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Robotic Spacecraft (Astronomy, Planetary, Earth, Solar/Heliophysics) => Space Science Coverage => Topic started by: jacqmans on 02/15/2007 06:25 pm

Title: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 02/15/2007 06:25 pm
Rosetta correctly lined up for critical Mars swingby

ESA mission controllers have confirmed Rosetta is on track for a critical 250-km Mars swingby on 25 February. Engineers have started final preparations for the delicate operation, which includes an eclipse, a signal blackout, precise navigation and complex ground tracking.

More at:
http://www.esa.int/rosetta
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Chris Bergin on 02/20/2007 04:11 pm
More:

Red Planet gives gravity assist for ESA's comet-chasing Rosetta mission.

View this Vodcast at:
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Rosetta/SEM7FNBE8YE_0.html

Or visit the Rosetta site for more information:
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Rosetta/index.html
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: MartianBase on 02/22/2007 02:58 pm
Thanks for this
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 02/23/2007 08:06 pm
The timeline for Rosetta's speedy swingby of Mars on 25 February includes a series of slew manoeuvres, an occultation and signal blackout, an eclipse and some excellent opportunities for scientific observations.

More at:
http://www.esa.int/rosetta
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Chris Bergin on 02/25/2007 01:19 am
Spectacular view approaching Mars

Earlier today, on its approach to Mars, Rosetta's navigation camera (NAVCAM) captured a spectacular image of the Red Planet, just a few hours before the spacecraft's second planetary swingby on its incredible 10-year journey to comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMM15CE8YE_index_0.html
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jupiter on 02/25/2007 04:24 am
:bleh: First Photos from Rosetta Mars Flyby  :cool:
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 02/25/2007 10:30 am
At 03:57 CET today, mission controllers at ESOC, ESA's Space Operations Centre in Germany, confirmed Rosetta's successful swingby of Mars, a key milestone in the 7.1-thousand-million km journey of this unique spacecraft to its target comet in 2014.

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMWZ5CE8YE_index_0.html
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 02/25/2007 10:30 am
No.09-2007 - Paris, 25 February 2007

Rosetta comet-chaser takes a close look at planet Mars

There was considerable relief today at ESA's space operations centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany. In the early hours, spacecraft controllers, orbital mechanics experts, engineers and scientists were able to witness a spacecraft playing 'cosmic billiards'. Between 03:13 and 03:40 CET,  ESA's comet chaser, Rosetta, swung by Mars at a distance of only 250 kilometres and then whooshed away from the Red Planet, on a brand new path, continuing on a journey that will ultimately take it beyond Jupiter's orbit.  

Its final destination is comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko, which it will reach only in 2014, after travelling some 6000 million kilometres in 10 years (its epic voyage began on 2 March 2004 with a launch by an Ariane 5 rocket). Rosetta will next be heading for the Sun, and its journey will require two more swing-bys around the Earth, in November this year and November 2009.

Once at its destination, Rosetta will first deposit, from a height of about one kilometre, a small but very complex lander on the comet's nucleus. This lander, a sort of miniature chemical laboratory packed with sophisticated instruments, will analyse the surface and provide information on the nucleus. The Rosetta probe will then chase the comet for one year and observe its nucleus as it continues on its trip towards the inner solar system at a speed of 135,000 km per hour.
 
There is still a long way to go, but so far everything seems to be going exactly according to plan. ESA's Director of Science, David Southwood, witnessing the Mars swing-by at ESOC with scientists involved in the mission and the operations teams, said: "Interplanetary expeditions rely on very complex communication links. ESA's mission operations centre here in Darmstadt is doing a great job. I and all the scientists involved in the mission are grateful to the experts who are taking such good care of 'our baby'. And this is only the beginning. The true excitement of targeting and releasing the lander on the comet's nucleus is yet to come. Today we have reached another milestone on the way to finding an answer to questions such as whether life on Earth began with the help of comets."

"The successful Mars swingby of the ESA Rosetta spacecraft has been the most critical event in the mission since launch. Now we are heading back to Earth in order to gain, in November this year, further momentum for the subsequent visits of the asteroids and the comet. I would like to thank all those who have contributed to this achievement", said Manfred Warhaut, Head of the Mission Operations Department.  
     
During the approach to Mars, instruments onboard Rosetta - as well as on its lander -  were switched on at predefined times to observe the environment and take imagery of the Red Planet. In September 2008 and July 2010, when it is deep inside the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, Rosetta will also observe the asteroids Stein and Lutetia close up.  

For further information, please contact:

ESA Media Relations Office
Communication Department
Phone: + 33 1 5369 7155
Queries: [email protected]
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 02/25/2007 10:30 am
This series of beautiful images taken by Rosetta's Optical, Spectroscopic, and Infrared Remote Imaging System (OSIRIS), shows planet Mars in the pre-close-approach phase.

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMUDT70LYE_index_0.html
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jabe on 02/25/2007 12:23 pm
love the "cloud" pic...
http://www.esa.int/images/mars_green_red_ratio2_H.JPG
cheers jb
BTW
Is it me or is this the fastest release of pictures from an ESA mission in a long time.  I still don't think they have released the smart-1 pics :)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jmjawors on 02/25/2007 02:47 pm
Don't think I've seen a photo quite like this one:

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMFTZM0LYE_index_0.html
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 02/25/2007 03:23 pm

Quote
jmjawors - 25/2/2007 4:47 PM

Don't think I've seen a photo quite like this one:

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMFTZM0LYE_index_0.html

Wow, you said it! It's totally spectacular and gives a unique sense of being just there, above Mars! Simply astonishing!

Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Stephan on 02/25/2007 04:40 pm
This picture is completely amazing !!!
It made me fall off my chair !!
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: punkboi on 02/25/2007 04:45 pm
Awesome pic... Makes you wonder when we'll see images of astronauts soaring high above the Red Planet...
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: hyper_snyper on 02/25/2007 04:51 pm
Having part of the spacecraft in the image puts a reference there that makes it incredible. Wow.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Bubbinski on 02/26/2007 02:40 am
I've got the true color global image of Mars as my wallpaper.  Those are awesome pics.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Thomas ESA on 02/26/2007 11:37 am
The images are very impressive. Thanks for posting this thread.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 03/02/2007 08:40 pm
ESA and NASA are mounting a joint campaign to observe Jupiter over the next few weeks with two different spacecraft. Rosetta will watch the big picture from its current position near Mars, whilst New Horizons will take close-up data as it speeds past the largest planet in our Solar System on its journey to Pluto.

More at:
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Rosetta/SEMTUJN0LYE_0.html
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 10/19/2007 05:17 pm
Yesterday, 18 October at 18:06 CEST, the thrusters of ESA's comet chaser, Rosetta, were fired in a planned, 42-second trajectory correction manoeuvre designed to 'fine tune' the spacecraft's approach to Earth. Rosetta is now approaching Earth for its second planetary swing-by of 2007.

Full story:
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMKB9JJX7F_index_0.html
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 11/07/2007 03:09 am
EuroNews looks at comets and the challenges of ESA's Rosetta mission, currently on its ten-year journey to meet comet 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

Full story:
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMDVQUOM8F_index_0.html
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 11/08/2007 03:45 pm
Rosetta closes in on Earth – a second time

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMC20VOM8F_index_0.html
 
8 November 2007

ESA’s comet chaser, Rosetta, is on its way to its second close encounter with Earth on 13 November. The spacecraft’s operators are leaving no stones unturned to make sure Earth’s gravity gives it the exact boost it needs en route to its destination.
 
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 11/16/2007 01:17 pm
An important milestone has just been accomplished as Rosetta successfully swung by Earth at 21:57 CET. The spacecraft will now be catapulted towards the outer Solar System with its newly-gained energy before coming back to Earth for another boost.

More at:
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Rosetta/SEMEFN53R8F_0.html
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 11/16/2007 01:17 pm
Images taken right after Rosetta's second Earth swing-by last night are now available. The comet chaser's navigation camera (NAVCAM) took pictures of regions in the Antarctic and snapshots of Earth and the Moon.

Full story:
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Rosetta/index.html

Follow our Rosetta Blog at:
http://www.esa.int/blog
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 11/16/2007 01:17 pm
ESA's Rosetta has returned extraordinary images captured 13 November 2007 as the comet-chasing spacecraft completed a critical Earth swing-by at 45 000 kilometres per hour.

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEM9MQ53R8F_index_0.html
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 11/16/2007 04:34 pm
As Rosetta closed in on Earth, swung by and then left on its course again, several instruments on the spacecraft were busy taking snaps. As it swung away, the OSIRIS camera also caught glimpses of the Moon.

Full story:
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Rosetta/SEMIQ363R8F_0.html

Read the Rosetta Blog at:
http://www.esa.int
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 11/21/2007 01:29 pm
True colour images of Earth as seen by Rosetta's OSIRIS camera are now available. The pictures were taken on 13 November during the swing-by, and on 15 November, as Rosetta left on its way to the outer Solar System, after the swing-by.

More at:

http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Rosetta/SEMRYE63R8F_0.html
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 07/03/2008 03:21 pm
Rosetta awakes from hibernation for asteroid encounter

3 July 2008

Spacecraft controllers have just awoken Rosetta from hibernation to prepare for its encounter with asteroid (2867) Steins on 5 September. ESA’s comet chaser will study the relatively rare asteroid as it flies by on its way to comet 67/P Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Rosetta/SEMQPDSHKHF_0.html
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 08/04/2008 04:38 pm
Rosetta starts tracking asteroid Steins

4 August 2008

Heading toward its first target-asteroid, (2867) Steins, ESA's Rosetta spacecraft has started using its cameras to visually track the asteroid and eventually determine its orbit with more accuracy.

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMF0B8N9JF_index_0.html
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 08/18/2008 05:04 pm
Perfect sight: Rosetta cameras track asteroid target
18 August 2008

On 14 August, Rosetta conducted a successful trajectory correction manoeuvre using data obtained from the Agency's first-ever optical tracking of an asteroid target, (2867) Steins. Images from the spacecraft's cameras were used to calculate the asteroid's location and optimise its trajectory for fly-by next month.

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMC9R6UWJF_index_0.html
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 08/25/2008 09:22 am
N° 35-2008 - Paris, 25 August 2008

ESA's Rosetta spacecraft will make a historic encounter with asteroid (2867) Steins on 5 September 2008. The doors of ESA's European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany, will be open to the media as of 18:00 on 5 September to follow the fly-by events. First images and results will be available for presentation to the media during a press conference which will be held at ESOC the following day, Saturday 6 September at 12:00 CEST. 

Steins is Rosetta's first nominal scientific target. The spacecraft will rendezvous with the asteroid in the course of its first incursion into the asteroid belt located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, while on its way to comet 67/P Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

The study of asteroids is extremely important as they represent a sample of Solar System material at different stages of evolution - key to understanding the origin of our own planet and of our planetary neighbourhood.

The closest approach to Steins is due to take place on 5 September at 20:58 CEST (Central European Summer Time), from a distance of 800 km, during which the spacecraft will not be communicating with Earth. First ground contact with the spacecraft and announcement of successful fly-by will take place at 22:23 CEST. The first data and images collected by Rosetta will be sent to Earth throughout the night of 5 to 6 September and will undergo 
preliminary processing in the morning of 6 September. The first images will be made available for broadcasters via a special satellite feed on Saturday 6 September (details will be given on http://television.esa.int).
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 09/05/2008 03:20 pm
Follow Rosetta's progress online
5 September 2008

Follow the progress of Rosetta's encounter with asteroid Steins online via the Rosetta Blog and the Rosetta website. Closest approach is due at 20:58 CEST today.

Rosetta Blog: http://www.esa.int/blog
Rosetta website: http://www.esa.int/rosetta
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 09/05/2008 09:08 pm
Rosetta Steins fly-by confirmed
5 September 2008

Rosetta's control room at ESA's European Space Operations Centre, ESOC, received the first radio signal after closest approach to asteroid (2867) Steins at 22:14 CEST, confirming a smooth fly-by.
 
Closest approach took place at 20:58 CEST ground time, 20:38 CEST spacecraft time, at a distance of 800 km. Rosetta's relative speed with respect to Steins was 8.6 km/sec, or about 31 000 km/h. The exact time of closest approach will be confirmed over the next few days after a detailed analysis of telemetry data.

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMUOWO4KKF_index_0.html
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 09/06/2008 11:00 am
Press Release
N° 37-2008

Paris, 6 September 2008


Encounter of a different kind: Rosetta observes asteroid at close quarters

ESA's comet chaser, Rosetta, last night flew by a small body in the main asteroid belt, asteroid Steins, collecting a wealth of information about this rare type of minor Solar System body.

At 20:58 CEST (18:58 UT) last night, ESA's Rosetta probe approached asteroid 2867 Steins, coming to within a distance of only 800 km from it. Steins is Rosetta's first nominal scientific target in its 11 and half year mission to ultimately explore the nucleus of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

The success of this 'close' encounter was confirmed at 22:14 CEST, when ESA's ground control team at the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany, received initial telemetry from the spacecraft. During the flyby operations, Rosetta was out of reach as regards communication  links because its antenna had to be turned away from Earth. At a distance of about 2.41 AU (360 million kilometres) from our planet, the radio signal from the probe took 20 minutes to reach the ground.

Steins is a small asteroid of irregular shape with a diameter of only 4.6 km. It belongs to the rare class of E-type asteroids, which had not been directly observed by an interplanetary spacecraft before. Such asteroids are quite small in size and orbit and are mostly found in the inner part of the main asteroid belt located between Mars and Jupiter. They probably originate from the mantle of larger asteroids destroyed in the early history of the Solar System, and are thought to be composed mainly of silicate minerals with little or no iron content.

The data collected by Rosetta last night and which will be analysed over the coming days and weeks will finally unveil the true nature of Steins.

Through the study of minor bodies such as asteroids, Rosetta is opening up a new window onto the early history of our Solar System. It will give us a better understanding of the origins and evolution of the planets, and also a key to better interpreting asteroid data collected from the ground.

Under Rosetta's scope

This is not Rosetta's first look at Steins. Over two years ago, in March 2006, the Osiris camera onboard Rosetta observed the brightness variations of this rotating asteroid from a distance of 159 million kilometres (a little over the distance between Earth and the Sun), and was able to determine that the tiny asteroid spins around its axis in about six hours.

Together with the two navigation cameras onboard, Osiris was again pointed towards Steins on 4 August and continued to observe the asteroid until 4 September, in order to assist Rosetta's navigation by optical means -a first in the history of ESA spacecraft operations. A few days before the flyby, most of the Rosetta orbiter instruments, as well as the Philae lander magnetometer, were switched on to collect science data on the asteroid, with ever-increasing accuracy as the spacecraft closed in on it.

Rosetta's powerful instruments have initially been focusing on the asteroid's orbital motion, rotation, shape and density. As the distance has diminished, the investigation has broadened to take in the observation of surface properties and features, and the analysis of the chemical and mineralogical composition of the terrains, as well as their relative ages and the effects of the solar wind on the surface.

At its closest approach, Rosetta flew by Steins at a relative speed of 8.6 km/s. To keep the small asteroid in the field of view of its instruments, the spacecraft had to perform a rapid and highly demanding rotation manoeuvre, which had been successfully rehearsed in March this year.

A preliminary analysis of the first data from the flyby was presented to the press at ESOC at 12:00 CEST today.

To Steins and beyond

"Steins might be small, but we're making big science here", said Dr David Southwood, ESA's Director of Science and Robotic Exploration. "The better we learn to know the different kinds of asteroids, the better we will understand our origins in the past. Moreover, when such Solar System wanderers escape from the belt they could become a threat to Earth. The better we know them, the better we will be able to mitigate the risks some of them might present in the future."

"Rosetta performed very well all along," Southwood continued. " This was a complex manoeuvre to keep such a small target in sight, but the spacecraft came through with flying colours. Now we are even more confident in its capacity to conduct the complex tasks that await it at comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko."

Science observations of Steins will continue until 10 September.

Since its launch by an Ariane 5 rocket on 2 March 2004, Rosetta has already travelled about 3.7 thousand million kilometres and swung by the Earth twice and Mars once for gravity-assist manoeuvres. On 17 December this year Rosetta will reach the maximum distance from the Sun in its current orbit, and will then head back towards Earth for the next and last gravitational kick from our planet on 13 November 2009. This will give the probe its final push toward its cometary target.

On its way, Rosetta is scheduled to conduct another flyby, this time with the much larger (21) Lutetia asteroid, on 10 July 2010. Arrival at 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is due by mid-2014. By that time the probe will have covered a distance of about 6.5 thousand million kilometres.

For more information:

ESA - Media Relations Office
Communication and Knowledge Department
Tel: +33 1 5369 7299
Fax: +33 1 5369 7690
Email: [email protected]
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 09/06/2008 11:43 am
Steins: A diamond in the sky
6 September 2008

The first images from Rosetta's OSIRIS imaging system and VIRTIS infrared spectrometer were derived from raw data this morning and have delivered spectacular results.
 
"Steins looks like a diamond in the sky," said Uwe Keller, Principal Investigator for the OSIRIS imaging system from the Max Planck Institut Fuer Sonnensystemforschung, Lindau.

Visible in the image are several small craters on the asteroid, and two huge ones, one of which is 2 km in diameter, indicating that the asteroid must be very old.

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMNMYO4KKF_index_0.html
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: otisbow on 09/07/2008 02:00 pm
I was unable to record the Rosetta post fly-by news conference.  Did anybody make an audio or video of the press conference?
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 10/20/2009 07:39 pm
Last visit home for ESA's comet chaser
20 October 2009

ESA's Rosetta comet chaser will swing by Earth on 13 November to pick up orbital energy and begin the final leg of its 10-year journey to the outer Solar System. Several observations of the Earth's Moon system are planned before the spacecraft heads out to study comet 67/P Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMJNZYRA0G_index_0.html
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 11/04/2009 03:06 pm
ESA's comet chaser Rosetta will swing by Earth for the last time on 13 November to pick up energy and begin the final leg of its 10-year journey to comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. ESA's European Space Operations Centre will host a media briefing on that day.

More at:
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Rosetta/SEMDYMCUE1G_0.html
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 11/12/2009 08:32 pm
Glorious Rosetta image featuring a crescent Earth a few hours before closest approach:

(forgot to post the link: http://www.esa.int/esaMI/Rosetta/SEMXJY3VU1G_1.html )
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 11/13/2009 01:36 pm
Mission controllers have just confirmed that ESA;s comet chaser Rosetta has swung by Earth at 8:45 CET as planned, skimming past our planet to pick up a gravitational boost for an epic journey to rendezvous with comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in 2014.

More at:
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Rosetta/SEMZC04VU1G_0.html
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 11/13/2009 02:07 pm
Rosetta sees a living planet
13 November 2009

Images and data taken just before closest approach were downloaded this morning, and they show the lights of North America in the night and a glowing Southern Hemisphere.

http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Rosetta/SEM8KIHVY1G_0.html
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 11/16/2009 01:59 pm
Rosetta's OSIRIS imaging system spotted an anticyclone over the South Pacific on the morning of 13 November. The images show the scene roughly as a human eye would see it.

More at:
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Rosetta/SEMWX5OC02G_0.html
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 06/15/2010 03:05 pm
Rosetta's blind date with asteroid Lutetia

15 June 2010
ESA's comet-chaser Rosetta is heading for a blind date with asteroid Lutetia. Rosetta does not yet know what Lutetia looks like but beautiful or otherwise the two will meet on 10 July.

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEM9VRQVEAG_index_0.html
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 06/26/2010 09:00 am
Swing by Asteroid Lutetia With the European Space Agency and JPL

This is a feature from the NASA/JPL Education Office.


 06.25.10 -- The Rosetta Orbiter, a European Space Agency spacecraft heading for a 2014 encounter with a comet, will be flying close to asteroid Lutetia on Saturday, July 10. Classes and clubs are invited to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory from 2 to 4 p.m. that day to see first-ever, close-up images of Lutetia, talk to a NASA/JPL Rosetta project manager and participate in educational activities.

Lutetia is a large metal-rich asteroid and part of the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Rosetta will make its closest approach to Lutetia at 9:10 a.m. (Pacific Time), flying within 3,200 kilometers (just under 2,000 miles) of the asteroid's surface. This encounter will be Rosetta's first observations of a metal asteroid. The suite of NASA instruments aboard Rosetta will record the first-ever ultraviolet view of such an asteroid, make measurements that will help scientists understand the properties of the asteroid's surface crust, record the solar wind in the vicinity and look for evidence of an atmosphere.

Beginning at 2 p.m. at JPL, NASA's project manager for U.S. instruments on Rosetta, Art Chmielewski, will review first images with students and discuss the asteroid encounter. There will also be educational activities about comets and asteroids. The JPL events will be geared to students in grades 3 - 8.

To sign up for this event, contact Andrea Angrum at 818-354-6775.

The European Space Agency will be webcasting events starting at 8 a.m. More information about the webcast and the Rosetta Mission's 2014 encounter with comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko can be found at http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Rosetta/ .


- end -
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 06/30/2010 01:06 pm
The media are invited to ESA's Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany to follow Rosetta's encounter with asteroid Lutetia on 10 July, 18:00-23:00. The first images of the asteroid will be released before midnight, with experts available for interview.

ESA's Rosetta comet-chaser is en route to its main target, comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, arriving in 2014. On Saturday, 10 July it will fly past the previously unvisited asteroid Lutetia.

This is an important milestone in Rosetta's long voyage, which began in 2004, and marks a rare opportunity to observe a primitive body such as an asteroid.

After encountering Lutetia, Rosetta will not perform scientific activities until reaching Churyumov-Gerasimenko in May 2014. It will then observe the comet for 18 months, releasing a lander onto the comet in November 2014.

Lutetia will be the second asteroid studied during Rosetta's journey. The Steins flyby took place on 5 September 2008, approaching to within 800 km.

Lutetia is a much bigger asteroid, so the flyby will be no closer than about 3200 km. Any nearer and Rosetta would not be able to fit the whole asteroid into the camera’s field of view.

The close pass will allow around two hours of observational opportunities. The spacecraft will rapidly begin beaming its data to Earth and the first pictures will be released later that evening.

The Rosetta science and flight operations teams will be on hand to provide commentary, and to answer questions during the event.
Media Accreditation:
Journalists wishing to attend the event are requested to send an email with their full contact details to: [email protected] (Tel. +49 6151 90 25 16)

European Space Operations Centre ESA / ESOC
Robert-Bosch-Straße 5
D-64293 Darmstadt
Germany


 
Media Event Programme

16:30 Doors open to media and guests : interview opportunities
18:00 Welcome to ESOC, and the role of ESA Operations, Manfred Warhaut, Head of ESA's Operations Department
18:05 Preparing to visit an asteroid, Andrea Accomazzo, Rosetta Spacecraft Operations Manager
18:10 Closest Approach - Lutetia Flyby Manoeuvres LIVE
18:12 Rosetta mission overview, Gerhard Schwehm, Rosetta Mission Manager
18:16         Rosetta and the study of asteroids, Rita Schulz, Rosetta Project Scientist
18:20         Understanding asteroids for ESA's Space Situational Awareness programme, Manfred Warhaut, Head of ESA's Operations Department
18:23 Rosetta within the European Science Programme, Prof. David Southwood, ESA's Director for Science and Robotic Exploration
18:40 Waiting for the return of spacecraft data, Andrea Accomazzo, Rosetta Spacecraft Operations Manager
18:50 ESOC garden barbeque, including TV transmission of Soccer World Cup match for third place
23:00 The first images of Lutetia, comments from Rita Schulz, Rosetta Project Scientist, and Holger Sierks, MPI for Solar System Research, Katlenburg-Lindau (DE)
23:10 Q+A with Rosetta team
23:30 End of event (further interview opportunities)
23:45 ESA's Operations Centre closes to all external guests

Further updates including the Rosetta blog and live web-streaming of the entire event at:
www.esa.int/rosetta
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 07/06/2010 02:33 pm

Philae and Rosetta gear up for asteroid Lutetia

5 July 2010

The Rosetta orbiter, which carries the DLR lander Philae, has completed more than two thirds of its journey to the comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The most comprehensive cometary investigation ever, the mission will deliver DLR's Philae lander to the comet’s surface for in situ studies. The spacecraft and lander are due to close in on 21 Lutetia, a large Main Belt Asteroid on 10 July.

http://www.dlr.de/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-1/117_read-25474/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 07/09/2010 02:20 pm
ESA Euronews: The Rosetta Odyssey
 
8 July 2010   In the 19th century, the discovery of the Rosetta Stone unlocked the secrets of Egyptian hieroglyphs. Today, 21st century scientists are hoping that the Rosetta mission will unlock the secrets of the oldest 'building blocks' of our Solar System - the comets - and their origins and influence on our planet.

http://www.esa.int/euronews
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 07/09/2010 08:28 pm
News release: 2010-228                                                                      July 9, 2010

Heavy Metal Rock Set to Take the Stage

The full version of this story with accompanying images is at:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2010-228&cid=release_2010-228

PASADENA, Calif. - On its way to a 2014 rendezvous with comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft, with NASA instruments aboard, will fly past asteroid Lutetia this Saturday, July 10.

The instruments aboard Rosetta will record the first close-up image of a metal asteroid. They will also make measurements to help scientists derive the mass of the object, understand the properties of the asteroid's surface crust, record the solar wind in the vicinity and look for evidence of an atmosphere. The spacecraft will pass the asteroid at a minimum distance of 3,160 kilometers (1,950 miles) and at a velocity of 15 kilometers (9 miles) per second.

"Little is known about asteroid Lutetia other than it is about 100 kilometers (62 miles) wide," said Claudia Alexander, project scientist for the U.S. role in the Rosetta mission, from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "Allowing Rosetta's suite of science instruments to focus on this target of opportunity should greatly expand our knowledge of this huge space rock, while at the same time giving the mission's science instruments a real out-of-this-world workout."

Previous images of Lutetia were taken by ground-based telescopes and show only hints of the asteroid's shape. Lutetia will be the second asteroid to receive the full attention of Rosetta and its instruments. The spacecraft previously flew within 800 kilometers (500 miles) of asteroid Steins in September of 2008. The Lutetia flyby is the final scientific milestone for Rosetta before controllers put the spacecraft into hibernation early in 2011, only to wake up in early 2014 for approach to comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

NASA has contributed an ultraviolet instrument (Alice); a plasma instrument (the Ion and Electron Sensor); a microwave instrument (Microwave Instrument for the Rosetta Orbiter); and portions of the electronics package for the double focusing mass spectrometer of the Rosetta orbiter sensor for ion and neutral analysis (ROSINA), among other contributions to this international mission. NASA's Deep Space Network, managed by JPL, will be providing support for tracking and science operations.

One hundred and fifteen elementary school students will be at JPL during the flyby. The students will view close-up images of Lutetia, talk to the U.S. Rosetta project manager and participate in educational activities. The U.S. Rosetta project leaders hope to use this event as a kickoff of more coordinated activities with selected schools around the United States.

JPL manages NASA's participation in the Rosetta mission. Learn more about NASA's contribution to Rosetta at: http://rosetta.jpl.nasa.gov .



- end -
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mdo on 07/10/2010 01:01 pm
Here's a Rosetta Real-Time Simulation:

http://www.dmuller.net/spaceflight/realtime.php?mission=rosetta (http://www.dmuller.net/spaceflight/realtime.php?mission=rosetta)

150.000 km to go to the encounter with Lutetia...
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: ugordan on 07/10/2010 02:32 pm
Fingers crossed for no safe modes or other anomalies this time...
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 07/10/2010 03:27 pm
Rosetta lines up for spectacular asteroid flyby
10 July 2010

Asteroid 21 Lutetia is growing larger in Rosetta's view as the ESA satellite zooms in for a spectacular flyby at 18:10 CEST today. Lutetia is the largest asteroid ever visited by a spacecraft.

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMCMBZOFBG_index_0.html
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 07/10/2010 03:27 pm
Watch Rosetta webcast live 10 July starting 18:00 CEST (not 18:30 as previously published)

Live webcast of the media event from ESA's European Space Operations Centre covering Rosetta's 10 July flyby of asteroid 21 Lutetia. Two-part programme starts 18:00 CEST for closest approach and resumes at 23:00 CEST for presentation of first images. Includes interviews with mission scientists and live update from Rosetta control room.

http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Rosetta/index.html
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mdo on 07/10/2010 03:35 pm
passing the 10.000 km distance mark...
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mdo on 07/10/2010 03:41 pm
- 5000 km
- relative speed 53.982 km/h,
- apparent angular diameter of Lutetia as seen from Rosetta 1.1 deg
   (> 2x full moon)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mdo on 07/10/2010 03:45 pm
closest approach: ~3162 km at 15:45 UT; apparent diameter 1.958 deg

(nominal values as per simulation)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mdo on 07/10/2010 03:55 pm
- back at 10.000 km distance
- end of closed-loop tracking

In principal it is all over. The signals still have to arrive and the data pour in.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: ugordan on 07/10/2010 04:23 pm
Distant approach images: http://webservices.esa.int/blog/post/5/1246
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Ben the Space Brit on 07/10/2010 04:45 pm
Distant approach images: http://webservices.esa.int/blog/post/5/1246

Basically a flattened oval rock whose general shape makes me think of a plaster cast of a hand-print.  I wonder how typical 21 Lutetia is of main-belt objects of that size?
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Space Pete on 07/10/2010 08:51 pm
Here's a fantastic animation from the Planetary Society Blog showing sequential images of Rosetta approaching Lutetia!

(http://www.planetary.org/image/Lutetia_approach_cropped510.gif)

www.planetary.org/blog/article/00002577
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mdo on 07/10/2010 09:07 pm
Lutetia and Saturn together in one shot!
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: ugordan on 07/10/2010 09:09 pm
http://webservices.esa.int/blog/post/5/1247
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: JJ.. on 07/10/2010 09:16 pm
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: JJ.. on 07/10/2010 09:17 pm
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: JJ.. on 07/10/2010 09:17 pm
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Space Pete on 07/10/2010 09:28 pm
http://webservices.esa.int/blog/post/5/1247

Those images are absolutely breathtaking! :o
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: JJ.. on 07/10/2010 09:46 pm
I hope it was OK to post the grabs from the briefing,
Those high res ones are breathtaking indeed,

JJ..
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jabe on 07/10/2010 09:48 pm
During the press conference they mentioned that the different groups analyzing different data will share their results with each other in October(if i remember correctly)  Why such a delay? Wouldn't it be easier to have "round table discussion" on weekly/biweekly to talk about things they see and compare to help make sense of data?
jb
btw love the saturn pic in background ...
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: ugordan on 07/10/2010 09:51 pm
A colorization of that Lutetia and Saturn conjunction:
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Danderman on 07/10/2010 10:10 pm
You know, a mission to a body like that would not be too different from a lunar mission, once the astronauts landed.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: cro-magnon gramps on 07/10/2010 10:23 pm
During the press conference they mentioned that the different groups analyzing different data will share their results with each other in October(if i remember correctly)  Why such a delay? Wouldn't it be easier to have "round table discussion" on weekly/biweekly to talk about things they see and compare to help make sense of data?
jb
btw love the saturn pic in background ...

previous to Rita's comment on the October conference, she mentioned another one in September for which the teams have to prepare for; this she said entails, sorting through the data as it comes down and preliminary processing of the data while preparing their presentations on said data; I don't think they will have much time between now (July 10 and September 15th, that being about the time of the first meeting);

btw, agree with you on the saturn pic; someone had a great eye for photography composition ;)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Ben the Space Brit on 07/11/2010 01:41 pm
Okay, that's another solar system body that we can scratch of the list of 'to be visited'.  How many does that make to go? A couple of hundred-thousand? ;)

Seriously, that animated GIF CMG posted was breathtaking.  It always blows my mind when I realise that these are real worlds, millions of miles from home with their own unique histories and stories.

From that image, it is clear that Rosetta was approaching the object's north rotational pole, based on the clockwise rotation.  Just out of interest, roughly how steep does these observations make 21 Lutetia's polar inclination to the ecliptic?

On Danderman's point of a visit, I'd say you'd actually need a lander of some type to land on a body as big as 21 Lutetia.  I'm thinking that a lunar-capable lander would be more than sufficient and would probably have enough delta-v in its respective descent and ascent stages to be used in the LOI and ROI burns too.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: hop on 07/11/2010 06:27 pm
On Danderman's point of a visit, I'd say you'd actually need a lander of some type to land on a body as big as 21 Lutetia.  I'm thinking that a lunar-capable lander would be more than sufficient and would probably have enough delta-v in its respective descent and ascent stages to be used in the LOI and ROI burns too.
You don't need nearly that much. Lunar gravity is 1/6 earth. Lutetia is something like 1/400th. Escape velocity is only ~50m/s.

Lutetia is one of the larger asteroids, but the gravity is still so low that EVAs would be more floating than walking. This might be quite difficult without handholds or some kind of MMU.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: TheFallen on 07/11/2010 11:13 pm
A colorization of that Lutetia and Saturn conjunction:


That.  Is.  Awesome!
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: yg1968 on 07/12/2010 05:46 pm
Okay, that's another solar system body that we can scratch of the list of 'to be visited'.  How many does that make to go? A couple of hundred-thousand? ;)

Well, it's asteroid no. 21. Perhaps, we should limit ourselves to asteroids no. 1 through 21 for now. Dawn will visit no. 1 (Ceres in 2015) and 4 (Vesta in 2011). Dawn could perhaps flyby asteroid no. 2 (Pallas in 2018) if it's mission is extended and if that asteroid is chosen.   
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Space Pete on 09/25/2010 03:31 am
ESA's Rosetta comet-chaser goes LEGO®.
 
What does a scientist do to visualise a space journey? Build a model, of course. A model of Europe’s Rosetta comet-chaser made out of LEGO® blocks started out in this small way and has grown into a high-fidelity Rosetta Lander Education Kit.
 
Engineering and art students of the University of Rome gathered yesterday to test the prototype of the Rosetta Lander Education Kit. Not only did they build the LEGO MINDSTORMS comet lander, they also learnt why ESA’s mission is travelling all the way to Jupiter’s orbit to rendezvous with comet Churyumov–Gerasimenko.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=er-TFVbnSKA

“Chasing comets allows us to look back into the history of our Solar System,” said ESA space scientist Detlef Koschny during the presentation of the Education Kit.

“Understanding their composition will teach us about how our own Earth came into being and the ingredients that allowed the formation of life.”

So far, comets have only been investigated from a distance but, in November 2014, Rosetta’s Philae lander will touch down on Churyumov-Gerasimenko’s icy surface, allowing the comet’s composition to be directly measured.

This is not the first time that LEGO bricks have been used by the Rosetta mission. Detlef once created a LEGO model of the whole spacecraft to visualise its flight path during meetings. Not only did the orbital journey become apparent in those meetings, so did the desire of everyone to own a LEGO version of Rosetta.

What started as a small model has blossomed into a high-fidelity education kit. It was obvious on the student’s faces and those of the professors that this was an unconventional ‘first’ in the history of the ancient University of Rome.

“It was quite difficult, because all the moving parts are not so easy to rebuild so we had to figure out something, some way to realise some mechanism that could move,” said Filippo Ales, a student of aerospace engineering.

For example, Philae has ‘ice screws’ on its legs that drill into the comet at impact to stop it bouncing off in the low gravity. A harpoon also holds the lander on the surface.

On top of the lander is a small rocket engine that fires to keep Philae in position while the screws and the harpoon finish their job of anchoring it.

Some of these features are reproduced on the model. LEGO Mindstorms components allow moving parts to be controlled by a simple home computer.

"I liked it a lot to assemble everything, I thought is was real fun,” said student Monserrat Olympia Pineda Arqueros. “I would recommend it to all students to do this assembly exercise with LEGO."

The feedback from the engineering students on the prototype will be used by ESA, the German Aerospace Center DLR, Europlanet, Lightcurvefilms and LEGO to finalise the Education Kit and adapt it to the needs of European curricula.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Sf_g6YxWuM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oEaGjgOB0M


www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMN40NO7EG_index_0.html
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Space Pete on 09/25/2010 03:34 am
Rosetta operations strategy modified following a RCS test.

In 2011 the Rosetta spacecraft will go into a 2.5 year hibernation until its reactivation to prepare for its encounter with Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in 2014.

In September 2006, during a period without contact with Earth, a pressure reading in the Reaction Control System (RCS) had dropped unexpectedly to zero. A leak had not seemed the most likely explanation at the time. Nonetheless, all eventualities had been evaluated before any spacecraft tests were carried out this year. During a test performed on the RCS on 9th September 2010, the data on the pressure showed there was a leak in an area which cannot be isolated.

The leak implies a modification in planned spacecraft operations and thus the RCS will not be re-pressurised as planned in January 2011. The system will be operated using existing pressure in so-called "blow-down" mode. This increases operational uncertainties, but the margins remain comfortable.

Ground tests have been done to characterise fully the behaviour of the Rosetta thrusters at low pressure. This has allowed identification of operational measures giving an optimised rendezvous manoeuvre strategy and an optimised thermal control of the fuel tanks during rendezvous manoeuvres. This was also aided by the fact that fuel allocated for uncertainties on manoeuvres in the first part of the mission has not been used and can now be utilised for this optimisation.

Thus, despite the unwelcome news, an operation strategy has already been defined that conserves the mission objectives without re-pressurisation of the RCS system.

The strategy achieves the required mission by delaying the start of the post-hibernation rendezvous manoeuvre by about one week. This small delay is safely within the uncertainties still existing in the overall comet operations timeline.

The rest of the mission manoeuvres will be performed at low pressure, with lower but acceptable efficiency. No impact on the comet science operations is expected and in particular the date for lander delivery is kept within the originally planned window.


http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=47733
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Space Pete on 09/25/2010 03:35 am
Rosetta should look south for safe landing site.

