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ESA Gives Green Light To Rosetta

Posted by timothy on from the what-languages-will-it-support dept.

JoeRobe writes "An ESA review board has given the green light for launch of the Rosetta Spacecraft in January 2003. The Rosetta Mission is one of the ESA's boldest missions to date. Over the next eight years, the spacecraft will conduct two asteroid (Otawara and Siwa) flybys and finish off by dropping a lander onto the surface of comet Wirtanen."

3 of 13 comments (clear)

  1. Comet Lander by Cuchullain · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I wonder what kind of biological, or pre-biological materials we will find on the comet?

    This may either confirm or deny the "life seeded by comets" theories you hear in pop science from time to time.

    Either way, VERY COOL, if it works.

    Cuchullain

    --
    "If sharing a thing in no way diminishes it, it is not rightly owned if it is not shared." -St. Augustine
    1. Re:Comet Lander by CaptMonkeyDLuffy · · Score: 5, Interesting
      Well, while finding biological or pre-biological material on comet would certainly be an important discovery, it really wouldn't prove the 'life seeded by comets' claims.

      If we find organic matter on a comet, then that doesn't mean the only source of organic matter is comets. The only way to truly prove those theories would be to disprove all other possible sources of 'original organic matter.' Finding organic material on a comet would simply prove that comets are a possible source, not that they are the definitive source.

      And, arguing in the other direction, even if organic matter isn't found on this particular comet, there are still many others that haven't been checked. Just because one comet doesn't contain organic matter, doesn't mean all comets don't.

  2. Re:its good to see multi function missions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    actually, the exact opposite arguement is what led to NASA's "faster-better-cheaper" philosophy when Goldin was administrator. Missions like Voyager, Galileo, Cassini, and Mars Observer packed a heck of a lot into a single mission in terms of science. That made them very expensive (quite the opposite of economical to be sure!). The "faster-better-cheaper" idea was that multiple, more focused missions (less science per mission) was more economical and prudent (not all your eggs in one basket).

    -ac