I know nominal mission end is in January, because Philae is expected to be too hot by then. If Rosetta is also expected to burn up, I'd really love for them to fly her in close enough for an actual photo of Philae on the surface first.
Is Rosetta close enough to get pics of Philae? Could it *get* close enough?
I know nominal mission end is in January, because Philae is expected to be too hot by then. If Rosetta is also expected to burn up, I'd really love for them to fly her in close enough for an actual photo of Philae on the surface first. -- Drew |
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Doesn't sound like that is part of the plan.
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Frequently_asked_questions How long will the Rosetta spacecraft operate? It sounds like they will be doing science with Rosetta even after Philae stops working. Apparently the camera on Rosetta has a resolution of 2 cm per pixel at its normal operating conditions. November 15 report: From now on, no contact will be possible unless sufficient sunlight falls on the solar panels to generate enough power to wake it up. The possibility that this may happen later in the mission was boosted when mission controllers sent commands to rotate the lander’s main body with its fixed solar panels. This should have exposed more panel area to sunlight. Maybe they'll find it during one of the 8km "fly bys". Fingers crossed. Cheers, Scott. |
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They finally found Philae!
http://www.geekwire.com/2016/rosetta-probe-finds-philae-lander-comet-crack/ An extreme close-up of the Philae lander shows components of the 3-foot-wide spacecraft from a distance of 1.7 miles. (Credit: ESA / Rosetta / MPS for OSIRIS Team / UPD / LAM / IAA / SSO / INTA / UPM / DASP / IDA) Poor thing! :-( (via Alan Boyle on G+) Cheers, Scott. |
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Best video game in the world
-- Drew |