ESA’s Rosetta mission needs to deliver its lander, Philae, to a site in the southern hemisphere of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, according to a new study of the comet’s nucleus.

“Southern sites appear to be both the safest and the most scientifically interesting,” said Jeremie Lasue, who will be presenting the findings at the European Planetary Science Congress in Rome on Thursday 23rd September.

“Churyumov-Gerasimenko is a time capsule holding material from the birth of the Solar System.  The nucleus’s southern hemisphere has been heavily eroded, so Philae will not have to drill down far to find those pristine samples. At the time of Rosetta’s rendez-vous, gas will be escaping mainly from the northern hemisphere, so it will be safer for Philae to touch down in the south. In addition due to the orientation of the comet, the southern hemisphere will be protected from extreme temperature variations at the time of delivery,” said Lasue.

After a ten-year chase, Rosetta is due to begin manoeuvres to rendez-vous with comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko in May 2014 and go into orbit around the nucleus in August.  Philae is scheduled to drop down onto the surface of the nucleus in November.  The orbiter and lander will then monitor the comet’s evolution over the next 13 months as it approaches the Sun and then travels away again.

Lasue and colleagues from the INAF-IASF and IFSI institutes in Rome have developed three-dimensional computer models that predict the activity of Churyumov-Gerasimenko’s nucleus from the first few months of Rosetta’s initial encounter until the comet’s closest approach in August 2015.  Comet nuclei are a porous mixture of dust, ice and frozen gases such as carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.  As the nucleus approaches the Sun and starts to heat up, the gases vaporise and the tail, or coma, starts to form.

The models predict how heat is transferred through the layered nucleus and the vaporisation rates of the ices as the comet approaches the Sun.  Churyumov Gerasimenko’s lumpy, diamond-shaped nucleus is tilted at an angle of 45 degrees, which means that the south pole is in the full glare of the Sun at the closest approach.  The simulations show that after several orbits close to the Sun, the south pole has been significantly more eroded than the north, potentially giving Philae easy access to pristine cometary material just below the surface.  Philae will be able to drill down up to 30 centimetres to collect samples of the cometary soil for on-board analysis.

The south also looks to offer the most stable landing conditions. At the time of landing, the northern hemisphere is illuminated and activity due to escaping gas is concentrated there, with up to 30 kg of gas and 50 kg of dust emitted per second. Gas escaping from the comet’s interior drags dust grains up to the surfaces.  Small dust particles are carried away into the coma, while larger grains build up on the surface, forming a coating known as a dust mantle.  The simulations show that a dust mantle approximately 20 centimetres deep will have formed in the southern hemisphere, compared to a coating of just a couple of centimetres in northern regions.

“When Philae lands, temperatures at the equator may rise above freezing and could fluctuate by around 150 degrees Celsius.  However, the regions close to the south pole will keep more stable temperatures.  From our present results, we’ve concluded that the southern hemisphere promises the best landing sites.  As more data on Churyumov-Gerasimenko becomes available to better quantify our results, we will be able to add to the picture and help prepare for a safe landing for Philae,” said Maria Cristina De Sanctis, co-author of the study.

Another reason for choosing a southern hemisphere landing site is that Philae is powered by solar cells, so will experience higher levels of illumination as the comet approaches the Sun.

IMAGES

Image showing orbit of comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko and Rosetta during the encounter (not to scale):
www.europlanet-eu.org/outreach/images/stories/ep/news/epsc2010/rosetta_orbit_landing.jpg

ANIMATIONS

Surface illumination of the nucleus of comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko at the time of Rosetta’s rendez-vous with the comet at approximately 3.5 AU from the Sun (1 AU = 149.6 million kilometres).  The comet nucleus’s rotational period is approximately 12 hours. Credit: Lasue/INAF
www.europlanet-eu.org/outreach/images/stories/ep/news/epsc2010/illum_anim_3.5au.gif

Surface illumination of the nucleus of comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko at the time of Philae’s landing on the comet nucleus (approximately 3 AU from the Sun).
www.europlanet-eu.org/outreach/images/stories/ep/news/epsc2010/illum_anim_3au.gif

Surface illumination of the nucleus of comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko at closest approach to the Sun (approximately 1.5 AU).
www.europlanet-eu.org/outreach/images/stories/ep/news/epsc2010/illum_anim_peri.gif


FURTHER INFORMATION

This research has been sponsored by the French Space Agency (CNES) and the Europlanet scientist exchange program. The model has been produced with the collaboration of Maria Cristina De Sanctis, Maria Teresa Capria, Angioletta Coradini and Diego Turini of the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica’s Instituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica (INAF-IASF), http://www.iasf-roma.inaf.it/, and the Istituto di fisica dello Spazio Interplanetario (INAF-IFSI), http://www.ifsi-roma.inaf.it/ifsi/, in Rome, and the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI), http://www.lpi.usra.edu/.

The Rosetta Mission.

The European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft will be the first to undertake the long-term exploration of a comet at close quarters. It comprises a large orbiter, which is designed to operate for a decade at large distances from the Sun, and a small lander. Each of these carries a large complement of scientific experiments designed to complete the most detailed study of a comet ever attempted.
More information on Rosetta can be found on the ESA website: www.esa.int/esaMI/Rosetta/index.html


www.europlanet-eu.org/outreach/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=293&Itemid=1
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 10/05/2010 08:08 am

Asteroid Lutetia has thick blanket of debris

Lutetia, the giant asteroid visited by Europe's Rosetta probe in July, is covered in a thick blanket of dusty debris at least 600m (2,000ft) deep. Aeons of impacts have pulverised the space rock to produce a shattered surface that in terms of texture is much like Earth's Moon, scientists say.

The finding is one of the first to emerge from the wealth of data gathered by Rosetta during its close flyby.

The details are being discussed this week at a conference in Pasadena, US.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11470851
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 10/14/2010 03:05 pm
When is a comet not a comet? Rosetta finds out
 
13 October 2010
It was a case of celestial hit and run. Two asteroids, both in the wrong place at the wrong time. The result: one big trail of debris and a case of mistaken identity. Now, however, ESA's comet-chaser Rosetta has unravelled the truth.

http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Rosetta/SEMAJYVO1FG_0.html
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 06/03/2011 12:00 pm
Rosetta to sleep through loneliest leg of comet mission
 
3 June 2011

On 8 June, mission controllers will have the first opportunity to switch ESA's Rosetta comet-hunter into deep-space hibernation for 31 months. During this loneliest leg of its decade-long mission, Rosetta will loop ever closer toward comet 67-P, soaring to almost 1000 million km from Earth.

http://www.esa.int/export/esaSC/SEMSTK58BOG_index_0.html
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 06/08/2011 04:18 pm
Rosetta comet probe enters hibernation in deep space
 
8 June 2011

The final command placing ESA's Rosetta comet-chaser into deep-space hibernation was sent earlier today. With virtually all systems shut down, the probe will now coast for 31 months until waking up in 2014 for arrival at its comet destination.
 
Today's dramatic event marks the end of the hugely successful first phase of Rosetta's ten-year cruise and the start of a long, dark hibernation during which all instruments and almost all control systems will be silent.

The deep sleep is made necessary by the craft's enormous distance from the Sun and the weakness of the sunlight falling on its solar panels, which cannot produce enough electricity to power the probe fully. 

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEM38RJ4LOG_index_0.html
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 10/28/2011 08:17 am
Asteroid Lutetia: postcard from the past
 
27 October 2011

ESA's Rosetta spacecraft has revealed asteroid Lutetia to be a primitive body, left over as the planets were forming in our Solar System. Results from Rosetta's fleeting flyby also suggest that this mini-world tried to grow a metal heart.

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMG93HURTG_index_0.html

Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 03/29/2012 02:21 pm
A fleeting encounter with an 'inbetweener'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17539310
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 05/31/2012 01:53 pm
Rosetta flyby uncovers the complex history of asteroid Lutetia

29 May 2012

The long and tumultuous history of asteroid (21) Lutetia is revealed by a comprehensive analysis of the data gathered by ESA's Rosetta spacecraft when it flew past this large main-belt asteroid on 10 July 2010. New studies have revealed the asteroid's surface morphology, composition and other properties in unprecedented detail. In particular, extensive studies of Lutetia's geological features have opened a unique window into the complex history of this peculiar object.

 http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=50394
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 09/15/2012 10:11 am
Image of the week: Rosetta’s self-portrait

10 Sep 2012

This image shows a rare glimpse of a spacecraft after launch. The European Space Agency's Rosetta comet-chaser photographed itself in space at a distance of 35 million km from Earth. Rosetta is currently in hibernation until 2014 when it will be woken to complete the first long term study of a comet at close quarters.

http://www.bis.gov.uk/ukspaceagency/news-and-events/2012/Sep/rosetta-self-portrait
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 02/21/2013 07:34 pm
Rosetta's journey

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_s_journey2

Rosetta - Comet 67P

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9zc2eCiyYk
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 03/21/2013 07:16 pm
Philae Lander on Twitter

 https://twitter.com/Philae2014
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 05/21/2013 09:46 am
Moonrise over Earth, by Rosetta
 
21 May 2013

The Moon rises above clouds blanketing the Pacific Ocean in this image taken by ESA’s Rosetta spacecraft during its first flyby of Earth eight years ago.
 
The photo was taken just a few minutes before the spacecraft’s closest approach of our home planet at an altitude of about 1950 km on 3 March 2005.

 http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Moonrise_over_Earth_by_Rosetta

http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2013/02131723-forgotten-image-of-earth.html

Image credit: ESA/E. Lakdawalla
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 10/12/2013 10:00 am
Rosetta: 100 days to wake-up

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_100_days_to_wake-up

Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 11/16/2013 07:58 pm
Rosetta blog

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 12/04/2013 09:34 am
N° 40–2013: Call for Media: Background briefing on Rosetta wake-up and year ahead

3 December 2013

Next year, on 20 January, after 957 days of hibernation in deep space, ESA’s comet-chasing Rosetta spacecraft is set to wake up automatically en route to the destination it has been travelling towards for nearly a decade.

In preparation for the critical activation and the challenges that lie ahead for Rosetta, members of the media are invited to a briefing by ESA’s science and mission control experts and partners on Tuesday, 10 December, 10:00–12:30 CET, at ESA’s Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany.

The 20 January milestone will mark the start of an intensive year as Rosetta draws steadily closer to comet Churyumov–Gerasimenko ahead of rendezvous in August. After extensively mapping the comet’s surface, it will dispatch the lander Philae in November for close-up study of the nucleus.

Rosetta will then follow the comet on its journey through the inner Solar System, monitoring the ever-changing conditions as it warms up heading towards its closest approach to the Sun, in August 2015.

Rosetta’s main objective is to help understand the origin and evolution of the Solar System, in particular investigating the role that comets may have played in seeding Earth with water, and perhaps even life.
 
ESA’s firsts with the Rosetta mission

Rosetta involves several ‘firsts’ in space exploration. It is the first mission to journey beyond the main asteroid belt relying solely on solar cells for power generation, allowing it to operate 800 million kilometres from the Sun.

Once at its target, Rosetta will be the first to orbit a comet and to land a probe on the nucleus, making it one of the most complex and ambitious missions ever undertaken.

Approaching, orbiting and landing on a comet require delicate manoeuvres, and since very little is known about the comet’s surface, a safe landing can only be planned after arrival.

Philae will obtain the first images ever taken on the surface of a comet and it will make the first in-situ analysis of the composition by drilling into the surface.

Philae will be only the second human-made object to land on a cosmic body far from Earth. It will follow the Huygens probe that landed on Saturn’s moon Titan, 1.3 billion kilometres from Earth, in January 2005.

Finally, Rosetta will be the first spacecraft to witness, at close proximity, how a comet changes as it is subjected to the increasing intensity of the Sun’s radiation.

Coverage via webstream

The media briefing will be streamed live via http://www.livestream.com/eurospaceagency

Details will be available via http://www.esa.int/rosetta

Questions

For media unable to attend, questions may be submitted as follows:

–Beforehand via email to [email protected]

–During the briefing (phone) via ESA’s dedicated Rosetta contact number: +49 6150 90 4356

–During the briefing (social media) via Twitter (hashtag #askrosetta)

Programme at ESOC 10 December 2013

09:30 Doors open

10:00 Welcome and introduction
Jocelyne Landeau-Constantin, ESOC Head of Communication

10:05 Comets as cosmic time capsules: Rosetta’s scientific goals
Mark McCaughrean, Senior Scientific Advisor, Directorate of Science and Robotic Exploration

10:20 Rosetta’s year of living dangerously: critical challenges in catching a comet
Paolo Ferri, Head of Mission Operations

10:35 The role of France in Rosetta
Philippe Gaudon, CNES Rosetta Project Manager

10:45 The role of Germany in Rosetta
Koen Geurts, DLR Rosetta Lander Technical Manager

10:55 ESA’s Rosetta communication campaign
Markus Bauer, Science Communication Officer

11:10 Open Q&A

11:30 Interview opportunities and visit to full-size Rosetta engineering model and dedicated control room

Media registration

Please register by 12:00 CET, 9 December via http://www.esa.int/rosetta_media_briefing_101213

Details on getting to ESOC: http://www.esa.int/About_Us/ESOC/Getting_to_ESOC

About the European Space Agency

The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. It is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.

ESA has 20 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, of whom 18 are Member States of the EU.

ESA has Cooperation Agreements with eight other Member States of the EU. Canada takes part in some ESA programmes under a Cooperation Agreement.

ESA is also working with the EU on implementing the Galileo and Copernicus programmes.

By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, ESA can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country.
ESA develops the launchers, spacecraft and ground facilities needed to keep Europe at the forefront of global space activities.

Today, it launches satellites for Earth observation, navigation, telecommunications and astronomy, sends probes to the far reaches of the Solar System and cooperates in the human exploration of space.

Learn more at www.esa.int

For further information:

ESA Media Relations Office
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +33 1 53 69 72 99

http://www.esa.int/For_Media/Press_Releases/Call_for_Media_Background_briefing_on_Rosetta_wake-up_and_year_ahead
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 12/10/2013 09:21 am
How Rosetta wakes up from deep space hibernation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqcDtRmJbKY&feature=youtu.be
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 12/10/2013 03:19 pm
Wake up, Rosetta!

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Wake_up_Rosetta

Rosetta: Anxious wait for comet chaser wake up

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25186770
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: robertross on 12/10/2013 03:21 pm
Wake up, Rosetta!

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Wake_up_Rosetta

Rosetta: Anxious wait for comet chaser wake up

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25186770

loved the starting lines: "Imagine what it must be like waking up 673 million kilometres from the warmth of the Sun and with no coffee. You might need some help…"

Ha.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 12/11/2013 07:41 pm
Media briefing: Rosetta wake-up and the year ahead  (video)

http://spaceinvideos.esa.int/Videos/2013/12/Media_briefing_Rosetta_wake-up_and_the_year_ahead
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 01/13/2014 05:04 pm
Press Release   
No. 1-2014   
   
Paris, 13 January 2014   
   
Call for Media: Rosetta wake up event   
   
On 20 January 2014, ESA’s comet-chasing Rosetta spacecraft is set to wake up from 957 days in deep-space hibernation. Members of the media are invited to join
 ESA at its European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany, to mark this momentous occasion.   
     
Since its launch from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou on 2 March 2004, Rosetta has travelled to a distance of some 800 million kilometres from the Sun and close
 to the orbit of Jupiter, passing by Earth three times and Mars once, and flying past two asteroids. It is now closing in on its destination, Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko,
 as it moves farther into the inner Solar System.     
   
For the most distant part of the journey, the spacecraft was put into deep-space hibernation, but the time for Rosetta to wake up and prepare for the scientific
 adventure of the encounter with 67P/ Churyumov–Gerasimenko is now fast approaching. The spacecraft’s internal alarm clock is set for 10:00 GMT (11:00 CET) on
 20 January, and the first signal from the spacecraft is expected no earlier than 17:30 GMT (18.30 CET).   
     
Members of the media are invited to join ESA’s science and mission control experts and partners on Monday 20 January, from 10:00 CET, at ESA’s European Space
 Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany for the day-long event.   
   
   
Programme at ESOC - draft   
(all times in CET)   
   
10:15-10:30 Introduction and Welcome   
   
10:30-11:30 Live reports from the Main Control Room:   
- Jean-Jacques Dordain, ESA Director General   
- Matthew Taylor, ESA Rosetta project scientist   
- Paolo Ferri, Head of ESA’s Mission Operations   
   
11:30-12:30 Interview opportunities   
   
12:30-14:00 Lunch   
   
14:00-17:20 Science presentations and operations updates     
- Science with the Rosetta orbiter   
- Comets and asteriods   
- Science with the Philae lander   
   
18:30-20:00 Operations updates and future steps, Q&A and interview opportunities   
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: robertross on 01/13/2014 09:45 pm
Press Release   
No. 1-2014   
   
Paris, 13 January 2014   
   
Call for Media: Rosetta wake up event   
   
On 20 January 2014, ESA’s comet-chasing Rosetta spacecraft is set to wake up from 957 days in deep-space hibernation.

This is going to be epic!!  :)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Blackstar on 01/14/2014 03:56 am

This is going to be epic!!  :)

Let's hope so. During the SBAG meeting last week there was a Rosetta briefing. Turns out that the spacecraft wasn't just in powered-down or standby mode all this time--it was actually SHUT OFF. No active systems at all. When the briefer mentioned this there was a rather nervous rumble among the attendees. I turned to a colleague who has helped design spacecraft and asked why they would do that. He shrugged and said "To save money, I guess."

So let's hope that it does indeed wake up.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: a_langwich on 01/14/2014 05:48 am

This is going to be epic!!  :)

Let's hope so. During the SBAG meeting last week there was a Rosetta briefing. Turns out that the spacecraft wasn't just in powered-down or standby mode all this time--it was actually SHUT OFF. No active systems at all. When the briefer mentioned this there was a rather nervous rumble among the attendees. I turned to a colleague who has helped design spacecraft and asked why they would do that. He shrugged and said "To save money, I guess."

So let's hope that it does indeed wake up.


Are you sure you understood that correctly?  What exactly wakes it up if no system is active?  If a timer, then a timer circuit is active.  If a signal, then a receiver is either active or in standby.  Perhaps there were language issues at play?
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: avollhar on 01/14/2014 06:25 am
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/sbag/meetings/jan2014/presentations/08_1630_Weaver_Rosetta_status_SBAG.pdf (http://www.lpi.usra.edu/sbag/meetings/jan2014/presentations/08_1630_Weaver_Rosetta_status_SBAG.pdf)

"Hibernating since June 2011, Wakeup by timer on: 2014-Jan-20 10:00 UTC, Stay Tuned!"
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Star One on 01/14/2014 06:27 am
On stargazing live they were talking about this mission and mentioned it has no less than six alarm clocks to wake it up.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: aga on 01/14/2014 06:41 am
afaik, rosetta is not shut-off completely...
it has internal "alarm clock" which should wake it up on jan. 20... and some of the systems are active (eg. main comp., solar panels)

http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2011/3062.html

Quote
Finally, at 14:13 UTC on June 8, Rosetta switched to hibernation mode. In this mode, only its central computer, solar panels, and enough heaters to prevent the spacecraft from becoming damagingly cold are powered on. Significantly, the communications systems were powered down. There is no longer any way to communicate with the spacecraft -- not until 10:00 UTC on January 20, 2014, 31 months from now, when the spacecraft will wake up autonomously. Seven hours later, it will begin transmitting a signal to Earth, indicating that it's awake.


http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Wake_up_Rosetta

Quote
The spacecraft’s internal alarm clock is set for 10:00 GMT (11:00 CET) on 20 January. Once it has warmed itself up, it should re-establish communication with Earth several hours later.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Blackstar on 01/14/2014 01:04 pm
Are you sure you understood that correctly?  What exactly wakes it up if no system is active?  If a timer, then a timer circuit is active.  If a signal, then a receiver is either active or in standby.  Perhaps there were language issues at play?

I phrased it wrong.

Put it this way: it has a timer that is supposed to wake it up, but it cannot be commanded to wake up if the timer fails. There's no active comm system as a backup, it's just off. It is apparently fundamentally different than the way that New Horizons has operated during its long cruise to Pluto.

Dunno why they did it that way. Hope the timer works.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: ugordan on 01/14/2014 01:07 pm
Put it this way: it has a timer that is supposed to wake it up, but it cannot be commanded to wake up if the timer fails. There's no active comm system as a backup, it's just off. It is apparently fundamentally different than the way that New Horizons has operated during its long cruise to Pluto.

It's not different to the Huygens probe if I recall correctly. It, too, relied merely on timers to conserve battery power after separation from Cassini.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Blackstar on 01/14/2014 02:01 pm
Put it this way: it has a timer that is supposed to wake it up, but it cannot be commanded to wake up if the timer fails. There's no active comm system as a backup, it's just off. It is apparently fundamentally different than the way that New Horizons has operated during its long cruise to Pluto.

It's not different to the Huygens probe if I recall correctly. It, too, relied merely on timers to conserve battery power after separation from Cassini.

Yeah, but it just sounds risky.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 01/15/2014 03:25 am
ESA's Wake Up Rosetta Video Competition

http://rosetta.jpl.nasa.gov/esas-wakeup-rosetta-video-competition
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 01/16/2014 09:10 am
http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/01/15/rosetta-fact-sheet/

Rosetta fact sheet (latest version)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: dodo on 01/17/2014 10:57 am
ESA animations of the approach:

http://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Videos/2014/01/Rosetta_s_orbit_around_the_comet (http://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Videos/2014/01/Rosetta_s_orbit_around_the_comet)

And probe landing:

http://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Videos/2013/12/Philae_touch_down (http://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Videos/2013/12/Philae_touch_down)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 01/20/2014 08:06 am
Live coverage of the wake-up event starting in 10 minutes!

http://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/ESA_Live
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 01/20/2014 08:23 am
Thomas Reiter introducing the event.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 01/20/2014 08:31 am
Álvaro Giménez Cañete taking over - Director of Science and Robotic Exploration (D/SRE) in Madrid - they will be the responsible team for initial data acquisition and processing.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 01/20/2014 08:39 am
Tracking timeline: Critical times

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/01/20/tracking-timeline-critical-times/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 01/20/2014 08:46 am
Transmitting from Darmstadt, next to Rosetta's sister (engineering model). 15 minutes to expected wake-up time.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 01/20/2014 08:56 am
Paolo Ferri (from the Rosetta team since the very beginning) outlining the past highlights - 5 minutes to go to expected wake-up time.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 01/20/2014 09:01 am
Expected wake-up time arrived. Rosetta's star trackers should have begun warm-up and thrusters will shortly (~6h) slow rotation down.

#WakeUpRosetta !  ;D
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 01/20/2014 09:08 am
University of Bern scientists "cooking" a comet from water ice, liquid nitrogen and finely-powdered carbon - those lab measurements should help contextualize Rosetta's results.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 01/20/2014 09:16 am
Coverage finished for now, they will return around 17.30UT (18.30 CET) for an expected acquisition of carrier signal at ~17.45UT.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Chris Bergin on 01/20/2014 12:55 pm
Thanks for covering David. We'll have an article ready for when the signal arrives.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 01/20/2014 01:49 pm
Thanks for covering David. We'll have an article ready for when the signal arrives.

My pleasure Chris :)

NASA's DSN Goldstone antenna now "just-in-case" tracking.

Quote from: ESA Operations ‏@esaoperations
Begin of track confirmed! #BOT @NASAJPL 's giant 70m Goldstone station now listening for #Rosetta #WakeUpRosetta
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Star One on 01/20/2014 03:07 pm
View of the control room.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/europeanspaceagency/sets/72157639973557164/

Live update coverage with a different flavour.

http://www.theguardian.com/science/across-the-universe/2014/jan/20/rosetta-comet-chasing-spacecraft-wakes-up-esa-live-blog (http://www.theguardian.com/science/across-the-universe/2014/jan/20/rosetta-comet-chasing-spacecraft-wakes-up-esa-live-blog)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 01/20/2014 03:21 pm
Quote from: ESA Operations @esaoperations
#Rosetta is +6 hours into its wake-up process. Should have switched into #SafeMode by this time. This will (shortly) trigger transmitter ON
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Chris Bergin on 01/20/2014 03:24 pm
First window for the signal about an hour away!
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 01/20/2014 04:11 pm
Signal should have already been transmitted, should all wake-up procedures have gone according to plan. There is a 45 minute time-of-flight delay for the signal.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: catfry on 01/20/2014 04:13 pm
the launch of Rosetta was what got me interested in space. I was a young guy then, now I'm closer to my forties than my twenties.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: plutogno on 01/20/2014 04:24 pm
my thesis advisor is also PI of the drill experiment on Philae. I attended some of the mechanical vibration tests of the drill back in 1999 or 2000. I must still have somewhere some docs on the drill.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 01/20/2014 04:31 pm
Back live!
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 01/20/2014 04:32 pm
Andrea Acomazzo pointing out they're still only hearing noise (as expected)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 01/20/2014 04:34 pm
ESOC live.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: M129K on 01/20/2014 04:35 pm
Oh dang I'm getting very nervous right now....
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 01/20/2014 04:36 pm
Signal at the moment in the attached image. The carrier signal should appear as a prominent peak in the middle of the spikey plateau.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Chris Bergin on 01/20/2014 04:38 pm
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 01/20/2014 04:39 pm
8000+ viewers in LiveStream, around 7 minutes to expected carrier signal acquisition.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Chris Bergin on 01/20/2014 04:43 pm
Nothing yet.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 01/20/2014 04:45 pm
Expected AOS time is around now - if no minor faults were encountered, they mentioned how the process was not completely deterministic.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 01/20/2014 04:50 pm
9000+ viewers, still flat.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Chris Bergin on 01/20/2014 04:51 pm
They are getting a bit anxious as the time approaches!
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: MarkG on 01/20/2014 04:51 pm
Watching the video stream. Every so often, someone suddenly moves. Is that it? Nope. Nothing to see here - sit back down!

7 minutes of terror all over again - just magnified over 7 hours!

Fingers crossed.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 01/20/2014 04:52 pm
Citing from memory, this window lasts about an hour, if they don't get a signal it's because Rosetta has encountered some problem and will try again ~7 hours later.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: MarkG on 01/20/2014 04:57 pm
This BBC News article has some info on what happens if they don't get a signal tonight:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25782249
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Chris Bergin on 01/20/2014 05:13 pm
Still nothing....
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Chris Bergin on 01/20/2014 05:15 pm
ESA Operations ‏@esaoperations 1m
More listening: @NASAJPL 's 70m station at Canberra, Oz, also starting to track #Rosetta at 19:15CET as planned
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 01/20/2014 05:18 pm
Peak?
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Chris Bergin on 01/20/2014 05:18 pm
Something??
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: MarkG on 01/20/2014 05:18 pm
Yep! Something. It's alive!
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Chris Bergin on 01/20/2014 05:18 pm
Is it!!


YES WE CAN!!! ;D
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mtakala24 on 01/20/2014 05:18 pm
We have a signal.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 01/20/2014 05:18 pm
I'd say that's a pretty good carrier!! YES!!

Good morning Rosetta! Congratulations to all involved!
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 01/20/2014 05:19 pm
Rosetta sure knows how to tease  :o

Andrea exhultant :)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Chris Bergin on 01/20/2014 05:21 pm
Article:

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2014/01/esas-rosetta-spacecraft-stirred-from-its-long-hibernation/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: MarkG on 01/20/2014 05:21 pm
Quote from: ESA Rosetta Mission ‏@ESA_Rosetta
“Hello, world!"
Indeed!
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Chris Bergin on 01/20/2014 05:25 pm
Aww, this fella was really tense earlier. Talk about letting off steam now! And another...
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Star One on 01/20/2014 05:32 pm
I was pretty doubtful if this would actually work after being in hibernation for so long. So impressed that it has.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Borklund on 01/20/2014 05:54 pm
Congratulations to ESA and everyone involved! November is going to be exciting :)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Star One on 01/20/2014 05:55 pm
Quote
With one-way signal time of 45mins, it will take at least 90mins to get health report from @ESA_Rosetta - for now basic radio signal only

— ESA Operations (@esaoperations) January 20, 2014
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Alpha Control on 01/20/2014 06:08 pm
Congratulations to ESA! If all goes well in the months ahead, this will be historic. From the Halley's Comet flybys in 1986, to being on the verge of orbiting and landing on a comet this year.

Exciting times!
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 01/20/2014 06:30 pm
N° 3–2014: Rosetta, ESA’s ‘sleeping beauty’ wakes up from deep space hibernation

20 January 2014

It was a fairy-tale ending to a tense chapter in the story of the Rosetta space mission this evening as ESA heard from its distant spacecraft for the first time in 31 months.

Rosetta is chasing down Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, where it will become the first space mission to rendezvous with a comet, the first to attempt a landing on a comet’s surface, and the first to follow a comet as it swings around the Sun.

Since its launch in 2004, Rosetta has made three flybys of Earth and one of Mars to help it on course to its rendezvous with 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, encountering asteroids Steins and Lutetia along the way.

Operating on solar energy alone, Rosetta was placed into a deep space slumber in June 2011 as it cruised out to a distance of nearly 800 million km from the warmth of the Sun, close to the orbit of Jupiter.

Now, as Rosetta’s orbit has brought it back to within ‘only’ 673 million km from the Sun, there is enough solar energy to power the spacecraft fully again.

Thus today, still about 9 million km from the comet, Rosetta’s pre-programmed internal ‘alarm clock’ woke up the spacecraft. After warming up its key navigation instruments, coming out of a stabilising spin, and aiming its main radio antenna at Earth, Rosetta sent a signal to let mission operators know it had survived the most distant part of its journey.

The signal was received by NASA’s Goldstone ground station in California at 18:18 GMT, during the first window of opportunity the spacecraft had to communicate with Earth. It was immediately confirmed in ESA’s space operations centre in Darmstadt and the successful wake-up announced via the @ESA_Rosetta twitter account, which tweeted: "Hello, world!"

“We have our comet-chaser back,” says Alvaro Giménez, ESA’s Director of Science and Robotic Exploration. “With Rosetta, we will take comet exploration to a new level. This incredible mission continues our history of ‘firsts’ at comets, building on the technological and scientific achievements of our first deep space mission Giotto, which returned the first close-up images of a comet nucleus as it flew past Halley in 1986.”

“This was one alarm clock not to hit snooze on, and after a tense day we are absolutely delighted to have our spacecraft awake and back online,” adds Fred Jansen, ESA’s Rosetta mission manager.

Comets are considered the primitive building blocks of the Solar System and likely helped to ‘seed’ Earth with water, perhaps even the ingredients for life. But many fundamental questions about these enigmatic objects remain, and through its comprehensive, in situ study of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, Rosetta aims to unlock the secrets contained within.

“All other comet missions have been flybys, capturing fleeting moments in the life of these icy treasure chests,” says Matt Taylor, ESA’s Rosetta project scientist. “With Rosetta, we will track the evolution of a comet on a daily basis and for over a year, giving us a unique insight into a comet’s behaviour and ultimately helping us to decipher their role in the formation of the Solar System.”

But first, essential health checks on the spacecraft must be completed. Then the eleven instruments on the orbiter and ten on the lander will be turned on and prepared for studying Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

“We have a busy few months ahead preparing the spacecraft and its instruments for the operational challenges demanded by a lengthy, close-up study of a comet that, until we get there, we know very little about,” says Andrea Accomazzo, ESA’s Rosetta operations manager.

Rosetta’s first images of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko are expected in May, when the spacecraft is still 2 million km from its target. Towards the end of May, the spacecraft will execute a major manoeuvre to line up for its critical rendezvous with the comet in August.

After rendezvous, Rosetta will start with two months of extensive mapping of the comet’s surface, and will also make important measurements of the comet’s gravity, mass and shape, and assess its gaseous, dust-laden atmosphere, or coma. The orbiter will also probe the plasma environment and analyse how it interacts with the Sun’s outer atmosphere, the solar wind.

Using these data, scientists will choose a landing site for the mission’s 100 kg Philae probe. The landing is currently scheduled for 11 November and will be the first time that a landing on a comet has ever been attempted.

In fact, given the almost negligible gravity of the comet’s 4 km-wide nucleus, Philae will have to use ice screws and harpoons to stop it from rebounding back into space after touchdown.

Among its wide range of scientific measurements, Philae will send back a panorama of its surroundings, as well as very high-resolution pictures of the surface. It will also perform an on-the-spot analysis of the composition of the ices and organic material, including drilling down to 23 cm below the surface and feeding samples to Philae’s on-board laboratory for analysis.

The focus of the mission will then move to the ‘escort’ phase, during which Rosetta will stay alongside the comet as it moves closer to the Sun, monitoring the ever-changing conditions on the surface as the comet warms up and its ices sublimate.

The comet will reach its closest distance to the Sun on 13 August 2015 at about 185 million km, roughly between the orbits of Earth and Mars. Rosetta will follow the comet throughout the remainder of 2015, as it heads away from the Sun and activity begins to subside.

“We will face many challenges this year as we explore the unknown territory of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and I’m sure there will be plenty of surprises, but today we are just extremely happy to be back on speaking terms with our spacecraft,” adds Matt Taylor.

1964-2014: 50 years serving European Cooperation and Innovation

In 1964, the Conventions of the European Launcher Development Organisation (ELDO) and the European Space Research Organisation (ESRO) entered into force. A little more than a decade later, the European Space Agency (ESA) was established, taking over from these two organisations.

2014 will be dedicated to addressing the future in the light of these 50 years of unique achievements in space, which have put ESA among the leading space agencies in the world.

The motto 'serving European cooperation and innovation' underlines how much ESA, together with the national delegations from its 20 Member States, space industry, the scientific community and more recently the EU, has made a difference for Europe and its citizens.

Fifty years of European cooperation in space is an anniversary for the whole space sector in Europe, which can be proud of its results and achievements. It is a testimony that when Member States share the same challenging objectives and join forces, Europe is at the leading edge of progress, innovation and growth, for the benefit of all citizens.

About the European Space Agency

The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe's gateway to space.

ESA is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europe's space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.

ESA has 20 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, of whom 18 are Member States of the EU.

ESA has Cooperation Agreements with eight other Member States of the EU. Canada takes part in some ESA programmes under a Cooperation Agreement.

ESA is also working actively with the EU, for the implementation of the programmes Galileo and Copernicus.

By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, ESA can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country.

ESA develops the launchers, spacecraft and ground facilities needed to keep Europe at the forefront of global space activities.

Today, it launches satellites for Earth observation, navigation, telecommunications and astronomy, sends probes to the far reaches of the Solar System and cooperates in the human exploration of space.

Learn more at www.esa.int
For further information:

ESA Media Relations Office
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +33 1 53 69 72 99

http://www.esa.int/For_Media/Press_Releases/Rosetta_ESA_s_sleeping_beauty_wakes_up_from_deep_space_hibernation
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 01/20/2014 07:25 pm
Quote from: ESA Operations @esaoperations
WE HAVE TELEMETRY: ESA is now receiving data from ESA_Rosetta (https://twitter.com/ESA_Rosetta). Mission control analysing this to determine spacecraft health

By the way, the @ESA_Rosetta (https://twitter.com/ESA_Rosetta) account is now active!
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Oli on 01/20/2014 07:35 pm
ESA animations of the approach:

http://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Videos/2014/01/Rosetta_s_orbit_around_the_comet (http://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Videos/2014/01/Rosetta_s_orbit_around_the_comet)

Wtf? Why so complex?
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: plutogno on 01/20/2014 07:45 pm

Wtf? Why so complex?

the nucleus is not spherical, so the gravity field itself is not symmetrical and quite complicated. moreover, there are constraints of Sun and Earth visibility.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 01/20/2014 07:47 pm
Quote from: ESA Operations @esaoperations
#Rosettta Operations Manager Andrea Accomazzo has taken a look at the data... we look good!
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: rraus on 01/20/2014 08:25 pm

Wtf? Why so complex?

the nucleus is not spherical, so the gravity field itself is not symmetrical and quite complicated. moreover, there are constraints of Sun and Earth visibility.

Correct, but maybe I can shed some more light here. Keep in mind that the motion is relative to the comet.

During the triangular patterns (up till about 30s in the video), Rosetta is not yet in a real orbit around the comet. Think of it more as 'formation flying' with the comet instead; those patterns allow us to get a good view of the sunlit part of the comet.

After that, we transfer into a 'global mapping' orbit at around 30 km. This is almost a terminator orbit, meaning we stay almost precisely above the day-night border. This is because we don't want to get into the coma - those 14m solar panels don't like getting sandblasted!

Finally, we go down to a 20km and then a 10km orbit, if circumstances (comet activity) allow. And, if all goes well, there are a few even more intricate manoeuvres (not depicted in the video) before lander delivery at about 3km altitude.

All in all, it's going to be an exciting mission and I'm really happy Rosetta phoned home today!
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Alpha Control on 01/20/2014 09:54 pm

Wtf? Why so complex?

the nucleus is not spherical, so the gravity field itself is not symmetrical and quite complicated. moreover, there are constraints of Sun and Earth visibility.

Correct, but maybe I can shed some more light here. Keep in mind that the motion is relative to the comet.

During the triangular patterns (up till about 30s in the video), Rosetta is not yet in a real orbit around the comet. Think of it more as 'formation flying' with the comet instead; those patterns allow us to get a good view of the sunlit part of the comet.

After that, we transfer into a 'global mapping' orbit at around 30 km. This is almost a terminator orbit, meaning we stay almost precisely above the day-night border. This is because we don't want to get into the coma - those 14m solar panels don't like getting sandblasted!

