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Rosetta Probe Awakens, Prepares To Chase Comet
sciencehabit writes "The European comet-chasing probe Rosetta is up and running again today after it successfully roused itself from a 2½-year sleep and signaled anxious controllers on the ground. The spacecraft had been put into hibernation during the most distant part of its 10-year journey in pursuit of comet 67 P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko because sunlight was too dim to keep its solar-powered systems running. Dozing in a slow stabilizing spin, Rosetta could not receive signals from the ground, so there was a risk that some problem might prevent it from responding to its preset alarm call at 10:00 GMT. Even then, there were many processes to go through before news reached Earth: The spacecraft's heaters would need to warm up its systems, its startrackers get a fix, boosters halt the spin, solar arrays turn towards the sun, and, finally, its communications antenna would need to point at Earth. It was not till 18:18 GMT that the signal was picked up by NASA's ground stations at Goldstone, California, and Canberra in Australia, and transmitted to the European Space Agency's (ESA's) control center at Darmstadt in Germany."
The spacecraft wasn't designed to operate that far out in space and it wasn't designed to handle the comet it's chasing. That anything about the mission is going well at all since they blew their initial launch window and had to retarget is a miracle.
...but IMHO the curiosity landing makes anything like this that I read about seem like a cake walk. Still in complete awe of the team(s) that pulled that off.
Excited to see what Rosetta sends back!
while [ 1 ]; do echo -n -e "\xe2\x95\xb$((($RANDOM&1)+1))"; done
When I drink my whole 3 drinks, I start to think I see news stories again on Slashdot! Dupes - the sign you are a drunk!
I'm going into rehab - there's an ad right there on the right, I'll click on it.
Dice Rehab!
I'm there baby!
On wakeup an error in the MAKE COFFEE subroutine was discovered that has resulted in Rosetta being a bit grouchy.
I deny that I have not avoided attaining the opposite of that which I do not want.
After playing Kerbal Space Program and doing a simple docking in Kerbin orbit. I also managed one in Mun orbit. And to think what they are doing with this comet is just amazing.
Slashdot's rate-of-post filter: Preventing you from posting too many great ideas at once.
Landing on a high-speed small comet versus a giant planet, seems more difficult to me.
Some people die at 25 and aren't buried until 75. -Benjamin Franklin
It sure as hell does; we designed it very well.
Here is a beautiful interactive 3D simulation of how Rosetta got to where it is now. Where is Rosetta?. Video
The choreography of the Earth, Mars, Earth, Earth slingshots is just amazing.
Here is the complex orbits to come of Rosetta around the comet Orbit around Comet
Think of this as the alarm clock you use when you have a 6am international flight, and absolutely must be up at 2am to get to the airport.
Sometimes, snoozing is not an option.
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
It took 8 hours and 18 minutes to warm up its systems, get a location fix, halt the spin, turn towards the sun, and, finally, point its communications antenna at Earth. Bah, I do that in 15 minutes *every* morning.
Now that's more like it! Forget the asteroid-mining bullshitters and the nutters who think one day we're going to colonise Mars, (much as I'd love that to be one day possible...it just ain't).
This is real science, real exploration, with a real goal to further mankind's scientific knowledge, requiring efforts lasting years.
Oh, and (in the scheme of things), very little money.
Hats off to them. Can't wait to see if the lander makes it. Now THAT would be impressive.
Kinda like getting Woody Allen's VW to not only to start but then fly from New York to Australia, at supersonic speed, and then land on a penny.
Without a map.
If you worked in this particular mission control group, how could you possibly resist setting all the clocks forward about 2 minutes on the day in question?
I know, with clock synchronization and everybody having a cell phone, this is likely a lot harder than it used to be, but, that just means the reaction is that much more worth it.
"I opened my eyes, and everything went dark again"
Good morning:
http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad...
Hello world:
http://www.independent.co.uk/n...
The original comet rendezvous-er is coming back to Earth 35 years later. I hope we do more than just wave as it goes by.
We have absolutely no technology that allows us to "chase" anything in space. We are supremely lucky to calculate a collision path and then put the spacecraft into orbit or land on a body in space.
Think of this as the alarm clock you use when you have a 6am international flight, and absolutely must be up at 2am to get to the airport.
Sometimes, snoozing is not an option.
I bet Gene Krantz used an old school Baby Ben or similar.
Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
Not to diminish ICE's accomplishments, but it didn't do rendezvous, only flybys. Rosetta will place itself in orbit then drop a lander on its target comet.
lol what's your contribution retard