST by SunkenCiv
Explanation: Today humanity will make its first attempt to land a probe on the nucleus of a comet. As the day progresses, the Philae (fee-LAY) lander will separate from the Rosetta spacecraft and head down to the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. Since the texture of the comet's surface is unknown and its surface gravity is surely low, Philae will then attempt to harpoon itself down, something that has never been done before. Featured here is an artist's illustration of dishwasher-sized Philae as it might look on Comet Churyumov–Gerasimenko's surface, along with explanation balloons detailing onboard scientific instruments. Many people on a blue planet across the Solar System will be eagerly awaiting news and updates. Whether Philae actually lands, whether it lands on a smooth patch, whether the harpoons take hold, and how far the robotic lander sinks into the surface should all become known as events unfold today.
(Excerpt) Read more at 129.164.179.22 ...
[Credit: ESA]
Great job by the decent team to the probe to the surface.
Not so good job by the thruster and harpoon team, who’s two key
components failed miserably.
This is a risk when someone pulls off something the first time. As the movie version of Chuck Y said, they done alright.
I was concerned about the sticking method. Mostly that the surface would be too hard for the harpoon to stick to.
Personally I think greater downward thrust combined with the screw in landing gear might have been good.
A laser to drill into the surface might be good; using a recoilless method to embed a projectile attached to the anchor line prevents the probe from getting pushed away.
Should have named the lander Captain Ahab.
The next time the US does a comet rendezvous, the probe should be named Ajax.
In the picture I saw of the surface and landing foot,
it certainly looked like a cable of some kind going into
the surface, kind of braided looking, it’s to the right
of the landing pad by a foot or so.
“The next time the US does a comet rendezvous...”
Huh? The next time the US does a comet rendezvous will be the first time.
Seems as if the harpoon ultimately worked, but they had to catch a different spot than first planned.
The US hasn’t LANDED on one, but has done at least two different rendezvous, the first one was early 1980s, and was a flyby by repurposing an existing probe. This beat the ESA to their rendezvous with Halley, and yielded data that improved that later mission.
NASA Releases Images of Man-Made Crater on Comet
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2674365/posts
Queen’s Brian May Comes Out For The Protection of Comets from Vandalism
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/bloggers/1433639/posts
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