Finally, we go down to a 20km and then a 10km orbit, if circumstances (comet activity) allow. And, if all goes well, there are a few even more intricate manoeuvres (not depicted in the video) before lander delivery at about 3km altitude.

All in all, it's going to be an exciting mission and I'm really happy Rosetta phoned home today!

Thank you for the excellent clarification. That was most helpful. And welcome to the Forum!
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Artyom. on 01/21/2014 01:56 am
Video highlight showing receipt of signal from ESA's Rosetta comet chaser after 31 months of deep-space hibernation. Teams at ESA's operations centre in Darmstadt, Germany, leapt for joy as the signal was confirmed via NASA's 70m tracking stations in California and Australia.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTziL4Y-dbU
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: clongton on 01/21/2014 03:44 pm
There is something I'm not getting from Chris's story. It speaks of the southern hemesphere as the landing spot as being the most consistant receiver of solar radiation for the lander's arrays. Is the comet approaching the sun south pole first? That would somewhat explain the comment about Rosetta orbiting at the day-night terminator to maintain consistant solar energy in Rosetta's arrays. Perhaps it is explained in the video but I was not able to view it. I'm getting an error trying to access it.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 01/22/2014 08:20 am
Rosetta update from mission control

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/01/21/rosetta-update-from-mission-control/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 01/22/2014 08:35 am
EDIT: Bolun was faster than me ;)

Update from Rosetta's Ops Manager Andrea Accomazzo (the tense/happy guy during the coverage):

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/01/21/rosetta-update-from-mission-control/ (http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/01/21/rosetta-update-from-mission-control/)


To sum up, everything looks nominal, the temperatures are just a few degrees lower than average predictions but ok. Little to no degradation found anywhere that has been checked so far. Delay in receiving the signal was due to Rosetta rebooting shortly after wake-up.

During these days, apart from systems checks, the reaction wheels will be heat up and spun to working revolutions.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 01/22/2014 08:58 am
There is something I'm not getting from Chris's story. It speaks of the southern hemesphere as the landing spot as being the most consistant receiver of solar radiation for the lander's arrays. Is the comet approaching the sun south pole first? That would somewhat explain the comment about Rosetta orbiting at the day-night terminator to maintain consistant solar energy in Rosetta's arrays. Perhaps it is explained in the video but I was not able to view it. I'm getting an error trying to access it.

Perhaps somebody actually studying comets (not me) can expand on this with more authority, but according to this paper modelling the expected activities at 67P (paywall): http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.lib.vt.edu:8080/science/article/pii/S0019103509004497#

Quote
The colatitude is defined equal to zero at the north pole and increases up to 180
at the south pole of the comet; the longitude is given between 0 and 360, in a body fixed coordinate system, and 0 is the subsolar meridian at perihelion.

For a "spherical harmonics" comet shape (bulbous):
Quote
On the present orbit, the water flux comes directly from the surface of the comet and produces different spots of activity that follow the day/night variation and the shadows caused by the comet shape. [...] the water flux is shown in relation with the illumination of the surface during a comet rotation at the perihelion and aphelion of orbit. The water gas activity is directly dependent on the solar illumination. The gas activity main modulation is due to the seasonal effects: the maximum of the activity is in the southern hemisphere at perihelion and in the northern hemisphere atthe aphelion.

Quote
The gas and dust activity at the perihelion is concentrated in the southern regions that are subjected to a strong ablation, while the northern hemisphere remains ‘‘untouched” by this activity.
The nucleus that results from this odd activity, concentrated in the south polar regions, has a peculiar internal structure, with old, devolatilized terrains in the northern hemisphere and fresh, less altered terrains in the southern areas.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Star One on 01/22/2014 11:12 am
EDIT: Bolun was faster than me ;)

Update from Rosetta's Ops Manager Andrea Accomazzo (the tense/happy guy during the coverage):

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/01/21/rosetta-update-from-mission-control/ (http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/01/21/rosetta-update-from-mission-control/)


To sum up, everything looks nominal, the temperatures are just a few degrees lower than average predictions but ok. Little to no degradation found anywhere that has been checked so far. Delay in receiving the signal was due to Rosetta rebooting shortly after wake-up.

During these days, apart from systems checks, the reaction wheels will be heat up and spun to working revolutions.

I bet they'll be watching those reaction wheels very carefully after previous reports about them.

http://www.spacenews.com/article/esa-controllers-buy-time-fix-glitches-comet-chaser (http://www.spacenews.com/article/esa-controllers-buy-time-fix-glitches-comet-chaser)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Hobbes-22 on 01/23/2014 03:07 pm
ESA commissioned this excellent video explaining how Philae works using lots of Lego:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oEaGjgOB0M (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oEaGjgOB0M)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 01/23/2014 06:06 pm
ESA commissioned this excellent video explaining how Philae works using lots of Lego:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oEaGjgOB0M (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oEaGjgOB0M)

Yeah, we get to do some excellent little projects in the Netherlands...  :)

Check out http://vimeo.com/channels/lightcurvefilms (http://vimeo.com/channels/lightcurvefilms) for more of Maarten's excellent films. He's an astrophysicist and film-maker
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: dsmillman on 01/24/2014 02:52 pm
Will someone please post the phone number to listen to a repeat of this teleconference? 
This number is usually announced at the end of the call.

January 23, 2014
MEDIA ADVISORY M14-020

NASA, ESA Discuss Rosetta Comet Mission in Media Teleconference

NASA will host a media teleconference at noon EST Friday, Jan. 24, to discuss the road ahead for the three U.S. science instruments, as well as other NASA support, that are part of the European Space Agency's (ESA) Rosetta mission.
Having been reactivated Monday after a record 957 days in hibernation, the spacecraft will be the first to orbit a comet and land a probe on its nucleus.
The Rosetta mission could help inform NASA's asteroid initiative, which will be the first mission to identify, capture and relocate an asteroid for astronauts to explore.
The teleconference participants are:
--James Green, director of planetary science, NASA Headquarters, Washington
--Mark McCaughrean, ESA senior scientific advisor, Noordwijk, Netherlands
--Matthew Taylor, ESA Rosetta project scientist, Noordwijk
--Claudia Alexander, U.S. Rosetta project scientist, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, Calif.
--Art Chmielewski, U.S. Rosetta project manager, JPL
To participate by phone, reporters must send an email providing name, media affiliation and telephone number to Dwayne Brown at [email protected] or call Brown at 202-358-1726 by 11:45 a.m. EST Friday.
The teleconference will be streamed live at:
http://www.nasa.gov/newsaudio
Related images will be available at the start of the teleconference at:
http://go.nasa.gov/1jqyKG7
For more information about Rosetta, visit:
http://www.esa.int/rosetta
and
http://rosetta.jpl.nasa.gov
-end-
Dwayne Brown
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1726
[email protected]
DC Agle/Jia-Rui Cook
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-393-9011/818-354-0850
[email protected] / [email protected]
________________________________________
NASA news releases and other information are available automatically by sending an e-mail message with the subject line subscribe to [email protected].
To unsubscribe from the list, send an e-mail message with the subject line unsubscribe to [email protected].
 
 
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Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: AJA on 01/24/2014 05:15 pm

...
I bet they'll be watching those reaction wheels very carefully after previous reports about them.


http://www.spacenews.com/article/esa-controllers-buy-time-fix-glitches-comet-chaser (http://www.spacenews.com/article/esa-controllers-buy-time-fix-glitches-comet-chaser)


That article seems to be all over the place.


Quote
The propulsion problem aboard Rosetta is in the form of a leak in a helium-pressurization system that enables the propellant reservoir to direct fuel to the probe’s on-board thruster engines.


Ferri said ESA had planned to repressurize Rosetta for future operations, allowing the satellite to maximize fuel efficiency. They have now decided against that because of the risk of aggravating the leak. The resulting operations will mean Rosetta will use more fuel than it would otherwise and will fly a less-efficient route. But Ferri said the consensus is that it will still have enough fuel to complete its comet rendezvous in mid-2014.


What leak? Haven't heard anything about this recently. ESA  says that the propellant tank temperature (http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/01/21/rosetta-update-from-mission-control/) is now running at 7-9 deg C instead of the 10-15 deg C, but that that was normal.


How d'you have a leak in the Helium pressurisation without the propellant boiling away? Over TWO YEARS? Is there a bladder between the He and the fuel?


Quote
It may be the first time a three-axis-stabilized satellite with such large solar arrays, which are not designed to be spun, has performed such a maneuver.
Umm.. what? The hibernation requirement surely didn't suddenly sneak up on the mission designers. So does this mean that the design didn't plan on spin-stabilisation during the hibernation period? And banked on there being enough power to run the reaction wheels, to perform attitude changes for thermal control?


It seems extremely unlikely, given all the ancillary stuff which would be required to keep the reaction wheels running. Heaters, periodic de-saturation, costing propellant (especially with that leak) etc.. A PTC and attitude stabilising spin is much more likely to have been planned and accounted for.


Btw - here are the twitter handles for the various instruments: https://twitter.com/RosettaMIDAS/status/425958216816934912


Btw2, @dsmillman - the number's 800-839-2235.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: dsmillman on 01/24/2014 07:31 pm
Thank you  AJA.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 01/31/2014 01:26 pm
The competition winners who helped us wake up Rosetta

29 January 2014

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/The_competition_winners_who_helped_us_wake_up_Rosetta
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 01/31/2014 01:37 pm
Rosetta wide awake as check-up continues

31 Jan 2014

http://www.bis.gov.uk/ukspaceagency/news-and-events/2014/Jan/rosetta-wide-awake

Quote
After its long deep-space hibernation, Europe’s Rosetta spacecraft woke up on 20 January to begin the final leg of its 10-year journey to comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.

Its first signal was received at 18:18 GMT (19:18 CET) at ESA’s control centre in Darmstadt, Germany. Receipt confirmed that Rosetta had exited hibernation, warmed up and – as planned – switched itself into ‘safe mode’, a basic level of functionality, transmitting a simple radio tone via its S-band transmitter and waiting for instructions from Earth.

Within several hours, the Flight Control Team had established full control, switching on the more powerful X-band transmitter. This allowed high-rate housekeeping information to provide a detailed look at the health and status of crucial propulsion, attitude-keeping and power systems, among many others.

Back online

After several days of detailed checks, the team have determined that the rest of the comet-chaser’s systems are also working as expected.

Reactivation of three of the four reaction wheels – spinning gyroscopes used to control attitude – went flawlessly. The fourth wheel should be reactivated in the coming weeks.

The next few weeks will be dedicated to testing and configuring onboard flight systems, including the solid-state mass memory, used to store science and operations data prior to download.

Quote
Science instrument commissioning

The next phase, lasting through April, will see science teams recommissioning Rosetta’s 11 scientific instruments. This will be done on individual schedules coordinated by the Rosetta Mission Operations Centre in ESOC.

In March, Rosetta’s lander, Philae, will also be switched on for the first time since hibernation. It, too, will be recommissioned to confirm its control systems and 10 instruments are working.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 03/01/2014 04:41 pm
A decade of Rosetta mission highlights… and we’re not even there yet!

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/02/28/a-decade-of-rosetta-mission-highlights-and-were-not-even-there-yet/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 03/05/2014 11:29 am
Rosetta ready for payload check-out

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/03/05/rosetta-ready-for-payload-check-out/

Quote
Rosetta is operating nominally in 'Normal Mode' and all platform systems have been fully re-activated. The Thermal, Power and Data Handling systems are all working. The reaction wheels – spinning wheels used to maintain Rosetta's orientation in space – are being exercised at very low speed to characterise their behaviour in this regime.

All instruments are off except for:

- The Ultra Stable Oscillator for the Radio Science Investigation
- Standard Radiation Monitor

Quote
Here is an overview of upcoming activities, with the ever-present proviso that dates, times and events may change due to operational requirements:

- 17 March – Switch on the OSIRIS imaging system; all other instruments will be switched on in the following approximately 6 weeks
- 24 March – Pending successful re-activation, OSIRIS will take a first look in the direction of the comet. The comet will be too far away (around 5 million kilometres) to resolve in these first images and its light will be seen in just a couple of pixels. These images will be acquired regularly for navigation purposes and to already start planning the trajectory corrections planned for  May.

Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 03/05/2014 11:33 am
Rosetta NavCam image 23 Feb 2014

The image was acquired on 23 February 2014 and is pointed roughly in the direction of the constellation Aries (almost in the direction opposite to comet 67P). The bright star to the right of the centre is delta Arietis (δ Ari) the bright star at the top left is epsilon Arietis, ε Ari. The NavCam field of view is 5×5 degrees.

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/03/05/rosetta-ready-for-payload-check-out/cam1/

Image Credit: ESA/Rosetta/NavCam
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 03/27/2014 08:01 am
Instrumental

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/03/14/instrumental/

Payload commissioning underway

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/03/25/payload-commissioning-underway/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 03/28/2014 10:26 am
Gotcha! Rosetta sets sights on comet

Rosetta has caught a first glimpse of its destination comet since waking up from deep-space hibernation. These two ‘first light’ images were taken on 20 and 21 March by the OSIRIS wide-angle camera and narrow-angle camera, as part of the six-week instrument commissioning period.

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/03/27/gotcha-rosetta-sets-sights-on-comet/

Article: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_sets_sights_on_destination_comet

Images credit: ESA © 2014 MPS for OSIRIS-Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 03/28/2014 08:54 pm
Philae lander back in contact with Earth
 
http://www.dlr.de/dlr/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-10081/151_read-9894/#gallery/9150

Quote
On 28 March, the lander was successfully reactivated and broke its planned radio silence by sending data to Earth from a distance of about 655 million kilometres. At 15:40 CET, packet after packet of data started to arrive for the team in the Lander Control Centre (LCC) at the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR). The result: "Philae is operational and ready for the next few months," said lander project manager Stephan Ulamec of DLR. In November, the lander will be deployed onto the target comet, 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, while the Rosetta spacecraft continues to orbit the comet. The orbiter and lander will be the first to witness a comet's 'awakening' as it approaches the Sun first hand.

Rosetta’s lander is awake!

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/03/28/rosettas-lander-is-awake/

Quote
Today’s activities confirm that Philae is alive and well; the lander and its ten scientific instruments will undergo much more extensive checks throughout April.

Meanwhile, Rosetta’s MIDAS , COSIMA and ROSINA instruments are also being tested today. The instruments ALICE, CONSERT, GIADA, RPC, and RSI also began testing this week. And one instrument – the OSIRIS imaging system – has already passed the commissioning phase with a clean bill of health.


Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 05/10/2014 08:59 pm
The first of 8 TCMs has been completed nominally, with a 20m/s delta-v. Upcoming are the largest burns, with almost 300m/s, on May 21st and June 4th. After those 8 burns are complete, only two more will remain until Rosetta is in orbit around 67P.

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/05/07/thruster-burn-kicks-off-crucial-series-of-manoeuvres/

Also, some updates on the successful commissioning of the AFM microscope (http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/05/09/calibration-and-a-midas-selfie/) dust imager MIDAS (which took a "selfie" of its tip), the dust accumulator GIADA (http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/05/05/giada-set-to-analyse-comet-dust/), the spectrometers (http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/05/09/rosina-good-things-come-to-those-who-wait/) and the plasma instruments (http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/04/28/rosettas-plasma-experiments-check-out-of-commissioning/) (which may or may not have a problem).
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 05/14/2014 12:44 pm
Rosetta instruments ready for action

It’s official, Rosetta instruments are ready for action! The Rosetta team had a commissioning ‘close out’ review yesterday where each of the orbiter and lander instruments were given a formal ‘go’ for routine science operations.

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/05/14/rosetta-instruments-ready-for-action/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 05/15/2014 11:21 am
Comet 67P/C-G is becoming active

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/05/15/comet-67pc-g-is-becoming-active/

Rosetta’s target comet is becoming active

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_s_target_comet_is_becoming_active

Image credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 06/04/2014 12:11 am
The largest delta-v TCM (291m/s planned, 289.59 actual) has been successfully performed on the 21st of last month. Coming up tomorrow (Wednesday, June 4th) is the second-largest correction burn, with 269.5m/s planned. Each successive burn will, in turn, be smaller and smaller.

All of these are being performed at lower pressures than baselined at launch, due to the RCS leak that occured in 2006. Full story in the blog: http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/06/03/the-big-burns-part-2/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: dodo on 06/06/2014 10:57 am
Burn done. Next on June 18th.
http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/06/05/big-burn-2-complete/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 06/11/2014 07:15 am

June 10, 2014

NASA Instruments Begin Science on European Spacecraft Set to Land on Comet

Three NASA science instruments aboard the European Space Agency's (ESA) Rosetta spacecraft, which is set to become the first to orbit a comet and land a probe on its nucleus, are beginning observations and  sending science data back to Earth.
 
Launched in March 2004, Rosetta was reactivated January 2014 after a record 957 days in hibernation. Composed of an orbiter and lander, Rosetta’s objective is to arrive at comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in August to study the celestial object up close in unprecedented detail and prepare for landing a probe on the comet's nucleus in November.
 
Rosetta’s lander will obtain the first images taken from a comet’s surface and will provide the first analysis of a comet's composition by drilling into the surface. Rosetta also will be the first spacecraft to witness at close proximity how a comet changes as it is subjected to the increasing intensity of the sun's radiation. Observations will help scientists learn more about the origin and evolution of our solar system and the role comets may have played in seeding Earth with water, and perhaps even life.
 
"We are happy to be seeing some real zeroes and ones coming down from our instruments, and cannot wait to figure out what they are telling us," said Claudia Alexander, Rosetta's U.S. project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California. "Never before has a spacecraft pulled up and parked next to a comet. That is what Rosetta will do, and we are delighted to play a part in such a historic mission of exploration."
 
Rosetta currently is approaching the main asteroid belt located between Jupiter and Mars,. The spacecraft is still about 300,000 miles (500,000 kilometers) from the comet, but in August the instruments will begin to map its surface.
 
The three U.S. instruments aboard the spacecraft are the Microwave Instrument for Rosetta Orbiter (MIRO), an ultraviolet spectrometer called Alice, and the Ion and Electron Sensor (IES). They are part of a suite of 11 science instruments aboard the Rosetta orbiter.
 
MIRO is designed to provide data on how gas and dust leave the surface of the nucleus to form the coma and tail that gives comets their intrinsic beauty. Studying the surface temperature and evolution of the coma and tail provides information on how the comet evolves as it approaches and leaves the vicinity of the sun.
 
Alice will analyze gases in the comet's coma, which is the bright envelope of gas around the nucleus of the comet developed as a comet approaches the sun. Alice also will measure the rate at which the comet produces water, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. These measurements will provide valuable information about the surface composition of the nucleus.
 
The instrument also will measure the amount of argon present, an important clue about the temperature of the solar system at the time the comet's nucleus originally formed more than 4.6 billion years ago.
 
IES is part of a suite of five instruments to analyze the plasma environment of the comet, particularly the coma. The instrument will measure the charged particles in the sun's outer atmosphere, or solar wind, as they interact with the gas flowing out from the comet while Rosetta is drawing nearer to the comet's nucleus.
 
NASA also provided part of the electronics package for the Double Focusing Mass Spectrometer, which is part of the Swiss-built Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis (ROSINA) instrument. ROSINA will be the first instrument in space with sufficient resolution to be able to distinguish between molecular nitrogen and carbon monoxide, two molecules with approximately the same mass. Clear identification of nitrogen will help scientists understand conditions at the time the solar system was formed.
 
U.S. scientists are partnering on several non-U.S. instruments and are involved in seven of the mission's 21 instrument collaborations. NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN) is supporting ESA's Ground Station Network for spacecraft tracking and navigation.
 
Rosetta is an ESA mission with contributions from its member states and NASA. Rosetta's Philae lander is provided by a consortium led by the German Aerospace Center, Cologne; Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Göttingen; French National Space Agency, Paris; and the Italian Space Agency, Rome.  JPL manages the U.S. contribution of the Rosetta mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. JPL also built the MIRO and hosts its principal investigator, Samuel Gulkis. The Southwest Research Institute (San Antonio and Boulder), developed the Rosetta orbiter's IES and Alice instruments, and hosts their principal investigators, James Burch (IES) and Alan Stern (Alice).
 
For more information on the U.S. instruments aboard Rosetta, visit:
 
http://rosetta.jpl.nasa.gov
 
More information about Rosetta is available at:
 
http://www.esa.int/rosetta
 
For more information on the DSN, visit:
 
http://deepspace.jpl.nasa.gov/dsn
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: catdlr on 06/11/2014 06:57 pm
Comet Sprouts Tail;  Probe + Lander In Pursuit | Video

Published on Jun 9, 2014
Europe's Rosetta Mission will study comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, nicknamed 'Cherry-Gerry.' The probe's Philae lander will attempt a first-ever landing on the surface.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltBid7C2Myw
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 06/19/2014 06:59 pm
http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/06/19/expect-the-unexpected/

Quote
An image taken earlier this month – 4 June – by Rosetta's OSIRIS camera, shows comet 67P/C-G has quietened. It is the most recent full-resolution image from the narrow-angle sensor, and was taken with 430 000 km between the spacecraft and comet.

Strikingly, there is no longer any sign of the extended dust cloud that was seen developing around nucleus at the end of April and into May. Indeed, monitoring of the comet has shown a significant drop in its brightness since then.

Rosetta's comet: expect the unexpected

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_s_comet_expect_the_unexpected

Rosetta: Icy quarry coming into view

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-27926614

Image credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: RubberToe on 06/23/2014 04:44 pm
First detection of water from the comet by the MIRO instrument on June 3rd. Somewhere between 0.5 and 4 cups of water per second:

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/06/23/first-detection-of-water-from-67pc-g/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 06/25/2014 02:20 pm
Comet 67P/C-G in Rosetta’s navigation camera

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=yXSsaHPw5fk

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/06/25/comet-67pc-g-in-rosettas-navigation-camera/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 06/30/2014 03:00 pm
ESAHangout: How do we journey to a comet?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ey0UedaFaMs
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 07/04/2014 01:07 pm
http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/07/03/the-comet-takes-shape-one-pixel-at-a-time/

The comet takes shape, one pixel at a time!

Quote
Today, 3 July, Rosetta is at a distance of about 43 000 kilometres from comet 67P/C-G, and by the end of the weekend will be less than 36 000 km – equivalent to the altitude that geostationary satellites orbit Earth.

Image credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: aga on 07/15/2014 04:47 pm
so... rosetta showing interesting shape of the 67P

http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2014/07150633-quick-rosetta-update.html
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: catdlr on 07/15/2014 05:52 pm
How big is Rosetta compared with the comet?

Published on Jul 15, 2014
This short animation explains the relative sizes of the Rosetta spacecraft and comet 67P/Churyumov--Gerasimenko.

Rosetta is 32 m from tip to tip of the solar wings. Assuming the comet measures about 4 km across, that's 125 times the width of Rosetta.

Unlike typical artist's impressions, this image is scaled to convey the vast difference in size between Rosetta and the comet, even when the spacecraft is in a close 10 km orbit, as depicted here.

Rosetta arrives at the comet at an altitude of 100 km in the first week of August, and will move progressively closer over the following two months, with the intention to orbit at an altitude of just 10 km, depending on the comet's activity. For Philae's deployment in November, Rosetta will come to within a few kilometres of the surface.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdT9Bq2TMmE
The comet depicted in this animation is an artist's impression.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: AJA on 07/15/2014 06:14 pm
so... rosetta showing interesting shape of the 67P

http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2014/07150633-quick-rosetta-update.html

Beat me to it.

Rubber duckie! :D I bet this increases social and conventional media coverage, and meme-coverage. First Mimas with that Pac-Man imprint, and the Death Star likeness, and now this. Rubber duckie.. in SPA-A-A-CE!

What's the magnitude of the gravitational attraction keeping them in contact? Can we use Rosetta's solar arrays as a wedge and drive them apart, to observe subsequent contact binary formation? :D OK, I'll stop before I give those team members more of a headache.

Now I'm starting to wonder whether there shouldn't be an international conspiracy created by all Mars scientists, to collude and say they've found microscopic life in a dynamic region of Mars, necessitating a manned, sample return mission. The funding will follow in a FLASH :P
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: kevin-rf on 07/15/2014 06:17 pm
Don't worry, Magellan found Gumby on Venus...
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: belegor on 07/15/2014 10:10 pm
Ok, I'm slightly confused by the term 'contact binary'. Can someone explain the nature of the 'contact', and the mechanisms behind them holding together?

I had assumed that the two nuclei would have approached and 'merged' (and if you would take away gravity they would stay together, since they are now one), but some of the formulations used in today's news reports made me question that notion...

Thanks.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 07/16/2014 12:17 pm
Ok, I'm slightly confused by the term 'contact binary'. Can someone explain the nature of the 'contact', and the mechanisms behind them holding together?

I had assumed that the two nuclei would have approached and 'merged' (and if you would take away gravity they would stay together, since they are now one), but some of the formulations used in today's news reports made me question that notion...

Thanks.

Emily has a short update with a quick quantitative estimate of the relative speed they should have "merged" with (~<3m/s) in order to stay together, bound by their respective weak gravitational pulls : http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2014/07150633-quick-rosetta-update.html

Also, just tweeted:

Quote from: ESARosetta
Today's burn is complete! Just three more to go before arrival: 23 July, 3 Aug & 6 Aug.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: belegor on 07/16/2014 12:44 pm
Yeah, I've read that article (that's what prompted my question). Unfortunately, I'm lacking a definition for "contact binary" (applied to asteroids/comets, instead of stars). Emily Lakdawalla writes:

Quote
The nucleus of the comet is clearly a contact binary -- two smaller (and unequally sized object) in close contact. [...] the two components would have come into contact at a relative speed of about 3 meters per second in order to stick together in this way.

Another interesting note in the comments:
Quote
Taking a very rough estimation of the dimensions of the twin nucleus as 4 x 3.5 x 2 km for the larger and a 2.6 km diameter for the smaller object and treating them as two co-orbiting point masses with the measured 12.76 hour rotation period I get a minimum bulk density of around 150kg per cubic meter needed to hold it all together as a contact binary

Which leads me to my question regarding the nature of the "contact":
Is the nucleus (a) in fact two nuclei that are gravitationally bound together (rotating around the barycentre) and if you would stop gravity for a moment, they would separate and go their own ways, or
(b) have two nuclei approached each other, and merged/melted together (have "become one"), and if you would stop gravity, they would stay together?

When first reading this news, I had automatically assumed (b), but the quoted statements lead me to think that it is actually (a)...

If (a): is that actually stable over a longer time period?
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 07/16/2014 06:29 pm
Some photos I took of what it wil look like  ;)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 07/17/2014 07:48 pm
Press release, 17 July 2014


Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko – neither ball nor potato

Full article with images:
http://www.dlr.de/dlr/presse/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-10172/213_read-11055/year-all/#/gallery/15678


Comets have irregular and rather potato-like shapes – this is a well-known fact. But the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, on which the Philae lander is scheduled to descend in November 2014, has an unexpected shape. The pictures acquired by the OSIRIS
camera on board the European Space Agency (ESA) Rosetta spacecraft – just 14,000 kilometres from its target – show that the comet is a contact binary, consisting of two parts in close contact. "This shape is most surprising," says comet researcher
Ekkehard Kuehrt from the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR). For 30 years, the project leader has been studying these celestial bodies for scientific experiments on the probe and lander. "But it is not unlikely.
Comets were formed by the collision of small building blocks far away from the Sun during the emergence of the Solar System." The effect of the comet's unusual shape on the landing cannot be estimated yet. 

Fused together 4.5 billion years ago 

Rosetta and the Philae lander are currently less than 10,000 kilometres away from their destination. So far, Churyumov-Gerasimenko has been an enigma for scientists: only recordings from a distance, such as those from the Hubble Space Telescope or
the first images of OSIRIS as well as the navigation camera provide clues of what the orbiter and lander will encounter. Previous observations estimated the comet to be about three by five kilometres in size. The fact that two clearly distinguishable
parts make up Churyumov-Gerasimenko is a surprise. "The two blocks likely formed 4.5 billion years ago, collided at low speed, stuck to each other and have since been moving together," says Kuehrt. "Scientifically, it is now of course very interesting
to find out whether the two components differ in their composition." If the two parts are from different regions, their structure might also differ.

Waiting for details 

In the coming months, as the spacecraft get closer to their target, the scientists will learn more about the comet. "For the landing, it is especially important to have a detailed view of the comet and understand how the two parts are connected," says
Koen Geurts, an engineer at the Lander Control Centre at DLR in Cologne. This information will be incorporated into the planning of the trajectory of Rosetta spacecraft – and its course and height in turn has an impact on the landing of Philae, as
it is the first time that a lander touches down on a comet and performs in situ measurements. "So far, it looks as though there are large flat regions on the comet." The location where the two parts are connected will likely not be considered as the
landing site. In addition to being a suitable, reasonably flat terrain, the landing site should also have a day-night cycle so that the Philae lander can cool down out of the sunlight and so that scientific research can be carried out under different
conditions. Regular communication with the Rosetta spacecraft is necessary for the lander team to send the recorded data to Earth and empty the data storage. "These aspects are currently still hard to assess."

About the mission

Rosetta is a European Space Agency mission with contributions from its Member States and NASA. Rosetta's Philae lander has been contributed by a consortium led by DLR, MPS, the French space agency, CNES (Centre National d'Études Spatiales), and the
Italian space agency, ASI (Agenzia Spaziale Italiana).

The OSIRIS camera system was developed by a consortium under the leadership of MPS (Germany) in cooperation with the Center of Studies and Activities in Space (Centro Interdipartimentale di Studi e Attivita Spaziali; CISAS) at the University of Padua
(Italy), the Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille (LAM) at Aix-Marseille University (France), the Andalusian Institute of Astrophysics (Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucia) of the Spanish National Research Council (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones
Científicas; CSIC), the ESA Scientific Support Office, the Spanish National Institute for Aerospace Technology (Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial; INTA), the Technical University of Madrid (Spain), the Department of Physics and Astronomy at
Uppsala University (Sweden), and the Institute of Computer and Network Engineering the Technical University of Braunschweig (Germany). OSIRIS has been financially supported by the national agencies of Germany (DLR), France (CNES), Italy (ASI), Spain
(MEC) and Sweden (SNSB), and by ESA's Technical Directorate.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 07/17/2014 08:10 pm
The dual personality of comet 67P/C-G

17 July 2014

This week's images of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko reveal an extraordinarily irregular shape. We had hints of that in last week's images and in the unscheduled previews that were seen a few days ago, and in that short time it has become clear that this is no ordinary comet. Like its name, it seems that comet 67P/C-G is in two parts.

http://sci.esa.int/rosetta/54353-the-dual-personality-of-comet-67pc-g/

Credits: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 07/18/2014 08:52 am
There has been quite a stir-up about the inadequate release of these images (not unlike other discussions kept here about webcasts and information release). See for example Daniel Marin's article (in Spanish) or this open letter by a German forum:

http://danielmarin.naukas.com/2014/07/17/no-esa-asi-no-o-todo-lo-que-no-hay-que-hacer-a-la-hora-de-divulgar-ciencia/

http://www.raumfahrer.net/news/raumfahrt/15072014225728.shtml

followed by the much-commented, not-so-well-thought ESA answer:

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/07/16/access-to-rosetta-data/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Star One on 07/18/2014 09:30 am

There has been quite a stir-up about the inadequate release of these images (not unlike other discussions kept here about webcasts and information release). See for example Daniel Marin's article (in Spanish) or this open letter by a German forum:

http://danielmarin.naukas.com/2014/07/17/no-esa-asi-no-o-todo-lo-que-no-hay-que-hacer-a-la-hora-de-divulgar-ciencia/

http://www.raumfahrer.net/news/raumfahrt/15072014225728.shtml

followed by the much-commented, not-so-well-thought ESA answer:

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/07/16/access-to-rosetta-data/

As too that last link it's good to ESA are just as prone to the overly bureaucratic language that other parts of the EU are in their communications.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 07/18/2014 10:23 am
...
followed by the much-commented, not-so-well-thought ESA answer:

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/07/16/access-to-rosetta-data/

Actually, the ESA blog post does a very good job of explaining the situation. People seem to forget that this policy has been around for ages: some mission release the data almost immediately, others have black-out periods up to years. Whats the big deal? Ill tell ya what the big deal is: people have become spoiled with (almost) immediate release of data from certain hi-profile space missions. Now that one doesn't some folks think it is appropriate to start acting like a bunch of spoiled little brats.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 07/18/2014 11:04 am
...
followed by the much-commented, not-so-well-thought ESA answer:

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/07/16/access-to-rosetta-data/ (http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/07/16/access-to-rosetta-data/)

Actually, the ESA blog post does a very good job of explaining the situation. People seem to forget that this policy has been around for ages: some mission release the data almost immediately, others have black-out periods up to years. Whats the big deal? Ill tell ya what the big deal is: people have become spoiled with (almost) immediate release of data from certain hi-profile space missions. Now that one doesn't some folks think it is appropriate to start acting like a bunch of spoiled little brats.

I respect and admire that you are directly involved in ESA missions (I believe :) ), and these PR issues might seem like a trivial and annoying matter (which in the big picture, they certainly are), but this argument is well covered in both the other two links, even though it is clear the Rosetta team is attempting to handle this in a constructive way.

However, again as explained in the comments section of that blog post and the other two links, there is a big qualitative difference between releasing scientifically sensitive information that might cost somebody a career (has it ever happened?) or technical information that may wreck a business - and releasing some images, which can be downgraded in quality if necessary, which show an extraordinary feature in an unexplored world, and which have a huge public interest potential. There, and in similar situations, is where people are hoping for a change in the right direction, because it seems that with increasing technological potential for instant information access and public engagement, in the last years there has been an opposite trend with respect to transparency in some -not all- cases.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: denis on 07/18/2014 01:06 pm
While I'll probably agree that ESA's PR in general could be vastly improved, I think in the case of Rosetta, it is quite good overall and they do well with what they are allowed to do.

It is quite unfair to critise so much them for this data release policy, which was agreed years ago with the instruments scientists and space agencies that paid for their development.
At the end of the day, ESA is not responsible for the instruments development and don't pay for it and the right on the data belongs more to CNES or DLR than ESA.

I'd love to see more frequent updates like anyone else, but at this stage, it might be difficult to change the original agreement between all parties involved, especially given the bureaucratic way of working of the various space agencies involved.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Star One on 07/18/2014 04:22 pm

While I'll probably agree that ESA's PR in general could be vastly improved, I think in the case of Rosetta, it is quite good overall and they do well with what they are allowed to do.

It is quite unfair to critise so much them for this data release policy, which was agreed years ago with the instruments scientists and space agencies that paid for their development.
At the end of the day, ESA is not responsible for the instruments development and don't pay for it and the right on the data belongs more to CNES or DLR than ESA.

I'd love to see more frequent updates like anyone else, but at this stage, it might be difficult to change the original agreement between all parties involved, especially given the bureaucratic way of working of the various space agencies involved.

Well you thought someone might have foreseen that it was going to attract a great deal of interest, especially considering previous Comet missions.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: tobi453 on 07/18/2014 04:43 pm
If ESA did a better job at PR in general, maybe there would be more public support for space in Europe, meaning more money for more exiting missions?

Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: veblen on 07/18/2014 05:08 pm
...
followed by the much-commented, not-so-well-thought ESA answer:

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/07/16/access-to-rosetta-data/ (http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/07/16/access-to-rosetta-data/)

Actually, the ESA blog post does a very good job of explaining the situation. People seem to forget that this policy has been around for ages: some mission release the data almost immediately, others have black-out periods up to years. Whats the big deal? Ill tell ya what the big deal is: people have become spoiled with (almost) immediate release of data from certain hi-profile space missions. Now that one doesn't some folks think it is appropriate to start acting like a bunch of spoiled little brats.

Rosetta is not the only "one". People (you know, the spoiled brats whose taxes pay for the science) were frustrated with the slow release of images from the group responsible for the framing camera on NASA's Dawn mission at Vesta. Hopefully things will improve next year at Ceres.

Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Star One on 07/18/2014 06:55 pm

If ESA did a better job at PR in general, maybe there would be more public support for space in Europe, meaning more money for more exiting missions?

Totally agree with this, NASA has much better PR in comparison.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: denis on 07/21/2014 11:40 pm

While I'll probably agree that ESA's PR in general could be vastly improved, I think in the case of Rosetta, it is quite good overall and they do well with what they are allowed to do.

It is quite unfair to critise so much them for this data release policy, which was agreed years ago with the instruments scientists and space agencies that paid for their development.
At the end of the day, ESA is not responsible for the instruments development and don't pay for it and the right on the data belongs more to CNES or DLR than ESA.

I'd love to see more frequent updates like anyone else, but at this stage, it might be difficult to change the original agreement between all parties involved, especially given the bureaucratic way of working of the various space agencies involved.

Well you thought someone might have foreseen that it was going to attract a great deal of interest, especially considering previous Comet missions.

Well yes, but as we all know, ESA's PR is not good in general, so it's all consistent...

If ESA did a better job at PR in general, maybe there would be more public support for space in Europe, meaning more money for more exiting missions?

I have always wondered if that would be the case.
Currently the only ones lobbying for more spending in space are the space industries; the governments are willing to invest in science missions for the science aspect indeed but also for the R&D aspect and to generate economic activity (the "return on investment" is quite high, though I don't remember the numbers).

I wonder if a larger public involvement would lead to a real "lobbying" of the public and an actual increase of the investment or if it would still be driven by the same economical considerations.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Dalhousie on 07/22/2014 12:16 am
I am quite happy with the Rosetta updates from ESA. I find the whining and sense of entitlement from some unreasonable.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: TrevorMonty on 07/22/2014 12:24 am
The next set of photos are to be released on 24th July, should be a lot closer then.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Star One on 07/22/2014 06:21 am

I am quite happy with the Rosetta updates from ESA. I find the whining and sense of entitlement from some unreasonable.

