Rosetta Comet Landing: LIVE-Stream, Countdown & Mission Updates

a reply to: Thorneblood

Ah yes, I think it was an episode of 'The Outer Limits'. I don't think anything like that is going to happen luckily, but I see where you are coming from now.

a reply to: CosmicAnomaly

You are right, there is an outer limits like that. It was also a tv movie, I specifically remember the real newsbreak telling people to stop flipping out. That's at least two pre-warnings in the media.

The lander is doomed.



Regardless, with the thruster down what are the real chances of success now?
abc

The intended landing site is challenging — 20 per cent of the area is strewn with large boulders capable of tipping Philae over. Another 20 per cent has slopes greater than 30 degrees, making it too steep for landing, and 10 per cent contains deep crevices and cliffs up to 100 metres high.

"The simple fact remains that despite all these formidable challenges, this is still the best landing site on the whole comet," says Holmes.

"If things don't go well, Philae could just tip over. If it tips on its side there's still some science we can do, but if it rolls upside down, then it's finished, because the antennae for communicating with the Rosetta orbitor are on the top of the lander."

a reply to: Thorneblood

Well let's hope not, it was always risky to begin with but it's only part of the mission. The ADS wouldn't really help with the physical obstacles anyway, it's lack of operation just means we have to hope that when the harpoons are deployed it doesn't push Philae away. The gravitational field is so weak due to the comet's relatively tiny mass that if I remember rightly, Philae only weighs about 1 gram.

Everyone here is really excited about this mission and we're all hoping it succeeds, we just have to be realistic in the challenges that are faced.

a reply to: CosmicAnomaly

All things considered, you would think they would fire the harpoons just before landing to soften the touchdown.

a reply to: this thread

Here's a link (ESA) confirming the separation with additional details regarding the next steps:
blogs.esa.int...

The first signal from Philae is expected in around two hours, when the lander establishes a communication link with Rosetta (...)

The lander will relay via Rosetta a status report of its health, along with the first science data. This will include images taken of the orbiter shortly after separation.

Can't wait to see the first images (lander separation) and, of course, the planned panorama after touchdown!

a reply to: Thorneblood

Ah well that's not the issue so much, the ADS was designed to push Philae down while the harpoons deploy and the screws are inserted due to the negligible weight of the lander in the low gravitational field.

For reference, the entire planned timeline of landing events in detail can be seen here:

Rosetta and Philae landing timeline

a reply to: CosmicAnomaly

That link is also much appreciated, thanks!

According to NBC, there seems to be a thruster glitch:
www.nbcnews.com...

"The cold-gas thruster on top of the lander does not appear to be working, so we will have to rely fully on the harpoons at touchdown," Stephan Ulamec, Philae lander manager at the DLR German Aerospace Center, reported in an ESA blog posting. "We'll need some luck not to land on a boulder or a steep slope."

Hopefully, the harpoons will suffice to get Philae down there without flipping or getting pushed back into space!

Shame they don't film the landing. Is there a particular reason that isn't the case? Honestly that's one of the reasons I was so excited to find this live feed.

a reply to: CosmicAnomaly

So what were your thoughts on the reports back in august that these "radio signals" were the whole point of the Rosetta mission?

a reply to: WakeUpBeer

It isn't possible, the data link is very slow and there isn't the hardware capability. But there will be a sequence of still images stored in Philae's data buffer leading up to touchdown which will be transferred to Rosetta and then relayed back to Earth - if it is successful of course.
When Philae lands on the comet, it will resolve to about one or two pixels even on OSIRIS if I remember correctly, so even if there were no issues with the link budget back to Earth there wouldn't be much to see if you tried to film it from Rosetta. But again, there is not the hardware capability to do so.

People often wonder why we could have video from the Moon in the 60s/70s but we don't from Mars or missions like this. The problem, is that the data rate is so low it's just not feasible. There is little gain scientifically anyway and the available memory on the spacecraft and the limited amount of data that can be sent is better used for scientific data from the various payloads.

Pictures are great of course, but only a part of a much bigger picture and can't be relied on giving all of the data one needs to make useful scientific observations and conclusions.

a reply to: Thorneblood

You mean the strange idea that NASA had been intercepting some intelligent signals and that was the alleged real purpose of this mission?
If so, then it doesn't even make sense anyway - the only reason this comet was the final destination was due to a technical fault with an Ariane V launch vehicle causing it to explode on an earlier launch. Launch of Rosetta was delayed due to this by over a year and a new target - 67P - was found. This comet was never the intended target to begin with and was only decided on because of the delay resulting in the original target not being reachable any more, the original target was 46P/Wirtanen.

These low level fluctuations have only been detectable at close proximity using the RPC, so I really don't see any possible connection even if the story had been true somehow.

We should hopefully be hearing that communications have been restored with Rosetta any moment now, so in about an hour the data should start being downloaded.

a reply to: CosmicAnomaly

I know the history, I also know its easy to manipulate events to make history turn out like you want it to.

Accident or "coincidence"...

a reply to: Thorneblood

But what coincidence? More than one event would be required to form one, if one was the launch delay what's the other?

Obviously I can't change your mind if that's what you believe, so I don't really know what else I can tell you. I can say wholeheartedly though that in my mind I know with 100% certainty that the story floating around some time ago was based on absolutely nothing and was just a wild story to entertain people. The only knowledge of it within ESA by anyone that noticed was of it being another silly Internet prank in all honesty.

Signal has been reacquired btw.

So now we are Hitching rides on a comets ?

The space program must be broke

a reply to: jeep3r

I watched this interview with those two retired scientist who were there at the birth of the idea to sent Rosetta. The thing that came to my surprise is the slip-up by both of them about the cost. The first speaker spoke of 400 euro and the second about 400.000 euro. The official number is 400 miljion euro... How can scientist working their entire life with numbers...big numbers.... be so wrong?

And because we are such a fine conspiracy website my arm is more or less twisted behind my back when mentioning the illusion forced upon the european taxs-payers. Just like NASA ESA is feeding the people lies...

It is all make belief. What reason for that.. you will have to twist my arm before I will give that one away.

a reply to: zatara

Someone makes a mistake when speaking live and they're spreading lies? Bit of a jump... Some of these guys don't even like being on TV. You edited your post, so I assume you made a mistake or had to correct something - when it's live there isn't that opportunity. The cost of the mission is well publicised, so I can't really see where there's a conspiracy.

a reply to: CosmicAnomaly

Yes.. I made a mistake and was forced to edit my post... What you do not know is who forced my arm and made me edit!

a reply to: zatara

:-) But you see anyone can make a mistake, the cost is very well publicised so I don't think anyone can really say people are being intentionally tricked. I've heard much funnier mistakes, everyone's human!