I am not sure belittling the people who pay ESA's bills through their taxes is a particularly constructive way forward.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: fatjohn1408 on 07/22/2014 07:52 am

If ESA did a better job at PR in general, maybe there would be more public support for space in Europe, meaning more money for more exiting missions?

Totally agree with this, NASA has much better PR in comparison.

That and Hollywood.

And for the rest, If the reasoning is if you pay taxes for it you should have access to it, then when will the USAF show us their black projects? I think it's very reasonable to let scientists who worked hard at this mission be the first ones to have the opportunity to make discoveries.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Star One on 07/22/2014 10:14 am

If ESA did a better job at PR in general, maybe there would be more public support for space in Europe, meaning more money for more exiting missions?

Totally agree with this, NASA has much better PR in comparison.

That and Hollywood.

And for the rest, If the reasoning is if you pay taxes for it you should have access to it, then when will the USAF show us their black projects? I think it's very reasonable to let scientists who worked hard at this mission be the first ones to have the opportunity to make discoveries.

Are you seriously comparing scientific data from this mission to national security?

Most people would realise and understand that there are good reasons that certain things that the USAF do are kept secret. That however is not something that is applicable to the data from Rosetta.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: hop on 07/23/2014 02:58 am
I think it's very reasonable to let scientists who worked hard at this mission be the first ones to have the opportunity to make discoveries.
So do I. Now can you tell us how many times were Pathfinder, MER, Cassini or MSL scientists were scooped due to their raw image policy?

I'm not sure if the answer is "never", but I see no evidence at all they've suffered any significant harm. On the other hand, the benefits to outreach are pretty obvious.

In reality, posting uncalibrated jpegs like these missions do makes it pretty hard for anyone to publish a scientific scoop. Given the success of this policy for high profile missions like MSL and Cassini, it doesn't seem unreasonable to ask ESA missions to do the same.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Sesquipedalian on 07/23/2014 04:20 am
Huygens (the Titan probe) was ESA.  Perhaps someone could describe whether the delayed image policy was followed back then.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: plutogno on 07/23/2014 05:11 am
for Huygens, the image policy was similar to Rosetta in principle. but the camera was a US-provided experiment, and one of the camera scientists put the whole image set on the internet within hours of the landing.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Dalhousie on 07/23/2014 08:47 am

I am quite happy with the Rosetta updates from ESA. I find the whining and sense of entitlement from some unreasonable.

I am not sure belittling the people who pay ESA's bills through their taxes is a particularly constructive way forward.

By and large it is not ESA member taxpayers who are doing the whining.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Dalhousie on 07/23/2014 08:50 am

And for the rest, If the reasoning is if you pay taxes for it you should have access to it, then when will the USAF show us their black projects? I think it's very reasonable to let scientists who worked hard at this mission be the first ones to have the opportunity to make discoveries.

It is normal for primary researchers to have unique access to data for a period of months, sometimes longer.  Public release comes later.  NASA images (not necessarily other data) are unique in that they are all released immediately.  This is a relatively new development.

There is nothing unusual about ESA policy.  Their data, they can do with it what they want.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Dalhousie on 07/23/2014 08:54 am
Huygens (the Titan probe) was ESA.  Perhaps someone could describe whether the delayed image policy was followed back then.

People then complained as much as they are know.  To the extent that it drowned out (as it is doing here) discussion of the actual data that has been released.  I find this quite annoying and childish. 

The reality is we are getting regular updates,m certainly enough to know what is going on, some fantastic discoveries are being made and been communicated, and all the data will be made available in due time.

If people really want to waste time whining about ESA data release policy, then they should start a thread.  This is an update thread.  Where are the links to the updates?  Lost in whinging that is a decade old.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 07/23/2014 11:38 am
Some updates! (and a reminder that the data release discussion was motivated from a lack of official updates of a very remarkable first observation, verbalized by respected German and Spanish (among others) tax-paying space enthusiasts)

Last FAT burn complete, two CATs coming up on the 3rd and arrival day, on the 6th:

Quote from: ESA Operations @esaoperations  ·  4 min

Burn complete! By the end of today, @ESA_Rosetta will be just 3500km from #67P - as far as Ottawa from Calgary

Background blog post: http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/07/23/last-of-the-fatties/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 07/24/2014 04:01 pm
Excellent news and outstanding update!

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/07/24/hints-of-features/

News is that NAVCAM images will now be released daily!

And there is a mouth-watering 3D rendering of the comet, now that several imaging sessions have taken place. It will soon get much sharper, but it's quite amazing already! A brigher area in the "neck" has been discovered, it's unclear yet what it might be due to.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 07/28/2014 02:36 pm
CometWatch – 24 July

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/07/25/cometwatch-24-july/

CometWatch 25-27 July

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/07/28/cometwatch-25-27-july/

Image credit: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 07/28/2014 04:26 pm
Hints of features  (24 July 2014)

http://sci.esa.int/rosetta/54387-hints-of-features/

Updated comet shape model (28/07/2014)

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/07/28/updated-comet-shape-model/

Credits: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 07/30/2014 01:09 pm
CometWatch – 28 July

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/07/29/cometwatch-28-july/

CometWatch – 29 July

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/07/30/cometwatch-29-july/

Image credit:ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 07/31/2014 07:28 pm
Comet’s coma, 25 July 2014

The halo – coma – of Rosetta's target comet as seen with the OSIRIS wide-angle camera. The image spans 150 km and was taken on 25 July 2014 with an exposure time of 330 seconds. The greyscale relates to the particle density in the coma, with highest density close to the nucleus, becoming more diffuse further away. The hazy circular structure on the right is an artefact. The nucleus is also overexposured. The specks and the streaks in the background are attributed to background stars and cosmic rays.

http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2014/07/Comet_s_coma_25_July_2014

Catching up with the comet’s coma

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/07/31/catching-up-with-the-comets-coma/

Image credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 07/31/2014 07:30 pm
Comet on 29 July 2014

The nucleus of Rosetta's target comet seen from a distance of 1950 km on 29 July 2014. One pixel corresponds to about 37 m in this narrow-angle camera view. The bright neck between the two lobes of the nucleus is becoming more and more distinct.

http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2014/07/Comet_on_29_July_2014

Credits: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Dalhousie on 07/31/2014 09:56 pm
This must be the oddest small body we have seen, much stranger than Itokawa.  I wonder if this is really a contact binary as some have suggested, or the remnant of ablation?
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 08/01/2014 10:19 am
Where is Rosetta right now?
I can only find outdated "realtime" pages and status pages!  ???
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: aga on 08/01/2014 10:30 am
about 1000 km from 67p

edit:
btw, try here: https://twitter.com/esa_rosetta
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 08/01/2014 07:28 pm
CometWatch – 30 July

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/07/31/cometwatch-30-july/

CometWatch – 31 July

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/08/01/cometwatch-31-july/

Image credit: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 08/01/2014 07:35 pm
First estimates of comet’s temperatura

The first temperature measurements of 67P/C-G were made by Rosetta’s visible, infrared and thermal imaging spectrometer, VIRTIS, between 13 and 21 July, when Rosetta closed in from 14 000 km to the comet to just over 5000 km. At these distances, the comet covered only a few pixels in the field of view and so it was not possible to determine the temperatures of individual features. But, using the sensor to collect infrared light emitted by the whole comet, scientists determined that its average surface temperature is about –70ºC, confirming that much of the surface must be dusty.

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/08/01/first-estimates-of-comets-temperature/

Rosetta takes comet’s temperature

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_takes_comet_s_temperature

Image credit: ESA
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 08/02/2014 08:35 am
CometWatch – 1 August

Rosetta navigation camera (NAVCAM) image taken on 1 August 2014 from a distance of about 1026 km from comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/08/02/cometwatch-1-august/

Credits: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: AJA on 08/02/2014 11:26 am
A brigher area in the "neck" has been discovered, it's unclear yet what it might be due to.

Younger ejecta that hasn't undergone space weathering? Different crystal structures of the ices that melted and re-froze as a result of the collision - that is, if this is a coalesced contact binary (this reminds me of welds - where the fusion zone is brighter than the base metal)? Or even the other way round in terms of causality-- where the brighter albedo has prevented the neck from ablating and sublimating away... (the darker surrounding layers absorbed more radiation, and volatilised).
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: John-H on 08/02/2014 01:05 pm
It looks like one of the weird shapes you get from a pile of dirty melting snow.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: SaxtonHale on 08/02/2014 03:22 pm
NavCam approach
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 08/03/2014 06:02 am
How Rosetta arrives at a comet

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/08/01/how-rosetta-arrives-at-a-comet/

How Rosetta arrives at a comet

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Operations/How_Rosetta_arrives_at_a_comet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=fNBUep7mPdI
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 08/03/2014 06:05 am
Comet at 1000 km

OSIRIS narrow angle camera view of 67P/C-G from a distance of 1000 km on 1 August 2014.

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/08/02/comet-at-1000-km/

Credits: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 08/03/2014 08:00 pm
CometWatch – 2 August

Rosetta navigation camera (NAVCAM) image taken on 2 August 2014 from a distance of about 500 km from comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

Credits: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/08/03/cometwatch-2-august/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Galactic Penguin SST on 08/04/2014 06:56 am
At what time is Rosetta making its last orbit insertion burn on August 6?

I can only hope that after 10+ years wandering around the solar system poor little Rosetta won't get its big day headlines robbed by a certain SoCal aerospace company doing a run-of-the-mill comsat launch!  :'(
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: belegor on 08/04/2014 11:17 am
If I interpret the information on the ESA website correctly, orbit insertion will take place on August 6, between 0845Z and 0945Z:
http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/07/18/call-for-media-rosettas-comet-rendezvous/ (http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/07/18/call-for-media-rosettas-comet-rendezvous/)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Blackstar on 08/04/2014 03:39 pm
The Small Bodies Assessment Group had its meeting in Washington, DC last week. A lot of interesting discussion and developments there. Some of the material is relevant to this thread. You can download the presentations from here:

http://www.lpi.usra.edu/sbag/meetings/jul2014/agenda.shtml
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 08/04/2014 05:14 pm
CometWatch – 3 August

Rosetta navigation camera (NAVCAM) image taken on 3 August 2014 at about 300 km from comet 67P/C-G. The Sun is towards the bottom of the image in the depicted orientation.

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/08/04/cometwatch-3-august/

Credits: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: AJA on 08/04/2014 05:28 pm
The neck doesn't seem to be that inaccessible after all .. atleast, if you approached the nucleus from the top of the image. Radio and/or solar occultation shouldn't be a problem. Still a desirable landing target for Philae?
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: TakeOff on 08/04/2014 05:39 pm
I see a face!  :o ;D (in my own typing)
How great that they happened upon a (second choice because of launch delay) comet with such a peculiar shape. That recurring smooth waist structure on objects like this, might soon have its explanation.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: JulesVerneATV on 08/04/2014 08:36 pm
Great coverage as usual guys  ;D what a fantastically unusual comet  :o  :D
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Moe Grills on 08/04/2014 09:20 pm
 :o

Rosetta will orbit the comet nuclei involving...'triangular' loops/circuits/orbits???

Has any spacecraft ever carried out triangular orbits before?????
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: denis on 08/04/2014 10:29 pm
:o

Rosetta will orbit the comet nuclei involving...'triangular' loops/circuits/orbits???

Has any spacecraft ever carried out triangular orbits before?????

It's not really a " triangular orbit". At that distance, the gravitational field of the comet is probably still smaller than the one from the Sun and Rosetta is not gravitationally bound to the comet, so they can navigate around the comet more or less as they want.
It's more like they are on an orbit around the Sun, moving slowly with respect to the comet. Although clearly, the spacecraft is still under the comet's influence, so they clearly need to navigate carefully!


PS: However, I do think it looks a bit crazy... especially given one of the latest blog post saying that they'll need to command orbit changes twice a week from now on!
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: AJA on 08/05/2014 10:39 am
PS: However, I do think it looks a bit crazy... especially given one of the latest blog post saying that they'll need to command orbit changes twice a week from now on!

I instinctively grimaced when I learnt that Rosetta won't be a bound Keplerian orbit (http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2014/08020736-rosetta.html). All that prop!

But thinking about it, what's the alternative? Even if we discount that the comet needs to be studied and its gravitational field mapped (from a greater distance, and therefore, somewhat more safely) before the dynamics team would be able to offer a safe close-in orbit; such a close-in orbit won't be stable - especially as the comet nears the sun and starts ablating. Even without the impact hazards, the mass and mass distribution of the nucleus, and hence the gravity field is likely to change... and they'd require prop utilisation there anyway.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Artyom. on 08/05/2014 01:19 pm
CometWatch – 4 August

Rosetta navigation camera (NAVCAM) image taken on 4 August 2014 at about 234 km from comet 67P/C-G.

As you can see, the comet is not centred in the full-frame image. This is a result of the rendezvous burn conducted the previous day, which adjusted Rosetta's trajectory towards the comet. This effect is corrected for in the commands sent to the spacecraft after the new orbit has been determined.

The window size for today's sub-image is 400 x 400 pixels and the factor for scaling up and interpolation is 2 (like yesterday).

From tomorrow the nucleus should be large enough to provide the full-frame image only!

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/08/05/cometwatch-4-august/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: pagheca on 08/05/2014 03:45 pm
How Rosetta arrives at a comet

OMG: Flight Dynamics at its best... Congratulations guys, and thanks for all the postcards, Rosetta teams!
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: robertross on 08/05/2014 04:33 pm
How Rosetta arrives at a comet

OMG: Flight Dynamics at its best... Congratulations guys, and thanks for all the postcards, Rosetta teams!

This is going to be epic.

I've started a discussion thread here, to keep this thread for updates only:
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=35350.new#new

Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Chris Bergin on 08/06/2014 09:09 am
Split the thread into a live thread, as we have such great coverage (that I didn't expect):

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=35353.0
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 08/06/2014 08:46 pm
Arianespace’s contribution to space exploration continues with Rosetta’s historic comet encounter

http://www.arianespace.com/news-feature-story/2014/8-5-2014-Rosetta-rendezvous.asp
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: redliox on 09/15/2014 10:15 am
They've announced the landing site for Philae on the ESA site.  They decided on a spot on the comet's 'head' dubbed 'J' and there's a backup site on the comet's 'body' in case it proves too bumpy on closer inspection.  More specifics will undoubtedly be announced shortly; I just wanted to sum things up.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Star One on 09/15/2014 12:18 pm

They've announced the landing site for Philae on the ESA site.  They decided on a spot on the comet's 'head' dubbed 'J' and there's a backup site on the comet's 'body' in case it proves too bumpy on closer inspection.  More specifics will undoubtedly be announced shortly; I just wanted to sum things up.

BBC news article on the choice from Mr Amos.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-29203284
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: lele on 10/04/2014 09:16 pm
The "Global Mapping Phase" has been completed, I wonder if it means that ESA has a 3D model of the comet. A precise 3D model could be really cool to explore on a screen à la google earth or even could be printed.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: denis on 10/04/2014 09:28 pm
The "Global Mapping Phase" has been completed, I wonder if it means that ESA has a 3D model of the comet. A precise 3D model could be really cool to explore on a screen à la google earth or even could be printed.

Here you go:
http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/10/03/measuring-comet-67pc-g/

You can download the .wrl file (you need a VRML file viewer)

However, it's not so precise and there is no "texture" based on the pictures taken.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: hop on 10/04/2014 09:28 pm
The "Global Mapping Phase" has been completed, I wonder if it means that ESA has a 3D model of the comet.
Yes. You can even download it: http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/10/03/measuring-comet-67pc-g/

As noted in that blog however, the shape model is incomplete because some parts are in continuous shadow.

Somewhat related, Mattias Malmer made his own shape model from available images (before the ESA release) and produced some very impressive videos, posted on the planetary society blog http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2014/10020948-malmer-comet-3d.html
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: lele on 10/05/2014 03:46 pm
Thanks !
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: metaphor on 10/06/2014 03:33 pm
Is there an updated estimate of the mass of the comet?  The 10-03 blog says 10^13 kg, but that was the mass estimate back in August.  I would think that by now after a few orbits around the comet they would have a much better mass estimate, and maybe even a gravitational potential map.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Adonis1 on 11/09/2014 05:34 pm
EUTELSAT 7B satellite lines up for live broadcast of Rosetta mission’s historic comet landing

Free-to-air broadcast on November 12 available live across Europe.

eutelsat.com (http://www.eutelsat.com/home/news/press-releases/2014/press-list-container/eutelsat-7b-satellite-lines-up-f.html)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: dsmillman on 11/10/2014 11:43 am
Does anyone know if today's 1400 (GMT) briefing will be streamed?
If so, what is the link to the stream?
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 11/11/2014 02:56 pm
Most up-to-date timeschedule for tomorrow activities:
http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?act=attach&type=post&id=34219
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Chris Bergin on 11/12/2014 10:47 pm
This is the UPDATES ONLY thread for Rosetta and Philae post landing coverage.

News articles:
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/?s=Rosetta

Central Thread covering arrival, landing and post landing discussion.
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=35353.0

This thread is for updates only.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: R7 on 11/12/2014 10:50 pm
ok putting this here too:

Now it seems they landed ... thrice?!

https://twitter.com/elakdawalla/status/532678187239493632

Emily Lakdawalla ‏@elakdawalla

!!!! ........... !!! ... !! RT @Philae_ROMAP: @Philae_ROMAP magnetic field analysis revealed 3 landings at 15:33, 17:26 and 17:33 UTC
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Danderman on 11/13/2014 12:35 am
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-30026398

A European robot probe has made the first, historic landing on a comet, but its status is uncertain after harpoons failed to anchor it to the surface.

Officials said the craft may have lifted off the comet after touchdown before returning to the surface.

Lander project manager Stephan Ulamec said: "Maybe we didn't just land once, we landed twice."
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: DT1 on 11/13/2014 06:21 am
ok putting this here too:

Now it seems they landed ... thrice?!

https://twitter.com/elakdawalla/status/532678187239493632

Emily Lakdawalla ‏@elakdawalla

!!!! ........... !!! ... !! RT @Philae_ROMAP: @Philae_ROMAP magnetic field analysis revealed 3 landings at 15:33, 17:26 and 17:33 UTC
DLR chief Woerner is just confirming this three-time landing in German TV.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: aga on 11/13/2014 07:32 am
acc. to several tweets, one from jonathan amos, they have again connection to philae

https://twitter.com/BBCAmos/status/532804735045488640
Quote
Holger Sierks (Osiris) tells the BBC there has been radio communication with @Philae2014 this AM. Now trying to image it on the surface.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 08:40 am
Summarizing current status from multiple sources:
- Lander bounced twice and thus landed three (3) times.
- First bounce likely sent lander substantial distance back into space. Bounce height is to be determined. First bounce lasted two hours.
- Lander likely has come to rest closer to the 'neck' of the comet, due to the comet rotating underneath Philae during the first major bounce.
- Solar panels are generating electrical power. Electrical levels within expectations.
- Communications are fully operational. Clear signals being received via Rosetta.
- Science sequence will have to be reworked.
- ÇIVA-P imaging device was in auto-mode during the bouncing. Shot many images. All images downloaded to earth. Images show mostly empty space or streaks. This is because of the bounce back into space.
- Likely ÇIVA-P will be commanded to perform a new sequence upon available communications window today.
- COSAC, CONCERT, PTOLEMY, ROMAP and ROLIS all got data during and after landing phase. Data was delivered to earth, via Rosetta, in good order.
- No drilling today. Harpoons failed to either fire or to anchor. Exact nature of failure is not yet fully understood. Without Philae being anchored to surface drilling is out of the question.
- Rosetta will be commanded to image the comet to help ascertain exact location of Philae on surface.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: aga on 11/13/2014 08:57 am
the first civa image
https://twitter.com/ESA_Rosetta/status/532833867817033728
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Galactic Penguin SST on 11/13/2014 09:05 am
the first civa image
https://twitter.com/ESA_Rosetta/status/532833867817033728
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 09:52 am
Image shows one leg at left hand side. CONCERT antenna in contact with rock at right hand side. So, either Philae landed smack right next to a big rock or...

...it is laying on one side (and thus has toppled).

We will know more after the press conference. Plan is to show the full CIVA panorama at the press conference.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 10:33 am
Summarizing from CNES press conference:

- Final landing location 1 kilometer (1 KM) from initial landing site
- Bounce into space, after initial landing, was "hundreds of meters".
- Decision to deploy MUPUS and APXS instruments has not yet been taken
- Confirms that harpoons did not fire at all.
- Apart from drilling equipment, MUPUS and APX, all other instruments are returning plenty of data.
- No drilling experiment due to fact that Philae is not secured to surface.
- 1 Hour and 30 minutes of available sunlight per 12 hour rotation period due to current lander position and position of solar panels. It is understood that Philae finally came to stop in a depression in the surface. This severly reduces amount of available sunlight.
- Battery currently NOT charging due to very limited amount of available sunlight.
- Approximately 50 to 55 hours worth of electrical power left in non-charging battery
- This is enough to complete planned science sequence for the operating science instruments.
- Exact position of Philae lander relative to surface is not yet fully understood. Tilt to horizontal at least larger than 30 degrees.
- At next press conference ROLIS image will show that lander did not dig itself into the surface.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 11/13/2014 10:37 am
http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/11/13/rosetta-operations-update/

Rosetta Operations Update

Quote
- Rosetta is operating nominally; the network systems and overall ground segment to control the mission are nominal

- Last night, Rosetta lost contact with Philae as expected when it orbited below the horizon just after 20:00 CET.

-Contact was re-established this morning at 06:01 UTC / 07:01 CET, and the Philae-Rosetta radio link was initially unstable.

- As Rosetta rose higher above the Philae landing site, the link became very stable and the lander could transmit telemetry (status and housekeeping information) and science data from the surface.

-This morning's surface link was again lost due to Rosetta's orbit at about 09:58 UTC / 10:58 CET. Ignacio explains that with the current orbit, Rosetta will have, typically, two Philae communication windows per day.

-The next window opens at 19:27 UTC on the spacecraft and runs through to 23:47 UTC spacecraft time.

The team are ensuring that Rosetta maintains an orbit that is optimised for lander communication support; they are planning a manoeuvre (thruster burn) today to be conducted on Friday that will help keep Rosetta where it should be. Rosetta already conducted a burn last night as part of this effort.

Rosetta is presently sending signals to the ground stations at about 28 Kbps; Ignacio says that the spacecraft's own telemetry downlink uses about 1 or 2 Kbps of this, so the rest is being used to download science data from Rosetta and lander science and telemetry from the surface.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: _INTER_ on 11/13/2014 10:50 am
Rotating the picture also seems to result in valid positions.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Ohsin on 11/13/2014 11:55 am
Hot mic

http://rosetta.esa.int/

Media Briefing about to begin!
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 12:08 pm
Presser about to begin.

Edit: not yet
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 12:15 pm
Presser started.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 12:17 pm
Jean Pierre on
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 12:18 pm
Rough location of Philae is known. Still zooming in on exact location.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 12:19 pm
Pierre has gone thru two nights without sleep.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 12:21 pm
Image from camera 1
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 12:23 pm
Next camera. Concern antenna in view.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 12:23 pm
Camera 3
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 12:24 pm
Camera 4
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 12:25 pm
Complete panorama

Panorama to be redone tonight.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 12:26 pm
Philae super-imposed over complete panorama.

One leg in air. Two in contact with surface.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 12:27 pm
Philae is in a sort of pit, being overshadowed by a cliff. Solid wall less than a meter away.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Kaputnik on 11/13/2014 12:28 pm
Magnetic field data and landing gear contact data shows first bounce was abour 1hr50, up to 1km, departed at about 0.38m/s
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 12:29 pm
First bounce at 38 cm/sec. Bounced up to roughly 1 km altitude. Also travelled horizontally 1 km.
Second bounce at only a few centimeters per second.

First bounce 1 hour 50 minutes. Second bounce 7 minutes.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Kaputnik on 11/13/2014 12:30 pm
"Maybe we landed on all 3 [landing sites]"! :D
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 12:31 pm
Radio link this morning was several hours of perfect radio link
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 12:32 pm
Exact attitude still not known. On next AOS possibly deployment of MUPUS
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Kaputnik on 11/13/2014 12:33 pm
Initial landing was with c.100m precision; now narrowing down current location.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 12:33 pm
Red is initial landing site. Blue is final landing area, inside a crater.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 12:36 pm
DLR now explaining that it was clear, almost immediately after initial touchdown, that there was something wrong. Philae was moving again.

Quickly confirmed that a bounce had taken place.

After 2 hours all movement stopped.

30 minutes after final stop normal LOS took place.

AOS this morning was normal.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 12:37 pm
Lander is performing normally, from a systems point of view.

Still determining whether lander is not at too great an angle relative to the surface.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Kaputnik on 11/13/2014 12:38 pm
Question about how the lander will cope with reduced solar exposure.
"Less solar power than we planned for- 1.5hrs rather than 6 or 7"
"Calculating now what this means for the near future. Not a situation we were hoping for."
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 12:38 pm
Less solar power being received than previous planned.

Planned was 6 to 8 hours of sunlight. Now down to only 1.5 hours of sunlight per 12 hour rotation.

Batteries working OK. Exact energy budget under review.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 12:39 pm
ROLIS images of descent coming up.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 12:39 pm
Stephan

Very busy thru the night to collect, analyse ROLIS data.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 12:41 pm
ROLIS images 40 seconds before landing (first touch down)

Image field of view is 5 meters across.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 12:43 pm
Happy chap at mission control.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 12:46 pm
Initial touchdown was almost in exact center of landing elipse.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 12:47 pm
Philae departure sequence showed it was rotating on it's way down. This was allowed for.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 12:49 pm
White dot in red circle is Philae approx 65 minutes before landing.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 12:49 pm
Improved departure image, courtesy of Rosetta team.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 12:50 pm
Initial landing point
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 12:52 pm
View of entire area, including where lander finally ended up.
Exact location not yet known. Two candidates found, but need better imaging to avoid over-exposure. Search resumes on next comm run.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 12:54 pm
Wrapping up. Personal thanks being handed to spacecraft manager.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 12:55 pm
Mission not over yet. Much more to come from the orbiter for weeks, months and possibly years to come.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 12:56 pm
"It has been a magnificent two days".

Lander doing fine. Has pulled off huge achievement.

"Wonderfull mission"

"Rosetta will continue another 20 months at the comet".
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 12:57 pm
Questions coming up.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 11/13/2014 12:59 pm
Descent sequence!
(http://www.esa.int/var/esa/storage/images/esa_multimedia/images/2014/11/descent_to_the_surface_of_a_comet/15050365-1-eng-GB/Descent_to_the_surface_of_a_comet.gif)
http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2014/11/Descent_to_the_surface_of_a_comet
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 01:00 pm
Question: how come a soft surface caused Philae to bounce so much?

Answer: surface composition not as we expected. Soft, but not of high porosity due to accumulation of dust. It's soft yet quite firm.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 01:02 pm
Lander was designed with legs to perform small hops by extending the landing gear.

Not sure to be done now with only two feet on the ground. Still being determined whether or not a hop should be tried to get away from the pit and wall where Philae is stuck now.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 01:05 pm
Initial touchdown triggered 'ground sequence' for instruments despite the fact Philae had lifted off again. Instrument kept with 'ground sequence', even when not on surface.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 01:08 pm
Lander was designed with legs to perform small hops by extending the landing gear.
Is the landing gear not just passive?!?

No, this was quite clearly indicated in the presser. It's active. By extending it small hops can be made. Plan was NOT to do this, but feature is still there. Now under examination to assess whether or not this feature can get Philae out of it's current 'tight spot'.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 01:10 pm
Jean Pierre:

Very low gravity. Every time you move something, there will be counter reaction. This might be used to improve position of Philae to get more sunlight on the solar panels. Still under discussion.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 01:12 pm
Question about harpoons.

Harpoons did not fire.
Harpoon sequence was triggered upon initial touchdown, but harpoons did not actually fire. But spools WERE activated, despite the fact that the harpoons had not fired.

Failure of harpoon firing still under investigation.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: JimO on 11/13/2014 01:13 pm
Did anyone mention the power redline at the usage and charging rates now in effect?

What's the 'drop dead' time-to-go?
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 01:15 pm
When battery goes low, Philae goes into hibernation.

If and when sunlight situation improves this could theoretically wake up Philae again. But not a scenario that is likely right now.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 01:15 pm
Did anyone mention the power redline at the usage and charging rates now in effect?

What's the 'drop dead' time-to-go?

Yes, before the presser there was a CNES presser. Drop dead was 50 to 55 hours away this morning.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 01:17 pm
Harpoon sequence was triggered upon initial touchdown, but harpoons did not actually fire. But spools WERE activated, despite the fact that the harpoons had not fired.
"spools" in sense of "electric coils" or what? English terms have so many meanings in different contexts...  ???

Harpoons are attached to cables. Those cables are wound up on reels (spools). The reels where activated.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 01:18 pm
Guess who tracked this comet?  ;)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 01:18 pm
Presser over.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/13/2014 01:19 pm
That's it for me. Going back to my day job of defect-hunting.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Chris Bergin on 11/13/2014 01:21 pm
Excellent work Woods! Many thanks!

To all, this is an UPDATE ONLY thread. Questions and comments go in the Central thread.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 11/13/2014 02:11 pm
ESA photo release:

five-image montage of OSIRIS narrow-angle images which is being used to try to identify the final touchdown point of Rosetta's lander Philae. The images were taken around the time of landing on 12 November when Rosetta was about
18 km from the centre of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (about 16 km from the surface).

The signal confirming the first touchdown arrived on Earth at 16:03 GMT (17:03 CET). It is thought that Philae bounced twice before settling on the surface of the comet.

The lander has not yet been identified and images are still to be downloaded from the Rosetta spacecraft for further analysis. 
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: ugordan on 11/13/2014 03:05 pm
Preliminary panorama:

Edit: added version with approx. lander orientation drawn in
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Hobbes-22 on 11/13/2014 03:46 pm
Excellent overview of the landing by XKCD artist Randall Munroe:

http://xkcd1446.org/#0 (http://xkcd1446.org/#0)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: kch on 11/13/2014 04:02 pm
Excellent overview of the landing by XKCD artist Randall Munroe:

http://xkcd1446.org/#0 (http://xkcd1446.org/#0)

Okay ... I'm getting a blank white rectangle.  Did it land in a snowstorm?  (it looks a lot like the current view out my kitchen window)  ;)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: ugordan on 11/13/2014 04:12 pm
Excellent overview of the landing by XKCD artist Randall Munroe:

http://xkcd1446.org/#0 (http://xkcd1446.org/#0)

Okay ... I'm getting a blank white rectangle.  Did it land in a snowstorm?  (it looks a lot like the current view out my kitchen window)  ;)

"Note: This event is over. You can use the arrow keys on your keyboard to browse through the images."
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: kch on 11/13/2014 04:15 pm
Excellent overview of the landing by XKCD artist Randall Munroe:

http://xkcd1446.org/#0 (http://xkcd1446.org/#0)

Okay ... I'm getting a blank white rectangle.  Did it land in a snowstorm?  (it looks a lot like the current view out my kitchen window)  ;)

"Note: This event is over. You can use the arrow keys on your keyboard to browse through the images."

I did -- they didn't change anything.  I clicked on the "source" link above the lack-of-picture, and that took me to the polar-bear-in-a-snowstorm pic ...
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: ugordan on 11/13/2014 04:25 pm
Excellent overview of the landing by XKCD artist Randall Munroe:

http://xkcd1446.org/#0 (http://xkcd1446.org/#0)

Okay ... I'm getting a blank white rectangle.  Did it land in a snowstorm?  (it looks a lot like the current view out my kitchen window)  ;)

"Note: This event is over. You can use the arrow keys on your keyboard to browse through the images."

I did -- they didn't change anything. 

How many did you click through? The first 6 are all blank.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: kch on 11/13/2014 04:37 pm
Excellent overview of the landing by XKCD artist Randall Munroe:

http://xkcd1446.org/#0 (http://xkcd1446.org/#0)

Okay ... I'm getting a blank white rectangle.  Did it land in a snowstorm?  (it looks a lot like the current view out my kitchen window)  ;)

"Note: This event is over. You can use the arrow keys on your keyboard to browse through the images."

I did -- they didn't change anything. 

How many did you click through? The first 6 are all blank.

Okay, just tried it again with the actual arrow keys on the keyboard instead of clicking on the forward and backward buttons on the page, and that didn't do JS either.  Maybe they'll get it fixed later (hope so -- I'm really curious about it now).
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Nanimo on 11/13/2014 07:18 pm
hey kch, here is a gif of it : http://www.tanyaharrisonofmars.com/philae.gif

Sad thing is that the text in some frames goes pretty fast for normal reading speed.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: belegor on 11/13/2014 07:48 pm
That's interesting:

https://twitter.com/Philae_MUPUS/status/532968586005217280 (https://twitter.com/Philae_MUPUS/status/532968586005217280)
Quote
We will deploy the MUPUS penetrator for 2/3 of the max. length and then insert it. Should happen before midnight. Keep fingers crossed
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: PahTo on 11/13/2014 07:57 pm
That's interesting:

https://twitter.com/Philae_MUPUS/status/532968586005217280 (https://twitter.com/Philae_MUPUS/status/532968586005217280)
Quote
We will deploy the MUPUS penetrator for 2/3 of the max. length and then insert it. Should happen before midnight. Keep fingers crossed

Is there a chance they're deploying for dual purpose (both to gather the science and "pop" the lander to a more favorable position)?

from:
http://www.dlr.de/pf/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-174/319_read-18906/

MUPUS (Multi purpose Sensors for Surface and Subsurface Science) is a scientific experiment onboard the Rosetta Lander Philae. The main science goals of MUPUS are:

•to determine the thermal and mechanical properties of the outer layers of the comet's nucleus
•to determine the energy balance at the comet’s surface and the adjacent boundary layers
•to understand mechanisms of cometary activity
•to derive the pristineness of the material in the outer layers, in support of cosmochemical observations

Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 11/13/2014 09:38 pm
That's interesting:

https://twitter.com/Philae_MUPUS/status/532968586005217280 (https://twitter.com/Philae_MUPUS/status/532968586005217280)
Quote
We will deploy the MUPUS penetrator for 2/3 of the max. length and then insert it. Should happen before midnight. Keep fingers crossed

Quote from: @Philae_MUPUS
Link break scrambled command upload. Upload will be rescheduled (1h ago)

Upload in progress, stay tuned! (58min ago)

MUPUS is ON and should be at work already (6min ago)

We just gut confirmation that the second upload works and MUPUS should be deploying (5 min ago)

By the way, they are claiming they are just deploying to do science - they are not trying to move it, but if it gets nudged it will be gentle.

Quote
Extensive tests and math tell us that we will almost certainly not move Philae.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: ThereIWas3 on 11/13/2014 09:48 pm
Emily got in a question toward the end about the earlier report of damaged solar panels.  Answer: That was a guess at the time.  Since then there has been no evidence of any damage and the reduced power collection is explained by being in shadow most of the time.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 11/13/2014 09:51 pm
https://twitter.com/Philae_MUPUS/with_replies

Quote from: Philae_MUPUS
MUPUS PEN-EL on balcony heating up

Can see that CONSERT is active too
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 11/13/2014 10:14 pm
Quote from: Philae_MUPUS

The deployment device will be retracted once the PEN is inserted. Lander could turn if told to thereafter

We expect a nominal radio interrupt over night. No data before tomorrow morning

The temperature on the deployment device is about -130°C, external electronics at -71°C will be heated to -48°C to start
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 11/13/2014 10:32 pm
Clarification on what it means by "turn":

Quote from: Philae_MUPUS
Indeed @Philae2014 can turn, lift and tilt within a limited range. Most of it is not used right now to conserve energy.

This means the "head" of Philae has the equipment to tilt, lift and turn a bit, but hasn't been used yet.

The MUPUS penetrator is swinging from the back side of Philae (now oriented parallel to the horizon, left on the superimposed version of Philae on two legs over the panoramic pictures), and will be deployed on the ground. While this arm is deployed, it is anchoring the lander to the ground, so it could not move its head. The MUPUS probe is independent from the deployment mechanism and will stay attached to the comet once it's been hammered in:

Quote
.@NeutrinoCatcher (https://twitter.com/NeutrinoCatcher) @Philae2014 (https://twitter.com/Philae2014) The PEN should take temperatures a long as possible and will stay there
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 11/13/2014 11:06 pm
Quote
Telemetry link period over. Have to wait for next link at ~9:30 CET tomorrow. What a cliffhanger!
MUPUS signing off for tonight, it was a long exciting day. See you back in the morning #NeedSleep

I have asked the MUPUS team if the cable that links the PEN (penetrator in MUPUS) to the main body, which apparently interfaces on the lower side of Philae, on its rotation axis (legs attachment point), would prevent the lander to eventually upright itself, because the cable may be too short. Didn't get an answer yet though!

Quote
Do you anticipate the PEN cable to impede an eventual @Philae2014 (https://twitter.com/Philae2014) uprigthing? Guess not given deployment is 2/3 max?
@NeutrinoCatcher (https://twitter.com/NeutrinoCatcher) @ffejeryc (https://twitter.com/ffejeryc) @Philae2014 (https://twitter.com/Philae2014) No not at all. It was designed and tested to be OK
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Req on 11/14/2014 08:20 am
@chrislintott:
Quote
Batteries are running out - by tonight optimistic but not sure and they don't expect to get anything tomorrow. Close to end of mission.

If they do get contact tonight they might try rotating (with feet on ground) to face the Sun...other crazy ideas probably ruled out by power

Have not given up hope of hearing from @Philae2014 much later as comet changes and heats up. Still a major success already

Also I'm attaching a couple images created by folks over at unmannedspaceflight.com from some speculation about possible orientation.  Discussion is in the pages around http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?showtopic=7896&st=405 (http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?showtopic=7896&st=405)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Ohsin on 11/14/2014 08:58 am
Quote
Last night MUPUS hammered the penetrator into the ground. APXS also got to work! My team is currently checking how they did

https://twitter.com/Philae2014/status/533196634705108993

So it might just be 100% performance ;D
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Dalhousie on 11/14/2014 09:49 am
Quote
Last night MUPUS hammered the penetrator into the ground. APXS also got to work! My team is currently checking how they did

https://twitter.com/Philae2014/status/533196634705108993

So it might just be 100% performance ;D

Excellent.  If correct, even if Philae dies tomorrow, looks like the only thing that would have lost is the MS and the time series data.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: aga on 11/14/2014 10:55 am
https://twitter.com/chrislintott/status/533222432283557888

Quote
Friends at DLR tell me that the drill is switched on and responding to commands #cometlanding
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: robertross on 11/14/2014 11:02 am
I also have to wonder if it can be put into hibernating mode (though it will likely do that on its own), and wait for the comet's approach to the sun (and hope it has a better angle to the sun)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: aga on 11/14/2014 11:55 am
https://twitter.com/RosettaSD2/status/533239124367773697
Quote
Everything nominal so far. Current position 200 mm. We are reaching the comet soil. Link lost now, next window tonight at 22.00. Stay tuned.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Semmel on 11/14/2014 11:59 am
Presser is starting in a moment.. Ill cover it as best as I can.

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/11/14/rosetta-mission-results-from-comet-landing-14-nov-1300-gmt/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Semmel on 11/14/2014 12:04 pm
Starting..

Status of lander:
New sequence uploaded for MUPOS (drill or hammer?) and others activated, data coming back.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Semmel on 11/14/2014 12:06 pm
Drill has been active today. Not known if samples are coming back. Not sure if bateries are full enough today evening to transmit data back. Next contact at 9 pm UTC. Expect that the data is 1 hour late (no explanation)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Semmel on 11/14/2014 12:07 pm
Communication good. Maneuver with Rosetta performed to increase communication. small other changes.

Data link very stable when available.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Semmel on 11/14/2014 12:09 pm
1 TC (?) did not go up, other things are good. Need to improvise a lot.

Data from MUPOS housekeeping arived, science data transform not finished yet.

frensh guy very hard to understand.. :( telemetry shows 35 cm down from something.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Semmel on 11/14/2014 12:13 pm
Search for Philae on the surface: No news from Rosetta, descend images from the science sequence not downloaded. Philae 3x3 o 4x4 pixels large..

Landing verification sequence started yesterday.. 84 images from ground taken but not transmitted yet.

Images from Rosetta should include: Philae as it was 500m above ground before first touch down and also images of Philae after rebound. Indicating direction of rebound.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: aga on 11/14/2014 12:13 pm
frensh guy very hard to understand.. :( telemetry shows 35 cm down from something.
drill 25 cm down from the lander baseplate
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Semmel on 11/14/2014 12:15 pm
How does comets rotation effected the location of landing of philae:

Search team is looking west while original landing spot is in the opposite direction. Not sure about dynamics of touch down. (not sure I understood correctly)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: ugordan on 11/14/2014 12:16 pm
frensh guy very hard to understand.. :( telemetry shows 35 cm down from something.
drill 25 cm down from the lander baseplate

... before Rosetta went below the horizon again so they will only know the result after the 21 UTC contact.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Semmel on 11/14/2014 12:17 pm
NASA guys being heroic.. Finds Rosetta helpul to learn stuff for OSIRIS REX.. especially for navigation near small bodies.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Semmel on 11/14/2014 12:21 pm
Teams very busy in trying to find Philae, many teams very busy and sleeplessly working on everything.. Now questions..

Remaining battery live: teams are unsure. Hoping to get contact today evening, but not secure. Maybe battery is empty before contact.

Lander did not move so far, still very low illumination. If they get contact again, they want to rotate the lander a bit to increase the area of solar cells to the little light they have
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: ugordan on 11/14/2014 12:22 pm
Ulamec: uncertain about battery state. No guarantee next scheduled contact at 21:00 UTC will be successful. One side of the spacecraft solar panels get only 1h 20 m solar illumination per 67P day, other side only 20-ish minutes.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: ugordan on 11/14/2014 12:24 pm
Lommatsch: The next instruction set around 80 Whr required, predicted around 100 Whr left on battery power.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Semmel on 11/14/2014 12:24 pm
They hope that Philae can wake up after the comet got closer to the sun. Latest on batteries based on simulations: 80 watts needed to complete the block that is running right now. Might have 100W left if temperature keeps up.

Command that didnt reach the lander didnt reach Philae. Would have saved some power.

2 Ideas: 1. Rotate panel 1 into the sun. 2. Running the landing gear up to hopple out of the shade. Very unlikely to work.

Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Moskit on 11/14/2014 12:25 pm
Q: how long will battery last?
- we will be lucky to get this evening transmission, this is a close call. Link is priority goal.
- if enough battery left, lander will be rotated to increase chance to receive more sunshine on larger panel. Also consider rising landing gear up to bounce out (but this is very unlikely).
- running on primary, secondary and solar power at the same time, using all power available.
- later when comet is closer to Sun they hope to be able to wake Philae up for more work.
- one TC that did not reach lander was a command to lower energy consumption.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Semmel on 11/14/2014 12:26 pm
Question for Orientation of Philae.. seems to be sourrounded by rock in some sort of small corner in the ground.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Semmel on 11/14/2014 12:28 pm
Drill deployed 25 cm, but landing gear lifts the base plate 14 cm.. not sure if drill reaches the ground.

Downspin of the flywheel (takes 15-60min) caused Philae to rotate. Spin up of the flywheel might kick the lander somewhere and has a chance to get it out the hole. Sounds optimistic.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Semmel on 11/14/2014 12:29 pm
If batteries go flat, data keeps being stored in memory? Yes, but would take a long time.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Semmel on 11/14/2014 12:31 pm
Is there a chance that the harpoons fire accidentally? Not likely. No plan to use them.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Moskit on 11/14/2014 12:32 pm
Despite being tilted, lander seems to be at the same z-axis as originally intended, thanks to spinwheel.
This allowed to communicate with lander despite it moving so far out.

It was gravity, not comet rotation that put lander back on surface after the bounce.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Semmel on 11/14/2014 12:33 pm
If you could launch Rosetta again, what would you change? Spacecraft seems perfect, no changes there. Only minor changes..

If you could build Philae again: would consider to change systems that have failed.. but principle concept seems to be very good.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Moskit on 11/14/2014 12:34 pm
Q: what changes if you planned same mission again?
- overall design proved to be successfull.
- larger battery was not possible originally, would be good.

Discussing experiments vs available power - which is better operationally, which is better for science.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Semmel on 11/14/2014 12:36 pm
Dont understand the names of the instruments correctly.. COSAC seems to be better value of science and need less energy than the alternative..

What fraction of the data that was expected did arrive? Answer: 80% at moment, maybe even 90% if data from COSAC comes in.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Semmel on 11/14/2014 12:37 pm
Limited color picures, tradeoff between coverage vs. resolution. Comet very gray.. but seems to have a bit less red when bright and more red when dark.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Moskit on 11/14/2014 12:40 pm
Don't expect lander to be blown off comet, because lander density is much larger than gases.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Semmel on 11/14/2014 12:41 pm
Would have been possible to design the landing gear such that the total kinetic energy is damped. Most of it was actually damped.

When the comet gets active, it is not expected that the lander gets blown away.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Moskit on 11/14/2014 12:42 pm
Matt Taylor was apologising for something before he started talking, I did not get the reason.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: aga on 11/14/2014 12:44 pm
Matt Taylor was apologising for something before he started talking, I did not get the reason.

for his shirt from the first day
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Moskit on 11/14/2014 12:45 pm
It's very unlikely that battery could be recharged for normal operations.
Lander gets 3-4W over 20min of available light.
Needs 1W to boot.
Need to heat to 0C to warm battery for charging.
Estimated requirement is 50-60W per day, including experiments (?).

It looks bad, but they still hope.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Moskit on 11/14/2014 12:51 pm
Spacecraft can't be all time on Sun side (too much disturbance from comet activity) or night side (only black pictures).
They chose orbit to orientate solar panels to get least disturbance, while still pointed to take photos and measurements.
Going back to 30km orbit soon.
Sometime go down to 20km flybys, but not to 10km.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Semmel on 11/14/2014 12:53 pm
We know when the batteries are flat when there is no communication any more.

Q: Why does it not have a RTG ? A: Requires plutonium, politically difficult, is not developed in europe for political reasons.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Semmel on 11/14/2014 12:55 pm
closing words now.. lots of good spirit
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Moskit on 11/14/2014 01:01 pm
This mission is fantastic.
Let's focus on what works, not what didn't.
This will be unique forever.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 11/14/2014 01:50 pm
Replay – Rosetta & Philae Mission Update 14 Nov

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Xm6y0LzlLo
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Req on 11/14/2014 08:44 pm
Before/after of the intended landing site!  Less than 10M from where they aimed.

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/11/14/philaes-first-touchdown-seen-by-rosetta/ (http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/11/14/philaes-first-touchdown-seen-by-rosetta/)

Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: catdlr on 11/14/2014 09:17 pm
hey kch, here is a gif of it : http://www.tanyaharrisonofmars.com/philae.gif

Sad thing is that the text in some frames goes pretty fast for normal reading speed.

Here it is as a video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPmPAAVJA6M
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Chris611 on 11/14/2014 09:26 pm
Quote
ACQUISITION OF SIGNAL #AOS ESOC received contact with @Philae2014 a few moments ago; now lost and waiting re-acquisition #CometLanding
https://twitter.com/esaoperations
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Chris611 on 11/14/2014 09:30 pm
Quote
SIGNAL IS BACK #AOS Stable comms w/ @Philae now reestablished - telemetry & science data are flowing from the surface of #67P #CometLanding
https://twitter.com/esaoperations

Yes Philae! Give us your SD2 data!
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: the_other_Doug on 11/14/2014 09:31 pm
Also, as posted on unmannedspaceflight.com, Philippe Gaudon, in a CNES press conference, says it appears that the shutter of the APXS didn't open, as the data is showing that it's reading titanium and copper, which is the composition of the shutter itself.

-Doug  (With my shield, not yet upon it)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 11/14/2014 09:32 pm
MUPUS reporting they lost the thermal conductivity data due to power shortage. That seems to imply the battery died halfway through the communication pass? Or that they could not operate the probe due to conflicting power requirements? (why deploy it then?)

EDIT: Never mind, it can't be LOS during the comms pass, since they just re-acquired it:

Quote from: esaoperations
SIGNAL IS BACK #AOS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/AOS?src=hash) Stable comms w/ @Philae (https://twitter.com/Philae) now reestablished - telemetry & science data are flowing from the surface of #67P (https://twitter.com/hashtag/67P?src=hash) #CometLanding (https://twitter.com/hashtag/CometLanding?src=hash)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 11/14/2014 09:37 pm
Data downlinked at the moment: Housekeeping and COSAC science in the picture:
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 11/14/2014 09:45 pm
Quote from: RosettaSD2
Preliminary checks show we operated nominally, no time outs. Hopefully se caught the comet sample ever.

Quote from: RosettaSD2
I confirm that my @RosettaSD2 (https://twitter.com/RosettaSD2) went all the way DOWN and UP again!! First comet drilling is a fact! :)

 ;D
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 11/14/2014 09:52 pm
Quote from: esaoperations
Lander now performing 'lift & turn' of the main body on the landing gear - will last about 10 mins. telecomm link is good

10 minutes of terror :O
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 11/14/2014 09:56 pm
Quote from: Philae2014
My science team eagerly looking into the data I collected at another day on the comet!

I just started lifting myself up a little and will now rotate to try and optimize the solar power!

Also my rotation was successful (35 degrees). Looks like a whole new comet from this angle:)

No hop then?
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: aga on 11/14/2014 10:05 pm
now they supplied material to ptolemy and are measuring... interesting...
that would mean every experiment was performed (even if one of them failed because of the shutter)... and thus the whole primary mission

https://twitter.com/Philae2014/status/533394755028545536
Quote
@Philae_Ptolemy measurement started. I do my best to squeeze as many measurements in as possible
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 11/14/2014 10:09 pm
Quick and dirty estimate of what Philae's orientation(s, depending on the maximum insolation area) after the 35º rotation.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 11/14/2014 10:29 pm
Quote from: esaoperations
Landing gear on @Philae2014 lifted 4 cm & main body rotation complete. Ptolemy carousel rotated; housekeeping data are down
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: catdlr on 11/14/2014 10:30 pm
A look at the current power consumption:

https://twitter.com/Philae_Ptolemy/status/533400432622993408

Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 11/14/2014 10:37 pm
From UMS: large voltage drop.

http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?showtopic=7896&st=555 (http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?showtopic=7896&st=555)

And now from @Philae2014:
Quote
So much hard work.. getting tired... my battery voltage is approaching the limit soon now

Let's hope it means the Ptolemy oven is being run and it's drawing a lot of power!
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: input~2 on 11/14/2014 10:42 pm
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 11/14/2014 10:44 pm
Ulmec says it won't be long.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: input~2 on 11/14/2014 10:49 pm
"Final countdown" (from twitter.com/esaoperations)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: input~2 on 11/14/2014 10:52 pm
Communication link with @Philae2014 (https://twitter.com/Philae2014) remains good. Teams working to download as much data as possible before battery depleted #cometlanding (https://twitter.com/hashtag/cometlanding?src=hash)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 11/14/2014 10:52 pm
Quote from: Philae2014
I just completed a @Philae_Ptolemy measurement!!
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 11/14/2014 10:54 pm
One minute drop in signal - but it's back.

Ptolemy was lucky: it looks like their endpoint for operation was 20V.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: input~2 on 11/14/2014 10:56 pm
@esaoperations
We just lost comm link for abt a minute  - this is not unusual says flight director Montagnon. Now it's back
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: input~2 on 11/14/2014 10:57 pm
gr8! RT @Philae2014 (https://twitter.com/Philae2014): Just completed another ROLIS image! That means that I've imaged 3 different spots on the comet!
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 11/14/2014 10:58 pm
Quote from: Philae2014
My last scheduled measurement for part 1 of #CometLanding is @ConsertRosetta: just started!

It'd be amazing if they can pull off all the planned observations  :o
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 11/14/2014 11:01 pm
Still green board in all systems even with low voltage!
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: input~2 on 11/14/2014 11:02 pm
@esaoperations
Download link remains nominal despite v. low power. Waiting to receive #CONCERT (https://twitter.com/hashtag/CONCERT?src=hash) data
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: input~2 on 11/14/2014 11:05 pm
Quote
#CONCERT (https://twitter.com/hashtag/CONCERT?src=hash) science data now coming down. What a super little machine on that comet!
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: input~2 on 11/14/2014 11:11 pm
cnes_france
Quote
L'équipe Ptolemy, ébahie devant le centre de contrôle @DLR_en (http://instagram.com/DLR_en). Leur instrument fonctionne !
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: input~2 on 11/14/2014 11:15 pm
ESA Operations  6m
Quote
There are 45 mins left in this Rosetta/lander communication pass, the flight director estimates
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: input~2 on 11/14/2014 11:17 pm
Philae Lander
Quote
I will use all my remaining energy to "communicate" between @ESA_Rosetta (https://twitter.com/ESA_Rosetta) and myself with @ConsertRosetta (https://twitter.com/ConsertRosetta)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: input~2 on 11/14/2014 11:22 pm
cnes_france
Quote
Toute la science a été récupérée ! La joie de l'équipe @CNES (http://instagram.com/CNES) à Cologne @DLR_de (http://instagram.com/DLR_de)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 11/14/2014 11:27 pm
Comms link is intermmitent.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: ugordan on 11/14/2014 11:28 pm
The @Philae2014 Lander has switched to stand by due to low power. All instruments off. Comm link still active
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 11/14/2014 11:30 pm
Don't snooze the alarm clock tomorrow Philae!
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: ugordan on 11/14/2014 11:32 pm
Lander now sending only housekeeping data at very low rate.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Req on 11/14/2014 11:36 pm
@chrislintott: Current comms mode is 1 packet every a few minutes - but no science data left on @philae2014 - it all got uploaded! Wonderful! #cometlanding

:D :D :D

Well done Philae, and don't be a stranger. /salute

Edit - I'm eagerly awaiting the release of the final panorama taken after the raise and rotate maneuver, and also what the power levels coming from the solar panels looked like after the same.  There's a google hangout scheduled for 13:00 GMT (5:00AM PST, 8:00AM EST) at https://plus.google.com/events/c78o050l93ub7cm4kcoltjnt424 (https://plus.google.com/events/c78o050l93ub7cm4kcoltjnt424)

Also, @elakdawalla: The sun will rise on Philae around 6:00 am UTC. It is theoretically possible it could wake up then. Next comm pass would be at around 11:00
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: ugordan on 11/14/2014 11:42 pm
Philae now idling. Nothing happening on board. Power low. Loss of communication visibility expected at about 02:00 CET
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: ugordan on 11/14/2014 11:50 pm
Loss of signal.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Chris Bergin on 11/15/2014 01:40 am
I was writing up a pretty important SpaceX article, but it's not time sensitive and I just had to write another round up for this brave little lander.

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2014/11/philae-wins-battle-key-data-battery-depletion/

Great coverage in here. Well done to all!
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jcm on 11/15/2014 02:15 am
So all the science data is down, but we still don't know if the drill got anything useful, is that correct??
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 11/15/2014 03:16 am
Yes, also it looks like the thermal conductivity measurement from MUPUS was not achieved, the APXS cover did not open (so no APXS integration) and it's not clear if the CONSERT measurement was finished before the low power condition. Note COSAC was the one getting the sample, not Ptolemy (it used its volatile-catching sample cell).
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jcm on 11/15/2014 04:45 am
Yes, also it looks like the thermal conductivity measurement from MUPUS was not achieved, the APXS cover did not open (so no APXS integration) and it's not clear if the CONSERT measurement was finished before the low power condition. Note COSAC was the one getting the sample, not Ptolemy (it used its volatile-catching sample cell).

Thanks for those details. Will be interesting to see the COSAC results. That's particularly unfortunate about APXS
but all in all not a bad haul in the circumstances
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 11/15/2014 06:43 am
Our Lander's asleep

With its batteries depleted and not enough sunlight available to recharge, Philae has fallen into 'idle mode' for a potentially long silence. In this mode, all instruments and most systems on board are shut down.

"Prior to falling silent, the lander was able to transmit all science data gathered during the First Science Sequence," says DLR's Stephan Ulamec, Lander Manager, who was in the Main Control Room at ESOC tonight.

"This machine performed magnificently under tough conditions, and we can be fully proud of the incredible scientific success Philae has delivered."

Contact was lost at 00:36 UTC / 01:36 CET, not long before the scheduled communication loss that would have happened anyway as Rosetta orbited below the horizon.

From now on, no contact would be possible unless sufficient sunlight falls on the solar panels to generate enough power to wake it up.

The possibility that this may happen was boosted this evening when mission controllers sent commands to rotate the lander's main body, to which the solar panels are fixed. This may have exposed more panel area to sunlight.

The next possible communication slot begins on 15 November at about 10:00 UTC / 11:00 CET. The orbiter will listen for a signal, and will continue doing so when its orbit enables communication visibility in the future.

The hugely successful Rosetta mission will continue, as the spacecraft tracks comet 67P/C-G on its journey to the Sun. Rosetta is the first spacecraft to rendezvous with and orbit a comet and has already returned incredible scientific data.

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/11/15/our-landers-asleep/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: ugordan on 11/15/2014 04:42 pm
Condensed from @Philae_MUPUS (https://twitter.com/Philae_MUPUS):

Quote
First off: some reported MUPUS results as found in media are wrong. They never asked us.

MUPUS TM worked fine throughout the whole timeline and sees a very cold steep wall in front of us. TM sees clear diurnal temperature signal. Around local noon direct sunlight on that wall caused a steep temperature increase and also steep temperature drop shortly after. Data indicate low thermal diffusivity and fluffy substance.

The anchors still below Philae in shadow see the diurnal heat wave as well and at the same time as TM and the solar panels.

Penetrator was deployed to the commanded distance. Remember that device had not been switched on since 2002. Temperature inside PEN dropped significantly compared to status before deployment.Might have hit a pile of stuff on the way out. Another instrument saw better performance thereafter - we might have changed Philae's attitude.

Hammering started as intended in the lowest of 3 power settings (expecting a fluffy soft surface). The depth sensor shows some up and down but no progress. The control loop increased to power setting 2. Depth sensor still shows no progress. Control loop goes to power setting 3. Still no progress! This means that the stuff is really hard! A very interesting finding, not visible from orbit!

We have a secret power setting 4. Nicknamed "desperate mode". Beyond the design specs. We activated it. The truly genius designer of the hammer, Jerzy Grygorczuk, always said "be careful with power mode 4. And still no progress. The hammer gave up and failed after 7 minutes. Jerzy was right. We were desperate, activated, were punished. Surface must be >2 MPa hard! The comet remains surprising bizarre and uncooperative. To put this into perspective: MUPUS performed beautifully inside the specifications. The comet failed to cooperate. The loss of subsurface data is sad. The detection of this very hard crust is a great find the orbiter couldn't have done.

Edit: there were so many updates subsequently posted, it ended up like a live blog entry.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 11/15/2014 07:38 pm
Official updates from MUPUS team on twitter:

Quote
Results (1) First off: some reported MUPUS results as found in media are wrong. They never asked us
Results (2) MUPUS TM worked fine throughout the whole timeline and sees a very cold steep wall in front of us @Philae2014
Results (3) TM sees clear diurnal temperature signal. Around local noon direct sunlight on that wall caused a steep temperature increase...
Results (4) ... and also steep temperature drop shortly after. Data indicate low thermal diffusivity and fluffy substance
Results (5) The anchors still below Philae in shadow see the diurnal heat wave as well and at the same time as TM and the solar panels
Results (6) Penetrator was deployed to the commanded distance. Remember that device had not been switched on since 2002
Results (7) Temperature inside PEN dropped significantly compared to status before deployment.Might have hit a pile of stuff on the way out
Results (8 ) Another instrument saw better performance thereafter - we might have changed Philae's attitude
Results (9) Hammering started as intended in the lowest of 3 power settings (expecting a fluffy soft surface)
Results (10) The depth sensor shows some up and down but no progress. The control loop increased to power setting 2
Results (11) depth sensor still shows no progress. Control loop goes to power setting 3. Still no progress!
Results (12) This means that the stuff is really hard! A very interesting finding, not visible from orbit!
Results (13) We have a secret power setting 4. Nicknamed "desperate mode". Beyond the design specs. We activated it
Results (14) Still no progress. The hammer gave up and failed after 7 minutes. Jerzy was right. We were desperate, activated, were punished
Results (15) Surface must be >2 MPa hard! The comet remains surprising bizarre and uncooperative
Results (16). To put this into perspective: MUPUS performed beautifully inside the specifications. The comet failed to cooperate
Results (17) The loss of subsurface data is sad. The detection of this very hard crust is a great find the orbiter couldn't have done
Terrestrial analogues: Sandstone has about 5-15MPa, Granite 5-20MPa Tensile strenght
Carefull investigation of this will keep us busy (and happy) for the next months
Check literature for KOSI experiments after Halley in late 80's. Which are the origin of MUPUS
As soon @Philae2014 wakes up we can continue with monitoring the thermal environment around us. That would be really valuable
We have readings from depth sensor, hammer performance and thermal data. The conclusion is all indicative to hard surface.

https://twitter.com/Philae_MUPUS/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 11/15/2014 08:31 pm
Condensed from @Philae_MUPUS (https://twitter.com/Philae_MUPUS):

Quote
First off: some reported MUPUS results as found in media are wrong. They never asked us.

MUPUS TM worked fine throughout the whole timeline and sees a very cold steep wall in front of us. TM sees clear diurnal temperature signal. Around local noon direct sunlight on that wall caused a steep temperature increase and also steep temperature drop shortly after. Data indicate low thermal diffusivity and fluffy substance.

The anchors still below Philae in shadow see the diurnal heat wave as well and at the same time as TM and the solar panels.

Penetrator was deployed to the commanded distance. Remember that device had not been switched on since 2002. Temperature inside PEN dropped significantly compared to status before deployment.Might have hit a pile of stuff on the way out. Another instrument saw better performance thereafter - we might have changed Philae's attitude.

Hammering started as intended in the lowest of 3 power settings (expecting a fluffy soft surface). The depth sensor shows some up and down but no progress. The control loop increased to power setting 2. Depth sensor still shows no progress. Control loop goes to power setting 3. Still no progress! This means that the stuff is really hard! A very interesting finding, not visible from orbit!

We have a secret power setting 4. Nicknamed "desperate mode". Beyond the design specs. We activated it. The truly genius designer of the hammer, Jerzy Grygorczuk, always said "be careful with power mode 4. And still no progress. The hammer gave up and failed after 7 minutes. Jerzy was right. We were desperate, activated, were punished. Surface must be >2 MPa hard! The comet remains surprising bizarre and uncooperative. To put this into perspective: MUPUS performed beautifully inside the specifications. The comet failed to cooperate. The loss of subsurface data is sad. The detection of this very hard crust is a great find the orbiter couldn't have done.

Emphasis mine.
Heh! Looks like somebody forgot to inform some member here who persisently claims that added features are not present on spacecraft when they have not been specified in the design requirements.
I guess the euro/ESA folks do things a bit different. :)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: denis on 11/16/2014 12:28 am
Condensed from @Philae_MUPUS (https://twitter.com/Philae_MUPUS):

Quote
First off: some reported MUPUS results as found in media are wrong. They never asked us.

MUPUS TM worked fine throughout the whole timeline and sees a very cold steep wall in front of us. TM sees clear diurnal temperature signal. Around local noon direct sunlight on that wall caused a steep temperature increase and also steep temperature drop shortly after. Data indicate low thermal diffusivity and fluffy substance.

The anchors still below Philae in shadow see the diurnal heat wave as well and at the same time as TM and the solar panels.

Penetrator was deployed to the commanded distance. Remember that device had not been switched on since 2002. Temperature inside PEN dropped significantly compared to status before deployment.Might have hit a pile of stuff on the way out. Another instrument saw better performance thereafter - we might have changed Philae's attitude.

Hammering started as intended in the lowest of 3 power settings (expecting a fluffy soft surface). The depth sensor shows some up and down but no progress. The control loop increased to power setting 2. Depth sensor still shows no progress. Control loop goes to power setting 3. Still no progress! This means that the stuff is really hard! A very interesting finding, not visible from orbit!

We have a secret power setting 4. Nicknamed "desperate mode". Beyond the design specs. We activated it. The truly genius designer of the hammer, Jerzy Grygorczuk, always said "be careful with power mode 4. And still no progress. The hammer gave up and failed after 7 minutes. Jerzy was right. We were desperate, activated, were punished. Surface must be >2 MPa hard! The comet remains surprising bizarre and uncooperative. To put this into perspective: MUPUS performed beautifully inside the specifications. The comet failed to cooperate. The loss of subsurface data is sad. The detection of this very hard crust is a great find the orbiter couldn't have done.

Edit: there were so many updates subsequently posted, it ended up like a live blog entry.

One of the most interesting additional entry is the following, which confirms they were indeed hammering on the ground and not in the void (by "they", I assume they mean the SESAME experiment, which has sound detectors in the lander's feet and was supposed to be listening during the MUPUS hammer activation):
Quote
@Philae_MUPUS (https://twitter.com/Philae_MUPUS/status/533763965948792832)
We know it touched because otherwise it would move rapidly 'down' with respect to the depth sensor. And "they" heard us knock
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: outward on 11/16/2014 12:32 pm
Wondering if  Rosetta has been able to use it's orbital parameters to better determine 67p's mass? Can anyone point me in a direction to find out more detail on rosetta's orbital dynamics about the comet?
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: ugordan on 11/16/2014 02:35 pm
This is not the first analysis of these navcam images that suggests the lander is also visible (apart from the obvious bounce splat), but it's the clearest yet. For reference, the first image was taken some 3 min before 1st landing, the second one 2 minutes after landing. At that point Philae would be some 40-50 m above ground.

Via https://twitter.com/Eamonn_Kerins/status/533967071705448448
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jgoldader on 11/16/2014 03:18 pm
Nice image analysis, and very suggestive.  But shouldn't Philae be visible inbound in the first image, unless parallax from Rosetta's orbit caused Philae to be out of frame?  I can't see any decent candidates.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: ugordan on 11/16/2014 03:25 pm
I would assume that Philae is indeed present somewhere in the full navcam frame, but this is just a small crop centered around the targeted landing area. Given the timestamps and assumed velocities (1 m/s before landing vs. 0.38 m/s after bounce), Philae would be around 4 times higher than in the post-bounce frame. Parallax is also an issue and we should definitely not assume that it bounced in the same plane and direction it came in.

Given the pixel scale (IIRC, around 1.2 m/pixel), you would probably need to know *exactly* where to look for it, although given the flight dynamics data they have, that should be possible. As for the rest of us, even having the full frame would probably not help much.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jgoldader on 11/16/2014 03:30 pm
Gotcha, thanks.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: robertross on 11/16/2014 03:41 pm
Gif animation of landing site

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/11/16/philae_spotted_after_first_landing/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: hop on 11/16/2014 06:53 pm
Wondering if  Rosetta has been able to use it's orbital parameters to better determine 67p's mass?
Of course. The team have already created gravity models to support navigation and landing.
Quote
Can anyone point me in a direction to find out more detail on rosetta's orbital dynamics about the comet?
You should be able to find basic descriptions on the ESA site, like http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/08/21/determining-the-mass-of-comet-67pc-g/

Scientific papers will be published later.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: ugordan on 11/17/2014 01:06 pm
OSIRIS spots Philae drifting across the comet (http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2014/11/OSIRIS_spots_Philae_drifting_across_the_comet)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: ames on 11/17/2014 01:26 pm
Perspective.
Rosetta was flying overhead and Philae was far above the surface of 67p/CG

You have to remember  that Rosetta is not in a closed orbit, it is manoevering from one hyperbolic orbit to another.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: as designed wont fix on 11/17/2014 03:34 pm
OSIRIS spots Philae drifting across the comet (http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2014/11/OSIRIS_spots_Philae_drifting_across_the_comet)

Insane. Awesome.

Update: Emily tweets this infographic (http://aliveuniverseimages.com/images/articoli/2014/infografica.jpg) which appears to be based on the intial assumptions (https://twitter.com/esaoperations/status/532931190853214208/photo/1) about the final landing zone. The new image sequence seems to show that Philae actually drifted in a slightly different direction.. it might have ended up beyond the edge of the crater that contains Site B.

(P.S. This should probably go into the discussion thread)

Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: ugordan on 11/17/2014 05:48 pm
https://twitter.com/erichand/status/534413817040867328

Quote
COSAC PI: Drill tried to deliver sample. Ovens heated up. But data show no actual delivery. "There’s nothing in it."

I was dreading this outcome :-[
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Will on 11/17/2014 07:23 pm
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/philae-comet-lander-expected-to-wake-up-again-next-spring-1.2837561
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 11/17/2014 07:30 pm
Press release, 17 November 2014

Churyumov-Gerasimenko – hard ice and organic molecules

Before going into hibernation at 01:36 CET on 15 November 2014, the Philae lander was able to conduct some work using power supplied by its primary battery. With its 10 instruments, the mini laboratory sniffed the atmosphere, drilled,
hammered and studied Comet 67P/ Churyumov-Gerasimenko while over 500 million kilometres from Earth. After a triple landing, positioning it in a new, unplanned location, conditions were not optimal, but Philae was able to work for more
than 60 hours and send the resulting data back to Earth. It was controlled and monitored from the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) Lander Control Center (LCC). Now, the complicated data analysis
begins. DLR's Scientific Director for the project, Ekkehard Kuehrt, is very pleased with the results so far. "We have collected a great deal of valuable data, which could only have been acquired through direct contact with the comet. Together
with the measurements performed by the Rosetta orbiter, we are well on our way to achieving a greater understanding of comets. Their surface properties appear to be quite different than was previously thought."

Icy hardness

The team responsible for the MUPUS (Multi-Purpose Sensors for Surface and Sub-Surface Science) instrument, which hammered a probe into the comet, estimates that Comet 67P is hard as ice: "Although the power of the hammer was gradually
increased, we were not able to go deep into the surface," explains Tilman Spohn from the DLR Institute of Planetary Research, who is leading the research team. Shortly after the triple landing, the scientists could only hope that Philae
would be in a position that would allow the probe to be hammered into the surface. However, with MUPUS it has been possible to directly study the strength of a comet's surface for the first time – and 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko proved to
be a 'tough nut to crack'. "We have acquired a wealth of data, which we must now analyse," says comet researcher Spohn. Only the thermal sensors and accelerometers in the anchors that should have fixed Philae to the comet’s surface were
not used, because they were not deployed during the touchdown.

Listening to the comet

The team of the SESAME experiment (Surface Electrical, Seismic and Acoustic Monitoring Experiment) can confirm that Churyumov-Gerasimenko is not nearly as soft and fluffy as it was believed to be. "The strength of the ice founds under
a layer of dust on the first landing site is surprisingly high," says Klaus Seidensticker from the DLR Institute of Planetary Research. The instrument CASSE, which sits in the feet of the lander, was turned on during the descent and clearly
registered the first landing as Philae came into contact with the comet. From additional data, the mechanical properties of Churyumov-Gerasimenko will be derived. SESAME's two other instruments suggest that cometary activity at this landing
site is low, as well as revealing the presence of a large amount of water ice under the lander.

Sniffing for organic molecules

The last of the 10 instruments on board the Philae lander to be activated was the Sampling, Drilling and Distribution (SD2) subsystem, which was designed to provide soil samples for the COSAC and PTOLEMY instruments. It is certain that
the drill was activated, as were all the steps to transport the sample to the appropriate oven. COSAC also worked as planned. Now scientists need to analyse the data to determine whether a soil sample was actually examined in the gas chromatograph.
This will be done in collaboration with several instrument teams. Did CASSE hear drilling? What soil strength did MUPUS encounter when hammering? With what force was the SD2 drill used? "We currently have no information on the quantity
and weight of the soil sample," says Fred Goesmann from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research. However, COSAC was able to 'sniff' the atmosphere and detect the first organic molecules after landing. Analysis of the spectra
and the identification of the molecules are continuing.

Images and radio waves before hibernation

One of the big 'winners' of the Philae landing is Stefano Mottola from the DLR Institute of Planetary Research, who is responsible for the ROLIS (ROsetta Lander Imaging System) camera. The instrument, mounted on the bottom of the lander,
acquired images during the first descent showing the planned landing site, Agilkia. Even after the third landing, it proved possible to reactivate ROLIS and acquire images of the comet’s surface at close range. Thus, the team has data
for two different locations on the comet.

A wealth of data was also obtained with the CONSERT (COmet Nucleus Sounding Experiment by Radio wave Transmission) instrument. To achieve this, the lander and orbiter were on different sides of the comet and worked together to analyse
the comet nucleus by passing radio signals through it and creating a three-dimensional profile of the core. During the CONSERT measurements, Philae went into hibernation after the power from its primary battery was exhausted. This battery
was flown through space already charged to ensure the completion of the first scientific work phase.

Waiting for news of Philae

"I'm very confident that Philae will resume contact with us and that we will be able to operate the instruments again," says DLR Lander Project Manager Stephan Ulamec. Once the rechargeable secondary battery has been warmed by sunlight
again, Philae will restart and the DLR LCC team will take their places at the control consoles again. "At the first landing site, we would, of course, have had better solar illumination conditions," says Ulamec. "Now we are somewhat in
shadow, we will need more time to charge." One advantage of the shadier landing site in a crater is that the Philae lander will not overheat as quickly as the comet approaches the Sun, but will benefit from the stronger sunlight. The team
managed to rotate the lander during the night of 14/15 November 2014, so that the largest solar panel is now aligned towards the Sun.

Contact in the coming year

Stephan Ulamec believes it is probable that in the spring of 2015, the DLR LCC will once again communicate with Philae and receive data about how the lander is faring on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. In the summer of 2015, it might
be possible that temperatures on the comet will allow Philae’s battery to be recharged. "The orbiter will continue with its overflights to receive any signals from the lander once Philae wakes up from hibernation."

The mission

Rosetta is an ESA mission with contributions from its member states and NASA. Rosetta's Philae lander is funded by a consortium headed by DLR, the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS), CNES and the Italian Space Agency
(ASI).


DLR Rosetta special:
http://www.dlr.de/en/rosetta
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 11/17/2014 07:59 pm
Context image for Philae tracking.

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/11/17/osiris-spots-philae-drifting-across-the-comet/#comment-201918
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 11/18/2014 07:04 pm
[moved to General Thread http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=35353.msg1290662#msg1290662 ]
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Alf Fass on 11/18/2014 07:54 pm
Maybe next time around they'll design a "lander" that docks, rather than lands, one that has thrusters to move in 3D.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: kevinof on 11/18/2014 08:52 pm
Some reports around that organic molecules were detected by Philae! Could be contamination or could be something else...

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-30097648
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 11/19/2014 08:59 am
Quote
Organic molecules detected by Philae. Dr Fred Goessmann, principal investigator on the Cosac instrument, which made the organics detection, confirmed the find to BBC News. But he added that the team was still trying to interpret the results.
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-30097648

Quote
“We have collected a great deal of valuable data, which could only have been acquired through direct contact with the comet,” said Ekkehard Kuhrt, scientific director for the Philae mission at DLR
http://spaceflightnow.com/2014/11/18/philae-finds-comet-harbors-organics/


Official twitter accounts:
https://twitter.com/philae_cosac
https://twitter.com/dlr_en


http://spaceflightnow.com/2014/11/18/philae-finds-comet-harbors-organics/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 11/19/2014 09:21 am
Quote
Because part of the MUPUS package was contained in the harpoons, some temperature and accelerometer data could not be gathered. However, the MUPUS thermal mapper, located on the body of the lander, worked throughout the descent and during all three touchdowns.
At Philae’s final landing spot, the MUPUS probe recorded a temperature of –153°C close to the floor of the lander’s balcony before it was deployed. Then, after deployment, the sensors near the tip cooled by about 10°C over a period of roughly half an hour.

Quote
the team have made the preliminary assessment that the upper layers of the comet’s surface consist of dust of 10–20 cm thickness, overlaying mechanically strong ice or ice and dust mixtures.

Quote
MUPUS could be used again if we get enough power.

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/11/18/philae-settles-in-dust-covered-ice/

MUPUS investigators:
Tilman Spohn
Jörg Knollenberg
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 11/19/2014 09:28 am
Press release, 19 November 2014

Philae on 67P – MUPUS experiment hammers probe into a comet 500 million kilometres from Earth - Probe discovers hard ice and measures temperature of minus 170 degrees Celsius on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

The MUPUS instrument, one of 10 experiments on the Philae lander that touched down on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko encountered very hard material with a temperature of about minus 170 degrees Celsius – probably rich in ice. "This is a surprise!
We did not expect to find such hard ice below the surface," explained Tilman Spohn from the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR), the Principal Investigator for MUPUS.

Ice under loose dust layer

During the night of 13 to 14 November 2014, the MUPUS instrument was deployed from the 'balcony' of the lander – that is, from the open instrument bay on the rear wall of Philae – and was hammered about 40 centimetres into the comet's surface. This
was unsuccessful, although the hammer power was gradually increased to the highest available level. "Using comparative measurements performed in the laboratory, we estimate that the probe must have likely encountered a layer with the same strength
as ice under a 10 to 20 centimetre thick layer of dust," says Spohn. The infrared sensor incorporated into the instrument found that the covering layer of dust exhibited a low thermal inertia. "The team believes that under the very porous dust layer,
ice is present." This ice contains dust and might even be quite porous, but, having been thermally sintered over the course of centuries to millions of years, its ingredients have been baked together by repeated temperature changes.

Measurements on approach and after landing

The instrument's infrared sensor, which was developed by the Institute of Planetology at the University of Münster, together with the Space Research Centre in Warsaw and other international partners, is now managed by the DLR Institute of Planetary
Research. Data was recorded during the approach and bounces across the comet surface. However, the MUPUS thermal sensors and accelerometers in the anchors could not be used because the anchor harpoons did not fire into the comet surface beneath the
lander. "Philae was not anchored to the surface of the comet and possibly came to rest in a tilted position; one of the three legs of the landing gear was not in contact with the surface. After landing, it was not clear whether the MUPUS experiment
would be able to perform as intended."

Philae's ultimate landing site is probably at least one kilometre away from the targeted position – likely in front of a wall composed of ice. The team at the DLR Lander Control Center (LCC) was, however, able to operate all 10 instruments on board
the lander and obtain data. "We are very happy that many measurements were possible and are currently in the process of analysing the data," says Spohn. "MUPUS could be used again, if we can collect sufficient energy to charge the lander's battery.
Then we can examine the layer on which the probe is situated, and observe how the comet develops as it moves closer to the Sun."

The mission

Rosetta is an ESA mission with contributions from its member states and NASA. Rosetta's Philae lander is funded by a consortium led by DLR, the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (Max-Planck-Institut fuer Sonnensystemforschung; MPS), the
French Space Agency (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales; CNES) and the Italian Space Agency (Agenzia Spaziale Italiana; ASI).
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 11/19/2014 09:45 am
Quote
Philippe Gaudon: "We know within 100 meters where Philae but we must especially consider its orientation, its distance from the orbiter. We'll know more within 15 days, including data from the Osiris camera on Rosetta installed "

Original (in French):
«Nous savons à 100 mètres près où se trouve Philae mais nous devons surtout étudier son orientation, sa distance avec l'orbiteur. Nous en saurons plus d'ici 15 jours, avec notamment les données de la caméra Osiris installée sur Rosetta »

http://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2014/11/18/1993470-rosetta-pendant-philae-sommeille-equipes-toulousaines-sonc-veillent.html
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 11/19/2014 05:58 pm
Updates on SD2 drilling:

Quote
Although the ovens worked correctly, the scientists do not yet know how much – if any – material was actually delivered to the ovens by SD2,[...]Because Philae was not anchored to the comet surface, it is also possible that, if the drill touched a particularly hard surface material, it moved the lander instead of drilling into the surface. [...]But other instruments on board Philae can help understand what actually happened. For example, the downward-looking ROLIS camera obtained two images of the surface under the balcony,
[...]
. The final site where Philae landed does not enjoy long exposure to sunlight, but on the other hand, it opens new perspectives. As the lander appears to be currently shielded by walls, the local temperature may be lower than it would have been at the chosen landing site. So if Philae wakes up, it might remain operative much longer than expected, possibly until perihelion, which is extremely exciting."
http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/11/19/did-philae-drill-the-comet/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 11/19/2014 06:34 pm
Some possible sources for updates:

CIVA
http://twitter.com/IASOrsay
http://twitter.com/IASOrsay/UNIV_INSU_CNRS

ROLIS/ROMAP
http://twitter.com/DLR_EN

German Centre  for   air and Space (DLR) for young people
http://twitter.com/DLR_next

http://twitter.com/ConsertRosetta
http://twitter.com/Philae_ROMAP

http://twitter.com/Philae_MUPUS
http://twitter.com/RosettaSD2
http://twitter.com/Philae_PTOLEMY
http://twitter.com/Philae_COSAC

http://twitter.com/ESA_Rosetta
http://twitter.com/Philae2014
http://twitter.com/RosettaInTheUK
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 11/19/2014 08:41 pm
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Operations/Rosetta_continues_into_its_full_science_phase

Rosetta continues into its full science phase

Quote
From next week, Rosetta’s orbit will be selected and planned based on the needs of the scientific sensors. After arrival on 6 August, the orbit was designed to meet the lander’s needs.

Quote
On 3 December, the craft will move down to height of 20 km for about 10 days, after which it will return to 30 km.

With the landing performed, all future trajectories are designed purely with science as the driver, explained Laurence O’Rourke and Michael Küppers at the Rosetta Science Operations Centre near Madrid, Spain.

“The desire is to place the spacecraft as close as feasible to the comet before the activity becomes too high to maintain closed orbits,” says Laurence.

“This 20 km orbit will be used by the science teams to map large parts of the nucleus at high resolution and to collect gas, dust and plasma at increasing activity.”

Planning the science orbits involves two different trajectories: ‘preferred’ and ‘high-activity’. While the intention is always to fly the preferred path, Rosetta will move to the high-activity trajectory in the event the comet becomes too active as it heats up.

Image credit: ESA
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 11/20/2014 02:41 pm
A few updates:

Philae's APXS may have measured a bit of cometary dust after all: http://www.uni-mainz.de/presse/63080.php (German)
The sound of touchdown: http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/11/20/the-sound-of-touchdown/
"Scratch and sniff": samples from two places in the comet's surface: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn26584-philae-lander-sleeps-but-rosetta-mission-lives-on.html

Full report at ESA's Rosetta's main site: http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/11/20/the-sound-of-touchdown/

Quote
Additional burns planned for today, 22 and 26 November will further adjust the orbit to bring it up to about 30 km above the comet [...] On 3 December, the craft will move down to height of 20 km for about 10 days, after which it will return to 30 km.

 “The desire is to place the spacecraft as close as feasible to the comet before the activity becomes too high to maintain closed orbits,” says Laurence.“This 20 km orbit will be used by the science teams to map large parts of the nucleus at high resolution and to collect gas, dust and plasma at increasing activity.” Planning the science orbits involves two different trajectories: ‘preferred’ and ‘high-activity’. While the intention is always to fly the preferred path, Rosetta will move to the high-activity trajectory in the event the comet becomes too active as it heats up.

Early next year, Rosetta will be switched into a mode that allows it to listen periodically for beacon signals from the surface.

Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: cscott on 11/20/2014 04:15 pm
A few updates:

Philae's APXS may have measured a bit of cometary dust after all: http://www.uni-mainz.de/presse/63080.php (German)
The sound of touchdown: http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/11/20/the-sound-of-touchdown/
"Scratch and sniff": samples from two places in the comet's surface: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn26584-philae-lander-sleeps-but-rosetta-mission-lives-on.html

Full report at ESA's Rosetta's main site: http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/11/20/the-sound-of-touchdown/

Quote
Additional burns planned for today, 22 and 26 November will further adjust the orbit to bring it up to about 30 km above the comet [...] On 3 December, the craft will move down to height of 20 km for about 10 days, after which it will return to 30 km.

 “The desire is to place the spacecraft as close as feasible to the comet before the activity becomes too high to maintain closed orbits,” says Laurence.“This 20 km orbit will be used by the science teams to map large parts of the nucleus at high resolution and to collect gas, dust and plasma at increasing activity.” Planning the science orbits involves two different trajectories: ‘preferred’ and ‘high-activity’. While the intention is always to fly the preferred path, Rosetta will move to the high-activity trajectory in the event the comet becomes too active as it heats up.

Early next year, Rosetta will be switched into a mode that allows it to listen periodically for beacon signals from the surface.


Thanks.

So that reinforces a previous update that the teams are not even going to attempt any communications with Philae until 2015. So even if by some miracle it was to have enough power to communicate, it has either been commanded not to, or (most definitely) will not have anything listening for it.

"Listening" to Philae probably means synchronizing Rosetta's orbit so that it has visibility of Philae's landing site during the short window during which it is expected to have sunlight.  That constrains the orbit and the orbit corrections expend propellant.  The team wisely has chosen not to waste that propellant and sacrifice Rosetta's science objectives for a wake-up event that is currently impossible.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 11/20/2014 06:10 pm
Quote
What kind of orbit will Rosetta be in once the coma is at it's maximum? I mean, how is Rosetta going to protect itself?
Quote
[PM] We will have to increase the distance to the comet and keep Rosetta close to the terminator plane (plane separating day and night side of the comet). There the coma activity is expected to be lower and also the solar panels (that are always pointing to the Sun) are edge-on to the incoming gas, so that the drag force is reduced and the less amount of dust particles hit the solar arrays.
But still we want to observe the comet activity from close distances. To do so, the plan is that Rosetta will perform several comet fly-bys with miss distances in the range 8-50 km.
http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2mw5ko/we_are_working_on_flight_control_and_science/cm865db


Quote
Hi. You knew the thruster on top of Philae wasn't functional since the first Go/NoGo decisions in the evening of 11th November.
Which was the reason for you decided to go ahead (Paolo Ferri said you would have had another landing opportunity in a couple of weeks)? Perhaps you thought it was just a false alarm? Or maybe you realised it was a failure it wasn't possible to fix anyway?
Thank you and congratulations for your historical achievement.
Quote
Hi there [IT],
I was present in the discussions following the failure to prime the ADS system, and the decision to GO was taken as follows: First we posed the question 'Is there anything else that can be done to re-attempt a priming?'. The answer was 'No', since the primary priming procedure already took all possible steps (multiple commanding of both priming lines). Therefore it was clear that the ADS was out, and having a NO GO would not help clear the situation. After this we asked 'Can the landing be attempted without the ADS?'. The answer to this was 'Yes, but with higher risk.' This risk could not be mitigated, but there was not alternative, so we decided to cross fingers and release the lander.
http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2mw5ko/we_are_working_on_flight_control_and_science/cm861w5


Quote
What is the speed of Rosetta relative to the comet?
Quote
PM: Right now Rosetta is in a 30 km circular orbit around the comet with a (really slow) relative velocity of 0.15 m/s (0.54 km/h).
http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2mw5ko/we_are_working_on_flight_control_and_science/cm85i8c

Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 11/20/2014 06:17 pm
Quote
Which is the "moving power" of the landing gear? Any technical document available? (I can only find them for alternative landing gear) Could it even allow "hopping", or it can just raise the lander body?
Was the flywheel causing lander rotation on its Z axis while landing?
Why was the flywheel turned off immediately after landing? What's the issue with a running flywheel in an anchored lander?
Was the flywheel stopped by means of a brake or just by its own friction?

Quote
The landing gear can do several things that each require a different amount of power. It can rotate, raise and lower the Lander and tilt the Lander. The amount of energy required also depends on the size/duration of the movement. We tried to "hop" by raising the Lander right before switch-off, but the ROLIS picture taken afterwards doesn't show any movement. :( Yes, the flywheel was rotating the Lander about the Z-axis at a very stable rate. We weren't expecting to hop so that's why we turned off the flywheel. It did spin down for about 40 minutes after, in which time the Lander was quite stable. Afterwards, you can see the solar array on the top wobbling about at a pretty regular interval (it was recieving constant sunlight up to then). The flywheel doesn't have a brake, but spins down. - VLL
http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2mw5ko/we_are_working_on_flight_control_and_science/cm86v22

Reddit interface is very confusing... I think I'm gonna lose most of the updates/replies...
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: aga on 11/20/2014 07:31 pm
esa released the sound of touchdown...
http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/11/20/the-sound-of-touchdown/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 11/20/2014 08:47 pm
Quote
On what kind of orbit is Rosetta now? Even if OSIRIS' resolution isn't enough to directly see Philae now, would it be possible to see sun reflect from its solar panels? Kind of how one can see sun reflect from cars, windows and ditches while flying at 10km, or how it's possible to see satellites moving across the nightsky, brightening rapidly just for a moment when all the sunlight reflects from the solar panels.
Quote
It's at a distance of about 30km now. As we know when the lander received its sunlight on the single panel which gave it power, then we can plan (and are planning) our OSIRIS images to do a scan in that area at a similar time in the comet day. So yes, you are completely correct. This is certainly one way we will use to identify the lander - the solar panels have a much higher albedo than the background comet. [LOR]
http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2mw5ko/we_are_working_on_flight_control_and_science/cm872g2

After Iridium flares (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite_flare) we're gonna have Philae flares? :-)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Ohsin on 11/21/2014 02:51 pm
They are closing in Philae's location with CONSERT data
http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/11/21/homing-in-on-philaes-final-landing-site/

Quote
In addition to the on-going visual searches using OSIRIS and NAVCAM images, the CONSERT experiment is helping scientists to locate Philae’s final landing site.

CONSERT, or the Comet Nucleus Sounding Experiment by Radio wave Transmission, is an experiment that works between the Rosetta orbiter and the Philae lander. It works by transmitting radio signals from the orbiter to the lander, and when the geometry is right, the signals pass through the nucleus of the comet, allowing its interior to be analysed.

The signals are received on the lander, where some data is extracted, and then immediately a new signal is transmitted back to the orbiter, where the main experimental data collection occurs. As the radio waves pass through different parts of the cometary nucleus, variations in propagation time and amplitude occur, and these can be used to determine various properties of the internal material and carry out a form of ‘tomography’.

But CONSERT is also being used to help identify the location of the lander, in combination with work performed by ESOC Flight Dynamics, the Philae lander team, the ESA Rosetta Science Ground Segment, and the OSIRIS camera team.

By making measurements of the distance between Rosetta and Philae during the periods of direct visibility between orbiter and lander, as well as measurements made through the core, the team have been able to narrow down the search to the strip presented in the image shown above. The determination of the landing zone is dependent on the underlying comet shape model used, which is why there are two candidate regions marked.

Planned high-resolution imaging by OSIRIS will be used to study the CONSERT predicted area.

The CONSERT team also need to know where Philae is before they can fully analyse their scientific data.

Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Moe Grills on 11/21/2014 05:45 pm
A few updates:


The sound of touchdown: http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/11/20/the-sound-of-touchdown/
Full report at ESA's Rosetta's main site: http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/11/20/the-sound-of-touchdown/

Quote
(SOUNDS LIKE CRUNCHING SNOW)
You can bet that the sound will be "sampled" on a recording track for some techno-pop or electronic dance tune.

Hey, I got a demo recording session on Dec/01; maybe I can give it a try. ;)

Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Req on 11/21/2014 05:52 pm
3D descent image from ROLIS.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Matt Berkley on 11/21/2014 06:00 pm
Quote
Reddit interface is very confusing... I think I'm gonna lose most of the updates/replies...

You can use

http://www.reddit.com/user/rosphilops

to see all the team's answers,

and click on "context" below each answer to see the question.

Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 11/22/2014 03:35 pm
Additional chances for Philae situation changes in the future are into an old MUPUS document:
Quote
. The expected surface erosion may well reach 1 m per comet orbit.
http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Wojciech_Marczewski/publication/224987616_MUPUS__A_Thermal_
and_Mechanical_Properties_Probe_for_the_Rosetta_Lander_Philae/links/00b7d52723b59d6994000000  (page 351, §2.1.5)

This is the whole height of the lander!  :o And of course it occurs during comet active period... which just started.

Of course there will be less erosion in shadow, but even 10 cm could be very good (or very bad...) for Philae.


Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 11/25/2014 01:05 pm
Planned meeting "P41C-3942 Color Variegation on 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko" - Thursday, December 18, 201408:00 AM - 12:20 PM (and many other meetings in same days)

Moscone South,Poster Hall 
Quote
The ESA Rosetta Mission entered active operations around comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in early August 2014. The full nucleus will be mapped at multiple resolutions before the Philae landing in November. The mapping will include imaging using the full spectral range of the Narrow Angle Camera of the OSIRIS imaging system (245nm to 1000nm in 11 optical filters). The color mapping will be done under good illumination condition at ~1m/pixel as part of the pyramid arc approach phase. This will later be followed by higher resolution imaging (down to 20 cm/pixels) of parts of the nucleus. These higher resolution images are acquired under somewhat worse illumination conditions because of the high angle between the orbital plane and the Sun direction.
This contribution will discuss the color variegation observed on the comet surface and its relationship to surface morphology and cometary activity.


Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 11/26/2014 08:21 am
Today 26 november, online interview ("AMA") on Reddit  (http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/)at 16:00 GMT with DLR (German Aerospace Center ) (http://www.dlr.de/dlr/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-10231/336_read-12189/#/gallery/17224):

https://www.google.com/calendar/render?eid=bmNmN2JwcHRqNmNzZnJyMHRzcXBpaTdvYW8gYW1hdmVyaWZ5QG0&ctz=America/New_York&pli=1&sf=true&output=xml

PHILAE is controlled by DLRs user center for space experiments in Cologne from its Lander Control Center (LCC)

DLR also published telemetries of Philae while landing:
http://www.musc.dlr.de/philae/telemetrie.html
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 11/28/2014 08:46 am
Quote
is there a fixed publication date by now for the first post-arrival papers from the orbiter instrument teams? Have those papers been submitted already, and if so, covering data til which time? And ... will the world finally get to see some close-up OSIRIS images (i.e. from the low orbital phase) at the time the papers appear?

Quote
The first round of papers have been submitted to the journal Nature. The papers have gone through review an should be published soon.
The papers should show images from the closest 10km orbit.
(Stubbe Hviid - Co-Investigator of the OSIRIS camera on Rosetta at DLR-PF/Berlin)

Quote
There is no fixed publication date, but the hope is that the first round of papers from the orbiter teams, or at least from many of the orbiter teams, will be in early to mid-December. Quite a few papers have been submitted and sent out to independent, scientific referees. The teams are now revising the papers to address the questions raised by the referees. These papers will include papers from the OSIRIS team with some fairly close-up pictures. (Michael F. A'Hearn - Astronomy Professor (emeritus) and Principal Investigator of the Deep Impact mission)
http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2nhhd8/we_are_comet_scientists_and_engineers_working_on/cmdmk9m



Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: hop on 11/28/2014 07:14 pm
ESA blog on landing analysis from ROMAP

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/11/28/did-philae-graze-a-crater-rim-during-its-first-bounce/

Quote
-       After the first touchdown, the spin rate started increasing. As the lander bounced off the surface, the control electronics of the flywheel were turned off and during the following 40 minutes of flight, the flywheel transferred its angular momentum to Philae. After this time, the lander was now spinning at a rate of about 1 rotation per 13 seconds;

-       At 16:20 GMT spacecraft time the lander is thought to have collided with a surface feature, a crater rim, for example.

“It was not a touchdown like the first one, because there was no signature of a vertical deceleration due to a slight dipping of our magnetometer boom as measured during the first and also the final touchdown," says Hans-Ulrich. “We think that Philae probably touched a surface with one leg only – perhaps grazing a crater rim – and after that the lander was tumbling. We did not see a simple rotation about the lander’s z-axis anymore, it was a much more complex motion with a strong signal in the magnetic field measurement.”

-       Following this event, the main rotation period had decreased slightly to 1 rotation per 24 seconds;

-       At 17:25:26 GMT Philae touched the surface again, initially with just one foot but then all three, giving the characteristic touchdown signal;
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 12/03/2014 02:52 pm
Quote from: ESAoperations
Today, @ESA_Rosetta conducted 1st of 2 thruster burns to take it down to a circular 20x20km terminator orbit #67P details later in the blog
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 12/16/2014 11:32 am
Comet 67P/C-G in living color

Quote
Rosetta’s OSIRIS team have produced a colour image of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko as it would be seen by the human eye. As anticipated, the comet turns out to be very grey indeed, with only slight, subtle colour variations seen across its surface. [...]

At the beginning of December, Rosetta's orbit was lowered to 20x20 km. It will be boosted to a 30x30 km orbit between December 20th and 24th, where it will remain until February. Then, it will perform fly-bys, starting with a very low pass of 6 km. Low- and high-activity (from the comet) variants of all trajectories are planned.

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/12/12/whats-up-with-rosetta-2/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 12/18/2014 01:51 pm
http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/12/17/midas-and-its-first-dust-grain/

MIDAS appears to have captured its first (and HUGE compared to expectations) dust particle of ~10 um. No good imaging has been performed yet, because the AFM rastering parameters were optimized for smaller particles and the imaging runs were then aborted. They will adjust these parameters for the apparent size and try again.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 12/18/2014 05:59 pm
Estimated Philae location/orientation estimate:
http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia19097_orientation_and_cliff.jpg (http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia19097_orientation_and_cliff.jpg)


http://www.nasa.gov/jpl/rosetta-orbiter-to-swoop-down-on-comet-in-february/index.html#.VJMhfNJ5P6M (http://www.nasa.gov/jpl/rosetta-orbiter-to-swoop-down-on-comet-in-february/index.html#.VJMhfNJ5P6M)




Yesterday there was a NASA streaming about Rosetta scientific results:
http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/2014-nasa-agu-events/#rosetta (http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/2014-nasa-agu-events/#rosetta)


I don't know if it is available for offline viewing.




AGU fall meeting twitter account for updates:
https://twitter.com/theagu (https://twitter.com/theagu)


Image taken during bounce:
https://twitter.com/coreyspowell/status/545535862067720192/photo/1 (https://twitter.com/coreyspowell/status/545535862067720192/photo/1)


Twitted by Corey S. Powel (https://twitter.com/coreyspowell)l (Consulting Editor at American Scientist.[/font][/size][size=78%])[/size]


Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 12/19/2014 08:43 am
All lectures now available online, but you must pay 50$ to be allowed to view them!  >:(
https://virtualoptions.agu.org/category/Fall+Meeting%3E2014+Fall+Meeting%3EPlanetary+Science/25431692 (https://virtualoptions.agu.org/category/Fall+Meeting%3E2014+Fall+Meeting%3EPlanetary+Science/25431692)



Edit:
no, wait... it's just a virtual cost, you actualluy don't pay anything.


P33F-08. Rosetta 2014 II, Presented By Jean-Pierre Bibring:
https://virtualoptions.agu.org/media/P33F-08.+Rosetta+2014+II%2C+Presented+By+Jean-Pierre+Bibring/0_t1w3415j (https://virtualoptions.agu.org/media/P33F-08.+Rosetta+2014+II%2C+Presented+By+Jean-Pierre+Bibring/0_t1w3415j)

Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 12/20/2014 03:35 pm

Here you can view official hires ROLIS descent images:
https://virtualoptions.agu.org/media/P34B-06.+Rosetta+2014+III%2C+Presented+By+Stefano+Mottola/0_m432jt2i


I don't know if now they're also available for download somewhere .

Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 12/20/2014 03:42 pm
Maybe Philae has been "unofficially" found?
(http://mattias.malmer.nu/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/GLINT.gif)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: hop on 12/20/2014 07:10 pm
Maybe Philae has been "unofficially" found?
Source for this image is Mattias Malmer in http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?s=&showtopic=7896&view=findpost&p=216485
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: NovaSilisko on 12/20/2014 07:13 pm
I don't think that's Philae, personally. It looks to me like it would be illuminated far longer than Philae was reported to be.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 12/22/2014 10:38 am
http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/12/19/year-end-break/

Rosetta and Philae's holiday card.

Image credit: ESA
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: hop on 12/22/2014 06:31 pm
I don't think that's Philae, personally. It looks to me like it would be illuminated far longer than Philae was reported to be.
Malmer concluded it was probably a bright rock
https://twitter.com/3Dmattias/status/546568372193071104
Quote
The "philae glint" is most probably a bright rock. The search continues.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 01/07/2015 12:34 pm
Quote
Rosetta will continue in its 30 km orbit until 3 February, before building up to its closest flyby yet. On 4 February, Rosetta will start to move some 140 km from the comet, before swooping down to just 6 km from the surface on 14 February.[/font][/size]
http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/01/06/rosetta-in-2015/ (http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/01/06/rosetta-in-2015/)


It would be a good chance to spot Philae!
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 01/09/2015 05:54 pm
Quote
Emily Lakdawalla @elakdawalla  ·  Dec 17 (https://twitter.com/elakdawalla/status/545257241834565633)
Bibring is confident Philae will wake, as early as Feb-March; they are planning "post-hibernation science" phase #AGU14



Quote
MUPUS on Philae @Philae_MUPUS  ·  Dec 18 (https://twitter.com/Planetguy_Bln/status/545382203085975552)
Analysis of HK  and comparison with SESAME data shows that we might have survived Mode 4 after all. Hammering was just slower at the end


Quote

MUPUS on Philae @Philae_MUPUS  ·  Dec 19 (https://twitter.com/Philae_MUPUS/status/545735537764864000)
Most importantly: the hammer is not damaged. If the penetrator is upright and sticks in sime dust or ice, it may be restarted.


Quote
MUPUS on Philae @Philae_MUPUS  ·  Dec 19 (https://twitter.com/Philae_MUPUS/status/545735811501948928)
We would use it in mode 3 only. There is a chance, though, that the penetrator lies flat on the surface. That would be the end of it.



Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 01/10/2015 02:09 pm

SPACE.com ‏@SPACEdotcom Jan 8 (https://twitter.com/SPACEdotcom/status/552985630037139456)
Philae Comet Lander Failed in Sample-Drilling Attempt, Might Try Again http://oak.ctx.ly/r/2agtq
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Star One on 01/19/2015 12:57 pm
An update from the very top of ESA regarding the policy in releasing pictures from this mission. Only including this here because of who is actually talking about the topic.

Quote
Among the other topics covered during the wide-ranging briefing:

Dordain conceded that he himself had difficulty getting access to images of Comet 67P taken by Europe’s Philae lander in November — a consequence of the fact that images from Philae and its mothership, the Rosetta comet-chaser satellite, are embargoed for six months before being released publicly.
Dordain said the principal investigators for the Rosetta and Philae instruments have spent years waiting for their data and should be given the first look at the results. But he said the public has rights as well — especially for a mission such as Philae/Rosetta, which has received global attention. How to square these two valid interests, he said, is worth reviewing.

http://spacenews.com/esa-hikes-budget-takes-steps-to-send-astronaut-to-chinese-space-station/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 01/19/2015 01:51 pm
(One of the few released) OSIRIS wide-angle picture showing details on the jets that are getting more and more developed.

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/01/16/fine-structure-in-the-comets-jets/

Also, this image appears to show two well-defined jets erupting almost towards the camera (their sources are in darkness nevertheless) http://www.esa.int/var/esa/storage/images/esa_multimedia/images/2015/01/comet_on_10_january_2015_navcam/15196158-1-eng-GB/Comet_on_10_January_2015_NavCam.jpg

Meanwhile, Philae has apparently not yet been found in the OSIRIS low (20 km) orbit images :/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 01/22/2015 08:21 pm
Comet vital statistics

Summary of properties of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, as determined by Rosetta’s instruments during the first few months of its comet encounter. The full range of values are presented and discussed in a series of papers published in the 23 January 2015 issue of the journal Science.

http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2015/01/Comet_vital_statistics

Related article: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Getting_to_know_Rosetta_s_comet

Credits: Shape model, rotation properties, volume and porosity: OSIRIS, Mass: RSI, Density: RSI/OSIRIS, Dust/Gas ratio: GIADA, MIRO and ROSINA, D/H ratio: ROSINA, Surface temperature: VIRTIS, Subsurface temperature and water vapour production rate: MIRO, Albedo: OSIRIS and VIRTIS, Comet images: NavCam
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 01/22/2015 08:38 pm
Papers and OSIRIS narrow cam hires images are out!  :)
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/347/6220.toc
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 01/26/2015 10:19 am
Papers and OSIRIS narrow cam hires images are out!  :)
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/347/6220.toc

While I haven't had time to go through all the papers, here's an attempt at summarizing the highlighted results from the special Science issue, taken from the Rosetta blog website:

- Variability in the comet's coma (http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/01/22/comets-coma-composition-varies-significantly-over-time/): it was found the coma is already showing diurnal variations (possibly due to 67P's shape) and in composition, in conjunction with the next result. This has wide implications for comet formation theories and the "dirty snowball" model, now being challenged by the "snowy dustball" model :) PAPER (http://www.sciencemag.org/content/347/6220/aaa0276.full.pdf)

- Dust-to-gas measurements (http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/01/22/giadas-dust-measurements-3-7-3-4-au/): discovery of a high dust-to-gas ratio in line with the previously mentioned "snowy dustball" model, as well as a very interesting discussion of the distribution of (orbitally) bound "grains" (up to 2m in size according to their models!!) vs escaping grains. PAPER (http://www.sciencemag.org/content/347/6220/aaa3905.full.pdf)

- Birth of a magnetosphere (http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/01/22/watching-the-birth-of-a-comet-magnetosphere/): although not yet fully developed (the plasma has to become thick enough to become electrically conductive as a whole), the ionization of molecules in the comet's coma has already been measured, and for now the solar wind still permeates it. Huge implications for early planetary atmosphere theories and solar wind atmospheric stripping (lower than expected at this stage, big implications for MAVEN and other Mars atmospheric missions) PAPER (http://www.sciencemag.org/content/347/6220/aaa0571.full.pdf)

- Temperature and water outflow (http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/01/23/comet-pouring-more-water-into-space/): update from the surface and near-subsurface temperature profile and water outflow up to September 2014. PAPER (http://www.sciencemag.org/content/347/6220/aaa0709.full.pdf)

- Organics, reflectivity and water content (http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/01/23/extremely-dark-dry-and-rich-in-organics-virtis-view-of-67pc-g/): 67P is about half as bright as the Moon (only 6% albedo), and it is also observed there is much less water ice than expected, almost none at the surface. Macromolecules (similar to carboxylic acids, building blocks of aminoacids and, therefore, proteins), were for the first time found in the surface of such a body, with great implications for Solar System formation. PAPER (http://www.sciencemag.org/content/347/6220/aaa0628.full.pdf)

- And FINALLY topographic studies from OSIRIS (http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/01/22/getting-to-know-rosettas-comet-science-special-edition/)! Highlights are the "goosebumps (http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/files/2015/01/ESA_Rosetta_OSIRIS_Goosebumpsa-350x264.jpg)" features seen in many places, especially the imposing neck cliffs, the low density / high porosity (70-80%!!) result, the south pole being in permanent darkness for now, the active pits (gorgeous images! (http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2015/01/Active_pit)), the spectacular (stress?) cracks, the windless sand-dunes (http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2015/01/Ripples_and_wind-tails) and the possible patches of ice (http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2015/01/Icy_alcoves) found in high-resolution imaging. PAPER (http://www.sciencemag.org/content/347/6220/aaa1044.full.pdf) and another PAPER (http://www.sciencemag.org/content/347/6220/aaa0440.full.pdf)

Finally, a nice map with all the regions the comet has been subdivided in.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 01/26/2015 01:57 pm
The 350 orbiting microsatellites are amazing. Will rosetta be ever able to take a 3d snapshot showing them?
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: NovaSilisko on 01/26/2015 03:19 pm
Fascinating re: the multitudes of moonlets. I wonder if we'll ever get access to the full library of raw OSIRIS images, someday... the processing on some of the ones on the ESA site is weird (is that... .gif style dithering...?)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: hop on 01/26/2015 08:33 pm
I wonder if we'll ever get access to the full library of raw OSIRIS images, someday...
Yes, it will all go into PDS eventually: http://www.sciops.esa.int/index.php?project=PSA&page=rosetta
Quote
the processing on some of the ones on the ESA site is weird (is that... .gif style dithering...?)
It is.  I get the feeling they just uploaded the "print ready" files for the Science papers.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: NovaSilisko on 01/26/2015 08:49 pm
And now I'm wondering... is it within the capabilities of the mission to track and rendezvous with one of the larger moonlets around 67P? Would the instruments it has be useful for studying something small at such close range?
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 01/27/2015 05:13 pm
New update on the COSIMA dust analizer results, showing mostly fluffy grains impacting the imaging plate, rich on sodium but low on ices, which is interpreted as evidence these grains are part of the dispersed material that didn't get ejected during the last perihelion. This paper was published in Nature (http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature14159.html) (paywall for full article).

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/01/26/cosima-watches-comet-shed-its-dusty-coat/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 01/30/2015 09:04 pm
The search for Philae is narrowing down, and coming to a defining moment on the close-proximity orbit to be flown (for science reasons, but has been slightly modified to get the best images yet of the "landing strip" where the lander is expected to lie) on Valentine's Day February 14th.

The latest expectation for earliest awakening is late March, although first communications won't be acquired probably until May-June, and science operations will have to wait even a bit more, assuming Philae can still operate after the prolongued hibernation. The upside, as was mentioned back in the day, is that the expected high temperatures in the original site that would have prevented it from operating in perihelion are now not a problem, so we could be looking at a first-row seat of a cometary nucleus' surface at perihelion!

Awesome image of what is believed to be the lander after the first bounce and shortly after the surface-grazing event before the second landing, as well as an OSIRIS image with the expected area where Philae lies now.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 01/31/2015 06:19 pm
Where is Philae? When will it wake up?

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/01/30/where-is-philae-when-will-it-wake-up/

Controllers now banking on Philae wake-up call

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-30931443
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 02/04/2015 02:27 pm
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_swoops_in_for_a_close_encounter

Rosetta swoops in for a close encounter

Quote
ESA’s Rosetta probe is preparing to make a close encounter with its comet on 14 February, passing just 6 km from the surface.

Yesterday was Rosetta’s last day at 26 km from Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, marking the end of the current orbiting period and the start of a new phase for the rest of this year.

Today, Rosetta is moving into a new path ahead of a very close encounter next week. First, it will move out to a distance of roughly 140 km from the comet by 7 February, before swooping in for the close encounter at 12:41 GMT (13:41 CET) on 14 February. The closest pass occurs over the comet’s larger lobe, above the Imhotep region.

Quote
The flyby will take Rosetta over the most active regions of the comet, helping scientists to understand the connection between the source of the observed activity and the atmosphere, or coma.

In particular, they will be looking for zones where the outflowing gas and dust accelerates from the surface and how these constituents evolve at larger distances from the comet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxF2wE24hCI
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 02/09/2015 08:33 pm
http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/02/09/seasonal-forecasts-for-67pc-g/

Seasonal forecast for 67P/C-G

Quote
According to recent model calculations, the southern half of Comet 67P/C-G (right image) could lose a dust layer of up to 20 metres during one orbit. Due to the seasonal cycle of the comet, the northern half (left and centre images) is much less subject to erosion.

Credits: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: catdlr on 02/17/2015 06:15 pm
Rosetta's closest encounter

Published on Feb 17, 2015
On 14 February 2015, Rosetta made its closest encounter with Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasemenko at just 6 km from the surface. The spacecraft is no longer orbiting the comet, it is now performing a series of flybys to continue its science.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBpGUPCXQhk
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 03/06/2015 10:01 am
A few nice updates from the close fly-by and some cool big-picture photos from the far unbound trajectories.

First off, a few images in support of UV observations that show very well the comet in different orientations, highlighting its coma jets and streaking particles in the foreground.

Rosetta also managed to capture its own shadow (enlarged to about a factor of 6) on the comet's surface during its closest approach. Some further details about the "challenges of a fly-by" are presented here: http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/02/27/cometwatch-the-challenges-of-a-close-flyby/ , including the fact that the spacecraft was very close to commanding a safe-mode during the closest approach, due to the fact that half of its star trackers' FOV was blocked by the comet's nucleus and the other half was "polluted" with ejected dust, which triggered "false stars" signals in the trackers.

Interesting fact: the teams are planning a flyby through the jets during the summer.

Some other cool "CometWatch" NAVCAM images are also available in the blog: http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 03/06/2015 05:49 pm
Official sites collecting all past and future images are now online:
http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/03/06/introducing-the-navcam-image-browser/ (http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/03/06/introducing-the-navcam-image-browser/)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/europeanspaceagency/sets/72157638315605535/ (https://www.flickr.com/photos/europeanspaceagency/sets/72157638315605535/)
http://sci.esa.int/multimedia-gallery/30913-multimedia-archive/?t=1012&cl=2 (http://sci.esa.int/multimedia-gallery/30913-multimedia-archive/?t=1012&cl=2)


Papers incoming!  :)
http://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU2015/session/17358 (http://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU2015/session/17358)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 03/08/2015 07:39 pm
Interesting fact: the teams are planning a flyby through the jets during the summer.

Yesterday, I attended a presentation given at the NRM/Aviodrome (in the Netherlands) by Fred Jansen, the ESA senior mission manager for Rosetta.
Some interesting tidbits he reported are below:

- Mr. Jansen confirmed that the team is planning on flying thru the jets during the summer. This way they will try to force more dust particles into the receiving cones of the GIADA and MIDAS instruments.

- Nominal end of mission is end of this year. However, a nine month extension of the mission has been requested and is all-but-certain of being approved, thanks to the mission being hugely successfull so far.

- Currently, Rosetta has roughly 200 kg of fuel left. Current fuel-consumption rate is 100 kg per year. This will allow for full fuel support of the nine month mission extension.

- Mr. Jansen confirmed that there are two main scenarios for EOM (End Of Mission) in september 2016:

1. Fly Rosetta away from the comet to such a distance that it's trajectory is no longer affected by gas- and dust emissions from the comet. Rosetta will then be put in extended hibernation and essentially trail 67P in it's orbit towards aphelion. Under this scenario, a small amount of fuel will be preserved to possibly to support a wake-up of Rosetta four years from now, when the comet is at aphelion. Assuming Rosetta survives the four year hibernation, a short science stint would be performed at aphelion. Currently this scenario is under financial evaluation as it would require upkeeping (a bare bones) mission control and (bare bones) science teams for an additional four years

2. Not crash (as reported by some news media), but softly land Rosetta on the comets surface at EOM. It would be a fitting end with both elements of the mission ending up resting on the comet.

- Rosetta carries 65 square meters of solar arrays. Gas and dust emissions of the comet impacting on the solar arrays easily overcome (by orders of magnitude) the weak gravitational pull of the comet.

- Orbiting the comet is not really orbiting. Rosetta is basically flying a triangular path around the comets nucleus, making sharp propulsive turns at each corner of the triangle. The gravitational pull of the nucleus is utterly insufficient to prevent Rosetta from drifting away from the comet.

- In the 24 hours before the release of Philae the battery of Philea was supposed to be fully charged from the lander. This failed when a recent software update prevented the battery charging routine from being executed. The reason was simple: the software update had been partially loaded in the same physical part of the memory that also held the battery charge routine. This was only fully understood after the update mishap had been reproduced on Rosetta's twin brother on earth. By that time there was no more time left to upload a software patch to Rosetta. Fortunately, Philea's battery had been fully charged just weeks before the landing attempt and charge-levels were still well above acceptable for landing. Nevertheless, the update mishap was quite embarrassing.

- Just a year before the rendez-vous with the comet the ground segment was in a rather poor way. Preparations for comet operations had been repeatedly delayed due to the long travel time (ten years) to the comet. By the time operations were to move into full swing, the ground segment was ill-prepared. Fred Jansen was put on the job of leading a rather costly crash effort to get things in shape for both spacecraft operations and science operations.

- Part five of the highly succesfull Rosetta cartoon series (Once upon a time...) has been finished. Fred has seen it, and it will released to YouTube shortly.

- The recent OSIRIS image of Rosetta's shadow on the comet (from the recent close fly-by) was just one image of a whole series of images showing the shadow shifting over the surface. Unfortunately, the IP for the OSIRIS instrument is not as forthcoming with images as ESA's PR department had hoped for. As a result, only one image of the series was released.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Sesquipedalian on 03/09/2015 02:50 am
1. Fly Rosetta away from the comet to such a distance that it's trajectory is no longer affected by gas- and dust emissions from the comet. Rosetta will then be put in extended hibernation and essentially trail 67P in it's orbit towards aphelion. Under this scenario, a small amount of fuel will be preserved to possibly to support a wake-up of Rosetta four years from now, when the comet is at aphelion. Assuming Rosetta survives the four year hibernation, a short science stint would be performed at aphelion.

This sounds very cool, but how will Rosetta have enough power to do anything at aphelion?  During the approach phase, Rosetta barely had enough power to run heaters and a timer.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Ben the Space Brit on 03/09/2015 10:30 am
The last I heard, there was some hope that they might be able to power up Philae again due to the comet's changing position relative to the Sun. Any follow-up on that?
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 03/09/2015 11:15 am
The last I heard, there was some hope that they might be able to power up Philae again due to the comet's changing position relative to the Sun. Any follow-up on that?

Yes. Still good hope to pull this of. MCC will start listening for Philae from March 12th forward.
Initial wake-ups will almost immediately result in shut-down again, due to insufficient power for transmitter activation. But later on the power coming from the solar arrays on Philae will be sufficient to overcome the transmitter transient and keep on functioning.

There was also a note on Philae's battery, but I would have to look that up when I get back home. Am at work right now.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: guckyfan on 03/09/2015 12:45 pm
The last I heard, there was some hope that they might be able to power up Philae again due to the comet's changing position relative to the Sun. Any follow-up on that?

Yes. Still good hope to pull this of. MCC will start listening for Philae from March 12th forward.
Initial wake-ups will almost immediately result in shut-down again, due to insufficient power for transmitter activation. But later on the power coming from the solar arrays on Philae will be sufficient to overcome the transmitter transient and keep on functioning.

There was also a note on Philae's battery, but I would have to look that up when I get back home. Am at work right now.

If that works it may actually turn out as a lucky stroke. In its present position Philae will be able to survive much longer through perihelion yielding very valuable data. In the planned position it would have died from heat long before that.

Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 03/09/2015 02:14 pm
The last I heard, there was some hope that they might be able to power up Philae again due to the comet's changing position relative to the Sun. Any follow-up on that?

Yes. Still good hope to pull this of. MCC will start listening for Philae from March 12th forward.
Initial wake-ups will almost immediately result in shut-down again, due to insufficient power for transmitter activation. But later on the power coming from the solar arrays on Philae will be sufficient to overcome the transmitter transient and keep on functioning.

There was also a note on Philae's battery, but I would have to look that up when I get back home. Am at work right now.

If that works it may actually turn out as a lucky stroke. In its present position Philae will be able to survive much longer through perihelion yielding very valuable data. In the planned position it would have died from heat long before that.

Accessed my notes:
- The current location of Philae sees the lander being much colder than anticipated. This is actually not such a bad thing, because it will likely prevent Philae from overheating.

- Particularly the battery of Philae is sensitive to prolonged cold periodes. The much colder conditions at the present landing location may already have resulted in battery failure. If not, it may eventually lead to battery failure.

- Philae's solar arrays were not damaged during the initial landing and final two hops. This was determined from charge-currents at Philae's final landing location.

- Even with a failed battery, Philae will probably be able to fully power-up and initiate normal operations from late april/early may forward due to increased solar energy input.

- However, under the failed-battery scenario those power-up periods will be only a few hours in length. This is due to the fact that Philae's location receives direct sunlight for only a few hours each day.

- Under a fully-functioning battery scenario the power-up periods will be slightly longer but still limited to only a few hours each day. The input of solar energy during is not sufficient to fully charge the battery.

- The landing leg screws were activated upon landing but never managed to dig into the comet surface. This was attributed to the surface being much (as in MUCH) harder than anticipated.

- Fred Jansen confirmed that the landing harpoons never fired. The cable-reeling mechanism was activated but stopped immediately because there was no physical cable length to be reeled back in, courtesy of the harpoons never having been fired.

- The current theory about the incredible hardness of the comet surface goes like this:
Although 67P is a relatively 'fresh' comet with regards to passages into the inner solar system, it's surface has suffered much more from those close passages to the sun than previously anticipated. The surface ice has been warmed to the melting point and subsequently was frozen again at least six times. Anyone having experience with water ice knows that this creates a rock-hard layer of ice.

- Given the nature of the comet surface, neither the landing leg screws, nor the harpoons, would have stood a chance of getting a grip on the surface.

- As a result, multiple bounces off the surface were an inevitable outcome, even if the push-down cold-gas thruster had been fully functional.

- Philae's landing ordeal provides invaluable input for any future comet-landing-mission.

- Landing accuracy for the initial landing zone was better than 100 meters. Philae's initial touch-down was within 100 meters of the exact center of a 500 meter landing elipse.

- Very first indications of the fact that Philae had bounced off the surface upon initial contact came from the CONSERT instrument. While everybody was celebrating the so-called succesfull landing it was the CONSERT engineers and scientists that realized that Philae was on the move again.

- Finally: when the initial plans for the Rosetta/Philae missions were drafted, there was a proposal to have Philae being capable of making a number of hops around the comet's surface. This capability was later deleted, but by accident Philae still ended up making several hops around the comet's surface.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: aga on 03/09/2015 04:45 pm
- Part five of the highly succesfull Rosetta cartoon series (Once upon a time...) has been finished. Fred has seen it, and it will released to YouTube shortly.

here it is:
http://youtu.be/33zw4yYNGAs
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 03/10/2015 08:03 am
- Part five of the highly succesfull Rosetta cartoon series (Once upon a time...) has been finished. Fred has seen it, and it will released to YouTube shortly.

here it is:
[youtube]33zw4yYNGAs[/youtube]

Heh, that was actually a bit sooner than even Fred had expected, but who cares. Another great episode.

There is something in that cartoon that is based upon actual fact: Philae striking a rock during it's first bounce and going into a spin.
According to Fred Jansen that is exactly what happened during one of the bounces. Again, this first became clear from the CONSERT data.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 03/10/2015 01:29 pm

Accessed my notes:
- The current location of Philae sees the lander being much colder than anticipated. This is actually not such a bad thing, because it will likely prevent Philae from overheating.

- Particularly the battery of Philae is sensitive to prolonged cold periodes. The much colder conditions at the present landing location may already have resulted in battery failure. If not, it may eventually lead to battery failure.
[...]


Official blog write-up about this topic: http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/03/10/waiting-for-a-signal-from-philae/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 03/17/2015 10:46 am
Some new views of the comet, including a wonderful color-stretched image highlighting the different tonalities in the neck region by OSIRIS, which is hinting at increased water levels in the area, in confirmation of the greater activity seen there - to be confirmed by VIRTIS soon.

More info here http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/03/13/osiris-detects-hints-of-ice-in-comets-neck/ and here for the images http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/03/16/cometwatch-focus-on-hapis-boulders/ http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/03/13/out-of-the-shadow-cometwatch-9-march/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 03/20/2015 03:00 pm
Waiting for a signal from Philae

http://www.dlr.de/dlr/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-10081/151_read-12972/#/gallery/311

Waiting patiently for Philae

http://www.dlr.de/dlr/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-10081/151_read-13123/#/gallery/2564
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 03/21/2015 02:01 pm
Rosetta makes first detection of molecular nitrogen at a comet

19 March 2015

ESA's Rosetta spacecraft has made the first measurement of molecular nitrogen at a comet, providing clues about the temperature environment in which Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko formed.

http://sci.esa.int/rosetta/55620-rosetta-makes-first-detection-of-molecular-nitrogen-at-a-comet/

Credits: Spacecraft: ESA/ATG medialab; comet: ESA/Rosetta/NavCam - CC BY-SA IGO 3.0; Data: Rubin et al. (2015)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 04/01/2015 05:32 pm
Navigation anomaly on the latest (March 28th) close fly-by due to "false stars" caused by comet dust being registered by the star trackers, resulting in a safe mode -since then recovered successfully- and a halt in science activities, expected to take a few days (or weeks, depending on the instrument) more. Future plans will also be revised to prevent a reoccurrence:

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/04/01/rosetta-status-report-close-flyby-navigation-issues/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Oli on 04/12/2015 09:00 am

I think this picture deserves to be posted.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 04/13/2015 06:28 pm
Waiting for a signal from Philae

http://www.dlr.de/dlr/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-10081/151_read-12972/#/gallery/311

Waiting patiently for Philae

http://www.dlr.de/dlr/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-10081/151_read-13123/#/gallery/2564

Listening for Philae once again

http://www.dlr.de/dlr/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-10081/151_read-13315/#/gallery/17198
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 04/14/2015 08:40 pm
Rosetta and Philae find comet not magnetised

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_and_Philae_find_comet_not_magnetised (http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_and_Philae_find_comet_not_magnetised)

Rosetta comet lander tells magnetic story

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-32298516
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Star One on 04/14/2015 08:43 pm
Here's the relevant paper.

http://m.sciencemag.org/content/early/2015/04/13/science.aaa5102
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 04/14/2015 09:01 pm
Reconstructing Philae’s trajectory

Magnetic field data from ROMAP on Philae, combined with information from the CONSERT experiment that provided an estimate of the final landing region, timing information, images from Rosetta’s OSIRIS camera, assumptions about the gravity of the comet, and measurements of its shape, have been used to reconstruct the trajectory of the lander during its descent and subsequent landings on and bounces over the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on 12 November 2014. The times are as recorded by the spacecraft; the confirmation signals arrived on Earth 28 minutes later.

Initially, Philae was seen to rotate slowly during the descent to Agilkia. It landed and then bounced, rotating significantly faster as the momentum of the internal flywheel was transferred to the lander. It collided with a cliff 45 minutes later, then tumbled, flying above the surface for more than an hour longer, before bouncing once again and coming to a stop a few metres away, a few minutes later.

The position of the first touchdown point at Agilkia is very well determined from direct images, but the locations of the possible cliff collision depends on the ballistic model used, while the general location marked for the subsequent second and third touchdowns at Abydos come from the CONSERT measurements. Thus, these latter positions represent preliminary and approximate locations only.

The heights above the surface assume a reference sphere centred on the centre of mass of the comet and with a radius of 2393 m reaching first touchdown point.

http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2015/04/Reconstructing_Philae_s_trajectory

Related articles:

- Rosetta and Philae find comet not magnetised

http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_and_Philae_find_comet_not_magnetised

- Philae graze a crater rim during its first bounce?

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/11/28/did-philae-graze-a-crater-rim-during-its-first-bounce/

Credit: ESA/Data: Auster et al. (2015)/Comet image: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 04/20/2015 10:28 am
Couple of recent images from ~150 km away showing ever more developing jets, and an update about the status of the dust collector.

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/04/16/cosima-meet-the-family/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 04/20/2015 02:05 pm
Cool animation showing a 67P/C-G "outgassing event" :)

https://twitter.com/ESA_Rosetta/status/590138417922646016/photo/1
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: catdlr on 04/23/2015 12:17 am
The Rosetta Mission Asks: What Has Comet C-G Revealed About Our Beginnings?

Published on Apr 22, 2015
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Rosetta mission scientists answer the question, “Did comet Churyumov Gerasimenko (aka comet C-G) bring water to Earth?

https://youtu.be/uY-WHf1UChY
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 05/07/2015 10:35 am


Quote
At the end of May even more detailed images will be released in the NAVCAM image browser and in the Planetary Science Archive. This release will again cover two months – this time October and November – and therefore cover the transition from the 30 km mapping phase down to just 10 km from the comet’s surface. In addition, the image release will cover the exciting period leading up to and during the landing, including the days in which Philae was operating on the surface of Comet 67P/C-G.
http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/04/29/ma...s-800-to-30-km/ (http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/04/29/major-release-of-navcam-images-800-to-30-km/)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 05/11/2015 08:50 am
Quote
Europe will launch a new bid Friday to communicate with its comet lander Philae, hurtling towards the Sun some 360 million kilometres (224 million miles) from Earth, ground operators said[/size]Philae's orbiting mothership Rosetta will reopen communications lines for 10 days to listen for any call from the slumbering robot, Paris-based Rosetta project manager Francis Rocard of France's CNES space agency told AFP on Thursday.


Quote
It's location on the surface of the dusty iceball has been narrowed down to an area of about 30 by 50 metres (98 by 164 feet). But Rosetta's cameras have not yet spotted the probe, and scientists don't know if it is upright.
"meters"???  ???
I lost an update?!?
Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2015-05-contact-europe-comet-probe.html#jCp (http://phys.org/news/2015-05-contact-europe-comet-probe.html#jCp)[/size]
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Sam Ho on 05/11/2015 12:24 pm


Quote
It's location on the surface of the dusty iceball has been narrowed down to an area of about 30 by 50 metres (98 by 164 feet). But Rosetta's cameras have not yet spotted the probe, and scientists don't know if it is upright.
"meters"???  ???
I lost an update?!?
Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2015-05-contact-europe-comet-probe.html#jCp (http://phys.org/news/2015-05-contact-europe-comet-probe.html#jCp)[/size]

The 30x50m quote is from Stephan Ulamec's comments at the EGU15 press conference last month (about 18:20 in).

Recording of the entire press conference is here.  Lots of additional information, but I haven't located a transcript of it yet.
http://client.cntv.at/egu2015/PC1
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: catdlr on 05/26/2015 06:02 pm
Rosetta update

Published on May 26, 2015
The Rosetta spacecraft is still orbiting comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko while it now approaches the Sun. Six months ago Rosetta made history by delivering its Philae lander onto a comet’s surface - something no other space mission has done before.

This video covers the mission’s highlights so far: from its launch in 2004; its journey across the solar system and waking up after deep space hibernation ten years later, its arrival at the selection of a landing site and Philae’s unexpected multiple landings on the comet. It also reviews what we have learnt about the comet to this point.

https://youtu.be/nQ9ivd7wv30
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 06/02/2015 02:17 pm
Rosetta uncovers processes at work in comet’s coma

Rosetta’s continued close study of Comet 67P/Churyumov­–Gerasimenko has revealed an unexpected process at work close to the comet nucleus that causes the rapid breakup of water and carbon dioxide molecules.

First, an ultraviolet photon from the Sun hits a water molecule in the comet’s coma and ionises it, knocking out an energetic electron. This electron then hits another water molecule in the coma, breaking it apart into two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen, and energising them in the process. These atoms then emit ultraviolet light that is detected at characteristic wavelengths by Rosetta’s Alice instrument.

Similarly, it is the impact of an electron with a carbon dioxide molecule that results in its break-up into atoms and the observed carbon emissions.

http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2015/06/Rosetta_uncovers_processes_at_work_in_comet_s_coma

Related article:

- Ultraviolet study reveals surprises in comet coma

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Ultraviolet_study_reveals_surprises_in_comet_coma

Image credit: Spacecraft: ESA/ATG medialab; comet, left: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA; comet, top right: ESA/Rosetta/NavCam – CC BY-SA IGO 3.0; data: Feldman et al (2015).
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: NovaSilisko on 06/11/2015 06:18 pm
Looks like there's a strong candidate for Philae that's been spotted, now.

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/06/11/the-quest-to-find-philae-2/

Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 06/11/2015 07:08 pm
Press release, 11 June 2015

The search for Philae – like a needle in a haystack

Full article with images:
http://www.dlr.de/dlr/presse/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-10172/213_read-13872/year-all/#/gallery/19665

On 15 November 2014 at 01:15 CET, Philae's battery was exhausted and, after nearly 60 hours of operation on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the lander went into hibernation – in an unexpected place. Philae 'bounced' several times before landing in
its current location, and its exact position has still not been determined. "We have been able to narrow down Philae's location to an area of approximately 16 by 160 metres," explains Project Leader Stephan Ulamec from the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches
Zentrum fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR). The search for the three-legged lander is complex because even when fully illuminated by the Sun, Philae will be just a few pixels across in images acquired by the Rosetta orbiter's Optical, Spectroscopic, and
Infrared Remote Imaging System (OSIRIS). It is possible that Philae is visible in several images, but this is not certain. Since 30 May 2015, the engineers and scientists at the DLR Lander Control Center (LCC) have been listening for signs of life
from the lander. The possibility of contact is improving as the comet moves closer to the Sun, and the chances of Philae receiving sufficient heat and energy are increasing.

Landing site with shadow and cold

On 12 November 2014, Philae 'hopped' roughly one kilometre away from its planned landing site, Agilkia, to its current position, Abydos, over the course of two hours. The harpoons designed to anchor Philae to the comet failed to fire and the ice screws
in its feet were unable to secure the lander to the surface. After the final landing, the work for the team in the DLR control centre began in earnest. The lander operated for almost 60 hours, commanded the 10 instruments on board and finally turned
itself to optimise its orientation with respect to the Sun. It was realised then that the lander is in a position where it is both shaded and cold. Sunlight reaches the lander for only 1.5 hours of the comet's 12.4-hour rotation period. The thermal
component of the Multi Purpose Sensors for Surface and Subsurface Science (MUPUS) attempted to hammer a probe into the comet; it discovered a hard layer of ice and was able to measure temperatures as low as minus 180 degrees Celsius. "The images acquired
by the Rosetta Lander Imaging System (ROLIS) and the Comet Infrared and Visible Analyser (CIVA) also reveal a more rugged, shadowed environment; it is likely that the lander also tilted, but Philae’s exact position has not been determined," explains
Ulamec.

Evaluation – pixel by pixel

After the first touchdown, the Navigation Camera and OSIRIS were able to acquire images of Philae on the comet's surface. Shortly before the final landing, OSIRIS imaged the Hatmehit region on the 'head' of the comet and discovered a slightly less
dark region in the dark shadows. This shows the lander above a crater rim on the head of the comet. But Philae is only one metre across; in the images, it is only a few bright pixels. "It is extremely difficult to locate the lander in the uneven terrain
and to know for sure if 'that is Philae'," said Ekkehard Kuehrt, a planetary scientist at DLR and a member of the OSIRIS team. "In addition, the Rosetta orbiter has had to increase its distance from the comet for safety reasons, due to the rising activity
of the comet." Only by meticulous comparison of images acquired before and after landing might Philae be discovered in the images. Ideally, this would take place using time-separated images acquired under identical conditions of solar illumination.
It is also possible that a bright spot discovered in the images is a reflection from a boulder on the comet’s surface, for example, which depended on the angle of the Sun when the image was acquired.

Many failures and a few promising candidates

In addition, the site must also meet other conditions; it must match the reconstructed trajectories of the lander and be close to the landing ellipse of 16 by 160 metres defined by the COmet Nucleus Sounding Experiment by Radio wave Transmission (CONSERT)
instrument. For some possible Philae discoveries on OSIRIS images, these restrictions have negated them – a more detailed analysis showed that the bright pixels could not be Philae at its final landing site.

A promising candidate among the OSIRIS images, for example, showed Philae just outside the calculated landing ellipse. Here, scientists from the OSIRIS team compared images from 22 October 2014 – that is, before the landing – with images acquired on
12 and 13 December – acquired exactly one month after the landing. On 22 October 2014, the distance was about 10 kilometres from the comet nucleus; in December it was about 20 kilometres. The result of comparing the two images reveals a bright spot
– possibly Philae. However, simulations conducted by DLR show that Philae was only very slightly illuminated by the Sun at the time of image acquisition on 13 December 2014: "The Sun was not illuminating the lower portions of the lander at this time,"
said Valentina Lommatsch from the Lander Control team at DLR. Thus, its reflection would only be seen on a few pixels in the image acquired from a distance of 20 kilometres.

Listening for Philae's signal

Philae's exact location could be determined when the lander wakes up from hibernation and provides further scientific data. For this, it needs to be able to generate at least five watts of power and have an operating temperature above minus 45 degrees
Celsius. Then, the lander will switch itself into operating mode. Slightly more energy – a total of 19 watts – is needed to communicate with the DLR team on the ground. For the communications unit on board the Rosetta orbiter to be able to transmit
the status of Philae, the orbiter's flight path must allow it to 'see' the lander. Currently, the Rosetta orbiter is flying about 200 kilometres above the comet. Since 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is now always active and is ejecting gas and dust into
space, the flight plan for Rosetta has become even more challenging. "In recent weeks, the team at the DLR Lander Control Center has been preparing for the operation of Philae and its instruments – now we hope that it will get in touch with us," says
Ulamec.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 06/12/2015 12:28 pm
Press release, 11 June 2015

The search for Philae – like a needle in a haystack
ESA view on the topic: https://rosetta.cnes.fr/fr/retrouve-philae (https://rosetta.cnes.fr/fr/retrouve-philae) ("maybe we found it!")
CNES view on the topic: http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/06/11/the-quest-to-find-philae-2/ (http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/06/11/the-quest-to-find-philae-2/) ("YES! We found it!")
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Star One on 06/14/2015 11:56 am
Official update from Philae itself on its status.

https://mobile.twitter.com/Philae2014/status/610047412036595712
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Chris Bergin on 06/14/2015 12:38 pm
Wow! This is great news. Will write something up....will be what you now know, but this is big news.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 06/14/2015 12:41 pm
Press Release 
N°20-2015

Paris, 14 June 2015


Rosetta's lander Philae wakes up from hibernation

Rosetta's lander Philae has woken up after seven months in hibernation on the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

The signals were received at ESA's European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt at 22:28 CEST on 13 June. More than 300 data packets have been analysed by the teams at the Lander Control Center at the German Aerospace Center (DLR). 

"Philae is doing very well: It has an operating temperature of -35ºC and has 24 Watts available," explains DLR Philae Project Manager Dr. Stephan Ulamec. "The lander is ready for operations." 

For 85 seconds Philae "spoke" with its team on ground, via Rosetta, in the first contact since going into hibernation in November.
 
When analysing the status data it became clear that Philae also must have been awake earlier: "We have also received historical data - so far, however, the lander had not been able to contact us earlier." 

Now the scientists are waiting for the next contact. There are still more than 8000 data packets in Philae's mass memory which will give the DLR team information on what happened to the lander in the past few days on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.


Philae shut down on 15 November 2015 at 1:15 CET after being in operation on the comet for about 60 hours. Since 12 March 2015 the communication unit on orbiter Rosetta was turned on to listen out for the lander. 

Rosetta is an ESA mission with contributions from its Member States and NASA. Rosetta's Philae lander is contributed by a consortium led by DLR, MPS, CNES and ASI.

More information at: http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/06/14/rosettas-lander-philae-wakes-up-from-hibernation/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 06/14/2015 12:42 pm
DLR German Aerospace Center

Press release, 14 June 2015

Lander Philae is awake – 'Hello' from space

Full article:
http://www.dlr.de/dlr/presse/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-10172/213_read-13900/year-all/

The Philae lander has reported back on 13 June 2015 at 22:28 (CEST), coming out of hibernation and sending the first data to Earth. More than 300 data packets have been analysed by the team at the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft-
und Raumfahrt; DLR) Lander Control Center: "Philae is doing very well – it has an operating temperature of minus 35 degrees Celsius and has 24 watts of power available," explains DLR’s Philae Project Manager, Stephan Ulamec. "The lander is ready for
operations." Philae 'spoke' for 85 seconds with its team on ground in its first contact since it went into hibernation.

When analysing the status data, it became clear that Philae also must have been awake earlier: "We have also received historical data – until now, however, the lander had not been able to contact us. "Now, the scientists are waiting for the next contact.
In Philae's mass memory, there are still more than 8000 data packets, which will give the DLR team information on what happened to Philae in the past few days on comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

Philae shut down on 15 November 2015 at 01:15 CET, after being in operation on the comet for about 60 hours. Since 12 March 2015, the communication unit on the Rosetta orbiter has repeatedly been turned on to communicate with the lander and receive
its reply.

The Mission

Rosetta is an ESA mission with contributions from its Member States and NASA. Rosetta's Philae lander is contributed by a consortium led by DLR, MPS, CNES and ASI.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: DT1 on 06/14/2015 12:48 pm
From ESA's main page:
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Hankelow8 on 06/14/2015 01:13 pm
Absolutely fantastic news.

I wonder if landing in a ditch/gully will be a blessing in disguise. It should protect Philae from the out-gassing, which will increase dramatically as it gets ever nearer to the sun. I believe Philae is lying at an angle which will make drilling difficult. It would be the icing on the cake for the mission if they can use the legs again to jolt the lander into a more upright position for drilling into the surface of the comet.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: gwiz on 06/14/2015 01:24 pm
BBC Sky at Night at 8 this evening on BBC4 will feature Rosetta.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Star One on 06/14/2015 01:59 pm

BBC Sky at Night at 8 this evening on BBC4 will feature Rosetta.

Looks like they'll need to make a last minute update.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jcm on 06/14/2015 02:10 pm
Here's the semi official scoop from Rosetta blog -
http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/06/14/rosettas-lander-philae-wakes-up-from-hibernation/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: JazzFan on 06/14/2015 03:00 pm
Philae has woke out of hibernation!!!

"The signals were received at ESA's European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt at 22:28 CEST on 13 June. More than 300 data packets have been analysed by the teams at the Lander Control Center at the German Aerospace Center (DLR)."

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/06/14/rosettas-lander-philae-wakes-up-from-hibernation/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mheney on 06/14/2015 03:11 pm
The BBC's report on this:

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-33126885
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Chris Bergin on 06/14/2015 03:45 pm
Like I said, nothing you don't know, but how can you not mark this with an article! :)
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2015/06/philae-awakes-comet-slumber-return-work/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eric z on 06/14/2015 03:53 pm
Mind-Boggeling! 8)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jcm on 06/14/2015 04:02 pm
Dan Fischer pointed me to this article http://www.mps.mpg.de/4004909/PM_2015_06_14_Philae_sendet_Lebenszeichen
which reports that Philae is at -35C and has 24W of power, and that this amount of power may be enough to do some science. Interestingly, Philae apparently woke up before but wasn't able to contact Rosetta.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Bob Shaw on 06/14/2015 04:36 pm
'Goooooood Morning, 67P!' as Robin Williams might have put it.

Tonight's *The Sky at Night* should be very interesting!
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: TakeOff on 06/14/2015 04:59 pm
Absolutely fantastic news.

I wonder if landing in a ditch/gully will be a blessing disguise. It should protect Philae from the out-gassing, which will increase dramatically as it gets ever nearer to the sun.
Yes! I'm pretty sure it was on this radiopodcast:
http://www.abc.net.au/science/audio/2015/05/20/4238664.htm?topic=space
that I heard an interview with some ESA guy who explained that Philae's time in the shadows indeed might have extended its total lifetime after it wakes up. It wasn't designed to manage the heat at perihelium, in the open terrain as planned.

Quote
I believe Philae is lying at an angle which will make drilling difficult. It would be the icing on the cake for the mission if they can use the legs again to jolt the lander into a more upright position for drilling into the surface of the comet.
At least they know what mistake they made, and how to correct it, concerning the firing of the harpoon. Which is not only a landing help, but is also designed to give data about hardness and subsurface temperature in whatever it penetrates into once fired. Maybe it is already pointing at a vertical target? Heard about that from an ESA guy in this talk:
http://www.seti.org/weeky-lecture/rosetta-lander-philae-mission-landing-comet-67pchuryumov-gerasimenko
(He btw was very confident that Philae would come to life this summer. And also expressed the view during Q&A that the most hoped for science experiment from Philae required a sunlit extra life to be performed.)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 06/15/2015 09:13 am
Philae requirements summary:
*5.5 watt required, -45°C minimum temperature to operate, -75°C +/- 10°C without permanent damage. (http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/03/10/waiting-for-a-signal-from-philae/ (http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/03/10/waiting-for-a-signal-from-philae/))
*17 watt required to communicate with Rosetta (http://aliveuniverseimages.com/speciale-missioni/sistema-solare/rosetta/1139-dove-philae-e-quando-si-svegliera (http://aliveuniverseimages.com/speciale-missioni/sistema-solare/rosetta/1139-dove-philae-e-quando-si-svegliera))
* 0°C required to charge battery ( http://www.nature.com/news/five-factors-that-will-decide-if-philae-wakes-1.17488)
*Solar panels designed to produce 32 W at 3 AU.
*Onboard rechargeable battery: 140 Wh
*(primary battery, now depleted and not rechargeable: 1000 Wh)
*March 2015 sun availability: 1.3 hours out of 6. ( http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/03/10/waiting-for-a-signal-from-philae/ (http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/03/10/waiting-for-a-signal-from-philae/) )
*Current Philae distance from sun: 1.4 AU. ( http://www.livecometdata.com/comets/67p-churyumov-gerasimenko/ (http://www.livecometdata.com/comets/67p-churyumov-gerasimenko/) )
*Current temperature: -35°C
*Perihelion distance: 1.2458 AU
*Perihelion date: august 13th


Philae can also operate by direct power from solar panel rather than from battery, in case it's damaged:
http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/03/10/waiting-for-a-signal-from-philae/ (http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/03/10/waiting-for-a-signal-from-philae/)


Philae was expected to definitely die around march/april due to overtemperature; it was not designed to last up to perihelion. ( http://astronomynow.com/2014/12/25/scientific-riches-await-philae-comet-lander-if-it-wakes-up/ (http://astronomynow.com/2014/12/25/scientific-riches-await-philae-comet-lander-if-it-wakes-up/) )
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: OxCartMark on 06/15/2015 01:41 pm
Second contact received.  There seem to be several press reports such as the one below but I've not seen any direct source statement.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3124320/Philae-completely-awake-Lander-makes-contact-SECOND-time-coming-life-comet-67P.html
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Rocket Science on 06/15/2015 02:15 pm
I'm alive!! ;D
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 06/15/2015 03:13 pm
Also telemetries are live!  ;)  (although a bit weird)


http://isee3.p3s.nl/philae/ (http://isee3.p3s.nl/philae/)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 06/15/2015 03:25 pm
Moving slider at bottom of second chart you can highlight battery discharging current peaks corresponding to radio transmissions.   :)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: kch on 06/15/2015 08:50 pm
hey kch, here is a gif of it : http://www.tanyaharrisonofmars.com/philae.gif

Sad thing is that the text in some frames goes pretty fast for normal reading speed.

Here it is as a video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPmPAAVJA6M

Thanks to you both -- much appreciated!  :D
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 06/15/2015 10:59 pm
Updated accounts on how the re-gaining of contact went: http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/06/15/how-we-heard-from-philae/

And the latest information plus immediate plan of action, both changing Rosetta's trajectory (which should have now already happened, reducing its closest approach distance to 180 km, and nadir-pointing its communications package) and planning for Philae's extended mission: http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/06/15/philae-wake-up-triggers-intense-planning/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Nilof on 06/15/2015 11:29 pm
According to a recent set of announcements from ESA, Philae has awoken after 7 months of inactivity.

http://rosetta.esa.int/

EDIT: Just noticed that there was an NSF article about it:
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2015/06/philae-awakes-comet-slumber-return-work/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Hankelow8 on 06/16/2015 12:09 am


https://youtu.be/xos2MnVxe-c
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: JulesVerneATV on 06/16/2015 05:29 am
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMHj8DA-xc4
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 06/16/2015 07:49 am
Press release, 15 June 2015

Nocturnal contact with Philae

Full article with image:
http://www.dlr.de/dlr/presse/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-10172/213_read-13918/#/gallery/16734

The Philae lander reported back on 14 June 2015. From 23:22 to 23:26 CEST, the lander sent some data packets that are now being evaluated at the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR). "But this time, the connection
to the lander was relatively unstable," says DLR Philae Lander Project Leader Stephan Ulamec. On 13 June 2015, the lander woke up for 85 seconds for the first time after a nearly seven-month hibernation and sent the first regarding its condition. The
data acquired during the second contact confirms that Philae, which is on the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, is in good condition and ready for operations. Now, the trajectories of the Rosetta orbiter will need to be adapted to allow longer
contact times with Philae.

There is now sufficient energy and a temperature that is not so low, so Philae is currently receiving at least three hours of sunlight per comet day, which supplies it with energy. Until now, the engineers had been expecting only 1.3 hours of illumination.
Before the team at the DLR Lander Control Center can command Philae, which is about 304 million kilometres away from Earth, stable and long duration connections to the lander must be established. Only then, can the prepared procedures for the scientific
work with its 10 instruments be uploaded and the next experiments begin. 

The order in which the instruments will be activated will be determined once Philae's health has been fully analysed. "First, the non-mechanical instruments will be used – that is, instruments that do not drill or hammer," explains Ulamec. In the forefront
will be those instruments that consume little energy and also send only small amounts of data to Earth. With the awakening of Philae, it could be possible to do research on a comet on site while it becomes active on the way to the Sun for the first
time.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 06/16/2015 10:04 am
Ampere telemetries available online span from 13/giu/2015 20:28:46 to 13/giu/2015 20:29:30 at 2 seconds intervals and from  14/giu/2015 21:22:52 to  14/giu/2015 21:23:14 (only 2 samples). 

Temperature telemetries span from 09/giu/2015 04:45:39 to 16/giu/2015 07:48:03 at one minute intervals; Mechanical Systems (MSS) temperature spans from  8.75°C to 11.0°C (apart from 12.5°C peak on 10/jun), Electrical Systems (ESS) from 19.4°C to 21.4°C (apart from 22.8 peak on 9/jun).
MSS temperature peaks which I can see:
19:45 - 22:26 (11/jun)
18:47 - 00:39 (12/jun)
20:21 - 04:54 (14/jun)
04:53 - 10:37 (15/jun)


No peaks on 13/jun (?)

No peaks visible in ESS temperature.

Mimimum temperature required to charge batteries is +5°C.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 06/16/2015 10:13 am
Philae wake-up triggers intense planning

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Operations/Philae_wake-up_triggers_intense_planning
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 06/17/2015 08:24 am
ROSETTA MISSION AT THE PARIS AIR AND SPACE SHOW:
http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/06/16/rosetta-mission-at-the-paris-air-and-space-show/

Possible replay?
http://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/ESA_Web-TV
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 06/17/2015 08:39 am
Quote

What will happen now?
Philippe Gaudon: "In a first time, we have to try to extend telecommunication sessions. There are 2 possible limitations: it can be the energy available on Philae that is still a fair bit, but it can also be a question of alignment with the orbiter antenna Philae. So we'll try to find a better position compared to Rosetta and Philae it involves changes paths and closer, keeping of course a margin of safety to the growing activity of the kernel does not disrupt the orbiter . It will take several days, a week, to implement these changes and, during this period, we remain attentive to Philae, but we do not plan to send commands. For this we will need a more stable and long liaison. "


Once the connection is optimized, how will you proceed to revive the instruments?
Philippe Gaudon: "We have already established the logic of implementation of the different instruments favoring the first time in those who consume little, do not move anything on board and therefore not likely to jeopardize the lander. Then, we will use those consuming a little more and that do not require travel, such as cameras and chemical analyzers. After only in a third time, will the instruments that involve a mechanical deployment and may jeopardize the stability of Philae. "


Is the last Saturday received data contained information on the status of the battery?
Philippe Gaudon: "Yes and the good news is that the compartment is close to 0 ° C and it is reportedly charging.
https://rosetta.cnes.fr/fr/jai-eu-la-chance-de-voir-le-reveil-de-philae  (via Google Translate)



Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: kato on 06/17/2015 09:39 am
Possible replay?
http://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/ESA_Web-TV
Replay will probably be here later, they dump pretty much everything from ESA Live there:
http://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Keywords/Description/ESA_Live_Archive/%28sortBy%29/published

Edit:
Replay now online (also for download): http://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Videos/2015/06/Replay_of_Rosetta_conference
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 06/17/2015 01:47 pm

Replay now online (also for download): http://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Videos/2015/06/Replay_of_Rosetta_conference
ugly resolution.
Is the downloadable version any better? Or maybe also images/slides are downloadable?
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: kato on 06/17/2015 03:24 pm
Is the downloadable version any better?
The MP4 is 768x432 - default PAL+ 16:9 resolution, like - afaik - all ESA Live broadcasts.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 06/17/2015 05:53 pm
In light of the latest comments, I feel it's necessary to remember this image is just a jest photoshop:

http://spaceweather.com/archive.php?day=04&month=11&year=2014&view=view
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: MTom on 06/17/2015 07:28 pm
Twitter:
@ESA_Rosetta
"Adjusting my trajectory for better communications with @philae2014, thanks for new commands @esaoperations!"
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 06/18/2015 06:06 am
Quote
First of Philae’s science operations to start will be Sesame, Romap and Mupus, followed by Consert, Civa and Rolis, and then finally the more complex, risky and power-hungry ones
. http://sen.com/news/healthy-comet-lander-philae-is-ready-to-get-back-to-work (http://sen.com/news/healthy-comet-lander-philae-is-ready-to-get-back-to-work)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 06/18/2015 09:04 am
I took some slides from ESA press conference and I added some annotation from speech.
http://win98.altervista.org/press.ppt (http://win98.altervista.org/press.ppt)

Some highlights from press conference:
Althoug Philae is currently resting on just 2 out of 3 legs, and hence the third physically neessary point of rest is lander body, ESA is confident that a further body rotation should not be too risky, considering that no bad consequences came from 22° rotation in november. Anyway it will be attempted only after all others experiments will be performed.

Probably some dust from the dust cloud caused by first bounce filled one ore more of the ovens, so it can be analyzed without need for further movements of the lander instruments (SD2 did not catch any sample, APXS did not reach the ground).

Available energy increase during last month (all w.r.t initial energy):
* 22° rotation: +20%
* Equinox (mid april): +150%
* Philae wake up time (13 jun): +320%
* Perihelion (13 aug): +480%
* Solstice (mid september): +210% (not taking into account orbiut position)

Energy at december 2015 (nominal end of Rosetta mission): +60% from day duration, +110% from orbit position.

Planned daytime available in originally planned landing site  (northern emisphere): 9 hours out of 12.4
Actual final resting site: southern emisphere in winter, hence mostly in shadow until june 2015. Currently 175 minutes of daylight available.

4 solar panels out of 6 currently producing energy, mostly n.6 (roof?).
Lander inside temperature is already over -35° at sunrise, so operations can start immediately given enough power is available (from panels or batteries).
Not all activities can be performed only on direct solar power: drilling and warming up ovens requires higher energy, hence energy must come from battery, which hence must be recharged in advance, hence some "recharging slots" must be planned in available daytime.

Philae is able to determine when sunset is coming: upon this event it starts storing data in permanent memory, waiting for next available upload slot (depending on Rosetta position and available energy). Onboard EEPROM does not require energy to keep data safe.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 06/18/2015 09:05 am
http://win98.altervista.org/energy.png
(my annotations from press conference speech).

(STOP EMBEDDING MASSIVE IMAGES - Mod).
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 06/19/2015 09:34 am
Papers!
http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/06/19/rosetta-tracks-debris-around-comet/

Orbital elements of the material surrounding comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (http://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/pdf/forth/aa25841-15.pdf)
ABSTRACT (my bold)
Context. We investigate the dust coma within the Hill sphere of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
Aims. We aim to determine osculating orbital elements for individual distinguishable but unresolved slow-moving grains in the vicinity of the nucleus. In addition, we perform photometry and constrain grain sizes.
Methods. We performed astrometry and photometry using images acquired by the OSIRIS Wide Angle Camera on the European Space Agency spacecraft Rosetta. Based on these measurements, we employed standard orbit determination and orbit improvement techniques.
Results. Orbital elements and effective diameters of four grains were constrained, but we were unable to uniquely determine them. Two of the grains have light curves that indicate grain rotation.
Conclusions. The four grains have diameters nominally in the range 0.14–0.50 m. For three of the grains, we found elliptic orbits, which is consistent with a cloud of bound particles around the nucleus. However, hyperbolic escape trajectories cannot be excluded for any of the grains, and for one grain this is the only known option. One grain may have originated from the surface shortly before observation. These results have possible implications for the understanding of the dispersal of the cloud of bound debris around comet nuclei, as well as for understanding the ejection of large grains far from the Sun.


Search for satellites near comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko using Rosetta/OSIRIS images  (http://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/pdf/forth/aa25979-15.pdf)
ABSTRACT (my bold)[/size]
Context. The European Space Agency Rosetta mission reached and started escorting its main target, the Jupiter-family comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, at the beginning of August 2014. Within the context of solar system small bodies, satellite searches from approaching spacecraft were extensively used in the past to study the nature of the visited bodies and their collisional environment.
Aims. During the approaching phase to the comet in July 2014, the OSIRIS instrument onboard Rosetta performed a campaign aimed at detecting objects in the vicinity of the comet nucleus and at measuring these objects’ possible bound orbits. In addition to the scientific purpose, the search also focused on spacecraft security to avoid hazardous material in the comet’s environment.
Methods. Images in the red spectral domain were acquired with the OSIRIS Narrow Angle Camera, when the spacecraft was at a distance between 5 785 km and 5 463 km to the comet, following an observational strategy tailored to maximize the scientific outcome. From the acquired images, sources were extracted and displayed to search for plausible displacements of all sources from image to image. After stars were identified, the remaining sources were thoroughly analyzed. To place constraints on the expected displacements of a potential satellite, we performed Monte Carlo simulations on the apparent motion of potential satellites within the Hill sphere.
Results. We found no unambiguous detections of objects larger than ∼ 6 m within ∼ 20 km and larger than ∼ 1 m between ∼ 20 km and ∼ 110 km from the nucleus, using images with an exposure time of 0.14 s and 1.36 s, respectively. Our conclusions are consistent with independent works on dust grains in the comet coma and on boulders counting on the nucleus surface. Moreover, our analysis shows that the comet outburst detected at the end of April 2014 was not strong enough to eject large objects and to place them into a stable orbit around the nucleus. Our findings underline that it is highly unlikely that large objects survive for a long time around cometary nuclei.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 06/19/2015 09:42 am
2015's papers list:
http://www.aanda.org/component/toc/?task=topic&id=420
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 06/19/2015 03:51 pm
MIRO maps water in comet's coma

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/06/19/miro-maps-water-in-comets-coma/

Distribution of water around the nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko at 3.4 AU from the Sun as seen by the MIRO instrument on Rosetta

http://www.aanda.org/component/article/?access=doi&amp;doi=10.1051/0004-6361/201526094

Credit:  Spacecraft ESA/ATG Medialab; Comet shape model 5 from Jorda et al. (2015); Data from Biver et al (2015)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 06/19/2015 06:12 pm
New radio contact!
http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/06/19/rosetta-and-philae-in-contact-again/ (http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/06/19/rosetta-and-philae-in-contact-again/)

The signal was transmitted from Rosetta to ESA’s space operations centre in Darmstadt and received at 15:37 CEST on 19 June, and confirmed by the Lander Control Centre at the German Space Centre, DLR. A second signal was received at 15:54 CEST.


I can see these data in raw telemetries[/url] (milliseconds date converted by me, I hop it's right):

2015/6/19 15:20:36.425   1434720036425   0   0   0   0   3.997   2.312   26.5   0   0   187.488   0.864   1.085   0.872   0.87
2015/6/19 15:20:36.523   1434720036523   28.7793   28.9789   0   0   2.855   2.312   42.4   1.26   31.5   383.439   4.968   0.868   0.872   0.87
2015/6/19 15:20:38.670   1434720038670   28.7793   28.9789   0   0   2.284   2.312   44.52   0   32.55   374.325   5.184   0.868   0.872   0.87
2015/6/19 15:20:38.767   1434720038767   28.9247   28.9789   0   0   2.284   2.312   42.4   0   32.55   375.844   5.184   0.868   0.872   0.87
2015/6/19 15:22:46.281   1434720166281   28.7537   28.9715   0   0   3.426   4.046   48.76   1.26   35.7   388.43   11.664   0.868   0.872   1.09
2015/6/19 15:27:10.344   1434720430344   28.7793   28.9715   0   0   2.284   2.89   44.52   0   35.7   378.014   13.824   0.868   0.872   0.87
2015/6/19 15:31:34.406   1434720694406   28.7878   28.9789   0   0   2.284   3.468   39.22   1.26   32.55   375.41   19.872   0.868   0.872   0.87
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Star One on 06/19/2015 06:56 pm
More info here. Looks like Philae has been awake since May.

http://www.dlr.de/dlr/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-10081/151_read-13980/#/gallery/17198
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 06/20/2015 06:29 am
I can't find any evidence of this in public telemetries, anyway there's evidence of philae continuing logging data for around half an hour after switching off radio.
it's amazing to have such raw access to data onboard a computer 100mln miles away! :-)

2014/11/15 00:55:58.690 1416009358690 21.1698 22.3828 0 0 2.855 2.89 11.66 400.68 327.6 1.302 1.08 1.085 1.09 1.09
2014/11/15 01:00:22.565 1416009622565 20.6483 22.1702 0 0 2.855 2.89 10.6 400.68 325.5 1.085 1.08 1.519 1.09 1.09
2014/11/15 01:04:46.628 1416009886628 20.4687 21.9943 0 0 2.855 2.89 11.66 412.02 320.25 1.085 1.08 1.085 1.09 1.09
2015/6/13 22:28:46.25 1434227326025 28.805 0 0 0 2.855 2.89 33.92 1.26 31.5 344.596 59.4 1.736 1.308 1.53
2015/6/13 22:28:46.123 1434227326123 28.7622 23.6507 0 0 2.855 2.89 33.92 1.26 31.5 344.379 72.576 1.085 1.09 1.09
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 06/21/2015 07:18 am
Two hours of logging detected in telemetries, together with possible beginning of battery recharging!
I set up a quick and dirty page which turns milliseconds into readable date, but you must manually copy data from raw telemetries page:
http://win98.altervista.org/RosettaJavascriptGrabber.html
http://www.musc.dlr.de/philae/db_curent_5_landung.php?filename=pssh_v_sbat-c.json

Official charts:
http://www.musc.dlr.de/philae/telemetrie.html
http://isee3.p3s.nl/philae/  (edit the page in "inspection mode" of chrome to get rid of the annoying refresh minute by minute!)

Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: plutogno on 06/21/2015 07:49 am
I have put all my pictures of the Rosetta press conf here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/9228922@N03/sets/72157654438789969
and a few pics of le Bourget (IXV, Philae, InSight and a few planes) here https://www.flickr.com/photos/9228922@N03/sets/72157654838335682
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: stone on 06/21/2015 01:30 pm
philae/db_curent_5_landung.php?filename=pssh_v_sbat-c.json (http://db_curent_5_landung.php?filename=pssh_v_sbat-c.json)

The only thing is that the time stamp is I think it is coming from the orbiter.

The charging of the battery looks promissing. I look forward for a nice file with COSAC data with sniffing of tha active comet. 
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: cscott on 06/21/2015 01:56 pm
Is there an independently-powered real-time clock on Philae? And did it manage to hold correct time through the deep freeze?  I've been wondering how reliable the timestamps in the "historical" data are (after wake up, before recontact with Rosetta).  Did the clock reset to its epoch during the deep freeze, and the reason we know that it woke up some weeks before being able to contact Rosetta simply because the timestamps in the most recent packets are several weeks past the epoch?

From my experience, I'd expect that every time that Philae plunged into night without having charged its battery that the timestamps would reset to the epoch.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: denis on 06/21/2015 02:07 pm
Is there an independently-powered real-time clock on Philae? And did it manage to hold correct time through the deep freeze?  I've been wondering how reliable the timestamps in the "historical" data are (after wake up, before recontact with Rosetta).  Did the clock test to its epoch during the deep freeze, and the reason we know that it woke up some weeks before being able to contact Rosetta simply because the timestamps in the most recent packets are several weeks past the epoch?

From my experience, I'd expect that every time that Philae plunged into night without having charged its battery that the timestamps would reset to the epoch.

In the conference (at Paris airshow) they confirmed that the clock is not maintained during the night part.
So each time it switches ON in the day part, the clock restarts from zero (or whatever initial value but I expect it to be zero).

I think that's why they said in the previous news releases that they had historical data but needed to analyse it to know since when Philae had been out of hibernation. I guess they can start from current data and work their way backward through the TM saved in mass-memory to know when it started doing anything.

PS: They said that Philae was able to detect the day/night cycle. Possibly, it is then able to maintain a counter of how many "days" since wake-up. Not sure if this is the case, but it would make sense at least as a way to differentiate the TM in mass-memory.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Bob Shaw on 06/21/2015 03:20 pm
Papers!
http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/06/19/rosetta-tracks-debris-around-comet/

Search for satellites near comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko using Rosetta/OSIRIS images  (http://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/pdf/forth/aa25979-15.pdf)
ABSTRACT (my bold)[/size]
Context. The European Space Agency Rosetta mission reached and started escorting its main target, the Jupiter-family comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, at the beginning of August 2014. Within the context of solar system small bodies, satellite searches from approaching spacecraft were extensively used in the past to study the nature of the visited bodies and their collisional environment.
Aims. During the approaching phase to the comet in July 2014, the OSIRIS instrument onboard Rosetta performed a campaign aimed at detecting objects in the vicinity of the comet nucleus and at measuring these objects’ possible bound orbits. In addition to the scientific purpose, the search also focused on spacecraft security to avoid hazardous material in the comet’s environment.
Methods. Images in the red spectral domain were acquired with the OSIRIS Narrow Angle Camera, when the spacecraft was at a distance between 5 785 km and 5 463 km to the comet, following an observational strategy tailored to maximize the scientific outcome. From the acquired images, sources were extracted and displayed to search for plausible displacements of all sources from image to image. After stars were identified, the remaining sources were thoroughly analyzed. To place constraints on the expected displacements of a potential satellite, we performed Monte Carlo simulations on the apparent motion of potential satellites within the Hill sphere.
Results. We found no unambiguous detections of objects larger than ∼ 6 m within ∼ 20 km and larger than ∼ 1 m between ∼ 20 km and ∼ 110 km from the nucleus, using images with an exposure time of 0.14 s and 1.36 s, respectively. Our conclusions are consistent with independent works on dust grains in the comet coma and on boulders counting on the nucleus surface. Moreover, our analysis shows that the comet outburst detected at the end of April 2014 was not strong enough to eject large objects and to place them into a stable orbit around the nucleus. Our findings underline that it is highly unlikely that large objects survive for a long time around cometary nuclei.

Interesting; the flip side of 'unlikely that large objects survive for a long time around cometary nuclei' is that they may survive for a short time, then return to the surface. Are there any marks of low-speed 'bump-downs' on 67P? We've seen what Philae got up to after a touch-and-go landing, so are there 'bump chains' or rolling boulder tracks elsewhere? I'd expect boulders to be ejected now and again as a result of champagne-cork events, where volatiles congregate on their shadow size then flash into vapour as things heat up - so has anyone spotted anything yet?
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 06/23/2015 01:26 pm
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_mission_extended

Rosetta mission extended

Quote
ESA today confirmed that its Rosetta mission will be extended until the end of September 2016, at which point the spacecraft will most likely be landed on the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 06/24/2015 09:15 am
Some usueful links to monitor Rosetta/Philae status:

Telemetries analyzer:
http://win98.altervista.org/RosettaJavascriptGrabber.html (http://win98.altervista.org/RosettaJavascriptGrabber.html)

Twitter aggregator:
http://win98.altervista.org/rosettatwitter.html (http://win98.altervista.org/rosettatwitter.html)

Philae status monitor (reduce zoom to 50%):
http://win98.altervista.org/philaemonitor.html (http://win98.altervista.org/philaemonitor.html)


(sorry, NSF forum appears not to be working inside frames (??) )
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Jester on 06/24/2015 01:35 pm
Please dont post the direct json link, as its might overload their server (and the link is now offline) including on the Italian wiki page.

Thanks.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 06/24/2015 02:21 pm
micro-croppings of color OSIRIS images released, showing watr ice patches.
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Exposed_water_ice_detected_on_comet_s_surface
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: SpaceGirl on 06/25/2015 06:58 am
Does anyone of you actually understand whether or not Rosetta still has contact with Philae?

The last couple of days it looked like there was almost daily (weak) contact on http://isee3.p3s.nl/philae/ ?
But on the other hand I was not sure I was reading the charts correctly...
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 06/25/2015 07:59 am
new radio contact detected in telemetries:
Readable timestamp   Raw timestamp   unknown   unknown   LCL1_M   LCL1_r   HPC_IN   LPC_IN   SBt_CH   SBt_DCH   PBat_DCH
2015/6/24 19:37:24,992   1435167444992   28,8563   28,8836   0   0   1,713   1,734   9,54   55,44   38,85
2015/6/24 19:33:00,367   1435167180367   28,7024   28,9642   0   0   2,284   2,312   55,12   0   34,65
2015/6/24 19:28:35,804   1435166915804   28,7024   28,8982   0   0   2,284   2,312   9,54   25,2   35,7
2015/6/24 19:24:11,336   1435166651336   0,04275   0   0   0   3,997   3,468   27,56   0   5,25

13 minutes of logging  , 19:24 UTC
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: SpaceGirl on 06/25/2015 12:09 pm
12 min is already a pretty long connection isn't it? As far as i understood so far connections have been a lot shorter?
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 06/25/2015 02:56 pm
12 min is already a pretty long connection isn't it? As far as i understood so far connections have been a lot shorter?
I have yet to understand if log duration matches with link duration.

In the meantime, I analyzed some telemetries; they appear to show:
Both primary and secondary batteries completely depleted during primary mission; but my calculations on telemetries values give around 700 Wh from primary and 60 Wh from secondary, both around half the theoretically available capacity (?).
Primary battery voltage is first column in telemetries, Secondary battery is second column; this can be determined by comparing voltage sag to current rate (column 1 vs 9, column 2 vs 8 ) .

Secondary battery started charging, with some difficulties, since 13/6, but effective recharging occurred only from 20/6 on.
Charge appears to have quite stopped on 24/6. Voltage telemetry values for 24/6 appear invalid (28V like on 20/6, when 40 wrong samples (~28V) were recorded in one minute).

Battery is currently at 24.46V out of 27.6 V max voltage reached during primary mission and out of 29.4 max theoretical voltage (4.20*7, 100% SoC; to preserve battery it shouldn't never be reached).
Depleted voltage is 21.7V (SoC 10%).

But Lithium battery charging curve is all but linear: from the chart, from 22.0 to 26.7V the battery must be considered as depleted as it is working after the "knee" in the curve (but in last minutes a very high current was extracted from battery: hundreds of mA rather than dozens as in previous days, hence affecting the voltage curve with big sag).

Some charts will follow.

---- edit/add ---


By design, Philae should have 18 minutes link sessions per day, according to "THE ROSETTA LANDER (“PHILAE”) INVESTIGATIONS" by J.-P. BIBRING, p.218 (110 minutes in 60 hours/5days). But this was true at 3 AU and with 6 hours (360 minutes) daylight, with lander in proper position; now we are at 1.3 AU (3 times the energy - http://win98.altervista.org/energy.png) but we only have 135 minutes of daylight and lander is tilted.

Links lasted longer when the primary battery, 10 times bigger than rechargeable one, was available: 180 minutes in first 24 hours (90 min/day ?), then 30 minutes every 16 hours
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 06/25/2015 04:42 pm
One chart (http://win98.altervista.org/alltogether.png) of many (http://win98.altervista.org/batteries.html).


Preview:
(http://win98.altervista.org/alltogether-thumb.png)



Another one:
(http://win98.altervista.org/bat2-recharge.png)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 06/26/2015 06:24 pm
Press release, 26 June 2015

Contact with Philae still irregular and unstable

Despite a new trajectory for Rosetta and a reduction of the distance between the orbiter and Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko from 200 to 180 kilometres, contact with the Philae lander remains irregular and short. After the initial contact
on 13 June 2015, Philae has reported to the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) Lander Control Center (LCC) in Cologne a total of six times. However, for the last three possibilities calculated for
establishing a connection with Philae, no data could be received. "Right now, we are playing with the geometry between the Rosetta orbiter and the Philae lander," says DLR's Philae Project Manager, Stephan Ulamec. "The most recent contact
– on 24 June 2015 – lasted 20 minutes; then, the line went dead again." Now, the DLR and ESA mission teams are analysing which measures will make better contact with Philae possible.

Communication needs sunlight

Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko has a rotation period of 12.4 hours, so a contact should be possible approximately twice per Earth day during an overflight by the Rosetta orbiter. But several conditions must be met before Philae can communicate
with Rosetta and its control room in Darmstadt, and then with the LCC. Firstly, Philae must be in operation, and this can only happen when there is sufficient solar illumination for its solar panels to generate the necessary power. In
addition, the antennas on the lander and the orbiter must be aligned. The performance of Philae’s antennas is partially affected by objects in the nearby and fairly harsh environment. Also, the Rosetta orbiter needs to align its antenna
as closely as possible towards the comet.

Caution on active comets

The Rosetta team has to take other factors into consideration during their flight planning. The increasingly active Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko ejects gas and dust particles into space. This already caused a problem in March 2015,
when the star trackers on the orbiter incorrectly interpreted dust particles as stars and was unable to determine the orientation of the orbiter. At that time, Rosetta automatically transitioned into 'safe mode' and moved away from the
comet; only then could it be controlled by commands from the ground again. For this reason, a closer approach to 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko has to take place gradually and under constant observation to confirm whether the orbiter remains
unaffected. The trajectory of the orbiter is currently considered to be in a non-hazardous environment for comet outgassing. Rosetta is flying a 'terminator orbit' along the day-night boundary of the comet and passes over Philae in the
comet's early morning; at this time, the lander is on – but only just. "At this point, the lander is not optimally illuminated by the Sun," says Ulamec. Overflights at other times on the comet have not been carried out since Philae awoke
from hibernation.

Intermittent contacts

Having the orbiter move 20 kilometres closer to the comet does not seem to have improved matters. "There have been multiple contacts during which Philae has sent us information about its status, but these connections were unstable," explains
Ulamec. On 19 June, the LCC in Cologne received two two-minute-long connections within 19 minutes. On 20 June, there were again two connections, each of which lasted about one minute. On 23 June, Philae made a 20-second transmission but
did not send any data. During the most recent contact on 24 June, the connection lasted 20 minutes but was not stable, so Philae sent a total of 80 data packets. Between contacts, there have been multiple calculated contact times when
no connection has been established. Even during the last three overflights by Rosetta – at an altitude of 180 kilometres – there was no contact.

On Saturday, ESA will begin new manoeuvres, which will move the Rosetta orbiter 20 kilometres closer to the comet's surface and Philae by 30 June 2015. The team at the DLR control centre hopes that contact with Philae at a distance of
160 kilometres will then be regular and stable. The next few days will show whether changes in the geometry between the lander and orbiter improves communication with Philae.

Dependent on long and predictable contacts

One possible reason for the lander's current silence could be a failure of Philae's communications equipment caused by poor conditions during hibernation. Analysis of the data received so far by the team at DLR has shown that while one
of the communications units is compromised, the other unit has worked thus far without problems. "To continue conducting scientific work with Philae, we rely on long and predictable contact times," says Ulamec. Once Philae can receive
and execute extensive command sequences safely, store the measurement data and send it to the ground team, its 10 instruments will be operated again.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 06/27/2015 07:30 am
Additional info:
http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/06/26/rosetta-and-philae-searching-for-a-good-signal/

Among the others:
Why do we care about a stable connection?
Data are stored in two mass memories on-board Philae, and in order to download the data in the most efficient way possible, a stable ‘call’ duration of about 50 minutes is desired. It can take around 20 minutes for the data to be dumped from each one to the Rosetta orbiter, and additional time is needed to confirm that a stable link has been acquired in the first place, and also for uploading new commands.

Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 06/27/2015 07:37 am
More, in French from CNES:
https://rosetta.cnes.fr/fr/notre-priorite-est-lamelioration-des-contacts-avec-philae

Interesting info about philae position estimate and onboard time calculation:

After these moments of joy, what did you learn from data received?

Eric Jurado: "We started by checking that what we had calculated in recent months on the orientation and position of Philae was consistent with the content of the 1st data packets. I say right away that nothing seems fundamentally put into question our work in jest, I would say that Philae is not on the other side of the comet! We were able to make a preliminary estimate of its orientation with the current received on solar panels and it also seems to confirm the attitude determined using data from ROMAP instrument. There are also a number of received data that we can not operate to determine orientation because we do not know the date exactly. "

Eric Jurado: "Philae is set to increment a counter every time it starts, so normally each core rotation, to each local day. So, the data is dated in relative time. We do not know the date of the first start of Philae, but everything seems to indicate that it has restarted a number of times before reaching contact with the orbiter. Moreover, we do not know if every counter increment corresponds to a cometary day or Philae was turned off and on several times a day local
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Patchouli on 06/28/2015 05:50 pm
I wonder how did Philae survive the cold soak as normally that would have ruined the batteries and damaged the circuit boards.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: hop on 06/28/2015 06:30 pm
I wonder how did Philae survive the cold soak as normally that would have ruined the batteries and damaged the circuit boards.
It was designed to survive extreme cold. It may have gone beyond the nominal limits, but these things are usually built with margin. After landing, the team said they expected it to have a good chance of survival, which indicates that expected conditions were not far beyond the absolute limits.

It is also possible that it suffered some damage. It may be hard to tell without stable communications, and the unstable link itself could be a symptom of damage.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 06/30/2015 07:28 am

From my experience, I'd expect that every time that Philae plunged into night without having charged its battery that the timestamps would reset to the epoch.
ESA confirms this in recent FAQ. They're in trouble figuring out when the logs refer to.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 07/01/2015 02:26 pm
Video update from Lander Control Centre

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/07/01/video-update-from-lander-control-centre/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: cscott on 07/01/2015 03:12 pm

From my experience, I'd expect that every time that Philae plunged into night without having charged its battery that the timestamps would reset to the epoch.
ESA confirms this in recent FAQ. They're in trouble figuring out when the logs refer to.

Yeah.  Slightly offtopic, I had the same problem for a field trial of educational tablet computers in rural Ethiopia.  The kids would use the machines until the batteries died, and that model of tablet didn't have a separate RTC battery.  We had to reconstruct dates from the order of the log entries, the timestamps were not much use.  (They'd recharge the tablets from a bank of solar panels, but they didn't always remember to do so.)

But at least we were on Earth!  And it was only a beta test, so hopefully http://learning.xprize.org/ won't learn from the experience and avoid the problem...
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Star One on 07/01/2015 05:39 pm
Comet sinkholes generate jets.

Quote
1 July 2015
A number of the dust jets emerging from Rosetta’s comet can be traced back to active pits that were likely formed by a sudden collapse of the surface. These ‘sinkholes’ are providing a glimpse at the chaotic and diverse interior of the comet.

Rosetta has been monitoring Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko’s activity for over a year, watching how its halo of dust and gas grows as the comet moves closer to the Sun along its orbit.

From a distance of a few hundred kilometres, Rosetta observes an intricate pattern of the dust jets emitted from the nucleus as they stream out into space. But now, thanks to high-resolution images from the OSIRIS camera from distances of just 10–30 km from the comet centre last year, at least some of these dust jets can be traced back to specific locations on the surface, the first time this has ever been seen.

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Comet_sinkholes_generate_jets
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 07/04/2015 09:39 am
One trasmitter is broken (http://www.dlr.de/dlr/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-10081/151_read-14019/#/gallery/311), using the redundant one.

Determined "trasmission cone" of Philae:
(http://win98.altervista.org/cono-trasmissione.png)
https://twitter.com/DLR_en/status/615892892276625408 (https://twitter.com/DLR_en/status/615892892276625408)


Going to send first telecommand (https://twitter.com/DLR_en/status/616963983002730496/video/1)[/size] on sunday 5th, to turn on CONSERT trasmitter.[/size]
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 07/04/2015 10:43 am
Added CONSERT and DLR_en twitter pages to my "Rosetta/Philae twitter monitor":
http://win98.altervista.org/rosettatwitter.html
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: corrodedNut on 07/06/2015 01:52 pm
Whats all this, then?

http://phys.org/news/2015-07-micro-organisms-features-comets.html
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Star One on 07/06/2015 01:58 pm
Whats all this, then?

http://phys.org/news/2015-07-micro-organisms-features-comets.html

Quite widely reported. In a way it's a bit of a non-story in my view as nothing can be proved either way without the right instruments.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: DaveS on 07/06/2015 02:08 pm
Latest Philae news:

ESA Rosetta Mission @ESA_Rosetta
No news from @philae2014 this weekend, will keep listening & try again with CONSERT on Thurs: https://twitter.com/ESA_Rosetta/status/618056449227390976
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: as58 on 07/06/2015 04:13 pm
Whats all this, then?

http://phys.org/news/2015-07-micro-organisms-features-comets.html

Quite widely reported. In a way it's a bit of a non-story in my view as nothing can be proved either way without the right instruments.

Prof. Chandra Wickramasinghe, one of the people involved in the study, has a habit of seeing microorganisms pretty much everywhere in space. I don't think many others will be convinced.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: NovaSilisko on 07/06/2015 04:28 pm
Extremely frustrating reporting on this topic. They're making it sound like this idea is being proposed by the current lead scientists of the mission, or just scientists in general. You know, the giant monolithic entity known as "Scientists"...

For example: http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jul/06/philae-comet-could-be-home-to-alien-life-say-top-scientists

Time for another huge wave of people being misinformed by shoddy reporting and then later becoming resentful of the whole endeavor when told no, that wasn't true...


Another article talking about the (to put it mildly) skepticism: http://sen.com/news/scientists-skeptical-about-life-on-comet-claim
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Star One on 07/06/2015 04:37 pm

Extremely frustrating reporting on this topic. They're making it sound like this idea is being proposed by the current lead scientists of the mission, or just scientists in general. You know, the giant monolithic entity known as "Scientists"...

For example: http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jul/06/philae-comet-could-be-home-to-alien-life-say-top-scientists

Time for another huge wave of people being misinformed by shoddy reporting and then later becoming resentful of the whole endeavor when told no, that wasn't true...


Another article talking about the (to put it mildly) skepticism: http://sen.com/news/scientists-skeptical-about-life-on-comet-claim

Yes but it does defend their right to say it and to put forward their paper. An important point that shouldn't be forgotten in the huffing and puffing over the reporting of it.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: NovaSilisko on 07/06/2015 04:41 pm
Yes but it does defend their right to say it and to put forward their paper. An important point that shouldn't be forgotten in the huffing and puffing over the reporting of it.

Oh yes, they have a definite right to bring up whatever ideas they wish. The hyping over it is what's bothering me. I still remember (and still am faintly traumatized by) some of the reactions to the whole "NASA is making a warp drive" thing, along the lines of "Why is NASA doing all this stuff in orbit when they could be building a starship? This is dumb!"
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Star One on 07/06/2015 07:58 pm

Yes but it does defend their right to say it and to put forward their paper. An important point that shouldn't be forgotten in the huffing and puffing over the reporting of it.

Oh yes, they have a definite right to bring up whatever ideas they wish. The hyping over it is what's bothering me. I still remember (and still am faintly traumatized by) some of the reactions to the whole "NASA is making a warp drive" thing, along the lines of "Why is NASA doing all this stuff in orbit when they could be building a starship? This is dumb!"

Oh yes that had crossed my mind as well. I'm sure a time existed when science reporting was properly researched & considered in the U.S. & UK , & perhaps I'm just too young to remember it.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Star One on 07/09/2015 08:23 pm
Maybe not good news about Philae, but as it has beaten the odds before perhaps all is not lost.

Quote
Another problem may be that the lander simply can’t hear. After analyzing the data received from last month’s sporadic contacts, engineers have determined that at least one of the lander’s two receivers is broken. If the second receiver is similarly compromised, then the mission is effectively over.

But there are reasons for optimism. Philae has already beaten long odds by switching back on and, though taciturn, it seems to be in good shape. Each brings new opportunities to hear a signal. Team members have put summer vacations on hold and are keeping an eye on their phones during the weekends.

After all, Dr. Geurts said, talking to Philae may have its up and downs, “but it’s not boring.”

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/communication-troubles-prevent-efforts-to-reboot-philae-comet-lander-mission/article25381948/?service=mobile

Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: aga on 07/10/2015 12:52 pm
http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/07/10/new-communication-with-philae-commands-executed-successfully/

philae communicated with rosetta yesterday and even executed commands it received before - and sent back results from the CONSERT experiment
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 07/10/2015 01:21 pm
Press release, 10 July 2015

New communication with Philae

The Philae lander communicated with the Rosetta orbiter again between 19:45 and 20:07 CEST on 9 July 2015 and transmitted measurement data from the COmet Nucleus Sounding Experiment by Radiowave Transmission (CONSERT) instrument. Although the connection
failed repeatedly after that, it remained completely stable for those 12 minutes. "This sign of life from Philae proves to us that at least one the lander's communication units remains operational and receives out commands," said German Aerospace Center
(Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) engineer Koen Geurts, a member of the lander control team at DLR Cologne. The mood had been mixed over the last few days; Philae had not communicated with the team in the DLR Lander Control Center (LCC)
since 24 June 2015. After an initial test command to turn on the power to CONSERT on 5 July 2015, the lander did not respond. Philae's team began to wonder if the lander had survived on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

Commanded from the ground successfully

"We never gave up on Philae and remained optimistic," said Geurts. There was great excitement when Philae 'reported in' on 13 June 2015 after seven months of hibernation and sent data about its health. The lander was ready to perform its tasks, 300
million kilometres away from Earth. However, Philae has to communicate with the ground stations through Rosetta, which acts as a radio relay. Restrictions on the orbiter's approach to and orbit around the comet have not permitted regular communication
with the lander. The data sent on 24 June did not suggest that the lander had experienced technical difficulties. Now, Philae's internal temperature of zero degrees Celsius gives the team hope that the lander can charge its batteries; this would make
scientific work possible regardless of the 'time of day' on the comet.

Currently, DLR's lander team is evaluating the data that were received. "We can already see that the CONSERT instrument was successfully activated by the command we sent on 9 July," explained Geurts. Even now, Philae is causing the team some puzzlement:
"We do not yet have an explanation for why the lander has communicated now, but not over the past few days.” The trajectory of the orbiter, for example, has not changed over the last three weeks. However, one thing is certain; Philae has survived the
harsh conditions on the comet and is responding to commands from the LCC team. "This is extremely good news for us," said Geurts.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 07/13/2015 12:56 pm
Comet around perihelion

The orbit of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko and its approximate location around perihelion, the closest the comet gets to the Sun. The positions of the planets are correct for 13 August 2015.

http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2015/07/Comet_around_perihelion

Related articles:

- Rosetta preparing for perihelion

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_preparing_for_perihelion

- Preparing for perihelion

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/07/13/preparing-for-perihelion/

Image credit: ESA
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 07/20/2015 01:42 pm
Inside Imhotep

Context map pointing out key features seen in the Imhotep region of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.

http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2015/07/Inside_Imhotep

Related article:

- Inside Imhotep: http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/07/20/inside-imhotep-2/

Image credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 07/20/2015 01:53 pm
Rosetta and Philae status update

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/07/20/rosetta-and-philae-status-update/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 07/20/2015 07:03 pm
Press release, 20 July 2015

Headache for Philae


On 9 July 2015 at 19:45 CEST, Philae reported back to the team at the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) Lander Control Center (LCC) – only to then go back to 'silent mode'. Since then, the team has
been working hard to get back in contact with the lander and operate it to conduct scientific measurements. "We sent a command to turn on the Rosetta Lander Magnetometer and Plasma Monitor (ROMAP), but have not seen a response," explains
DLR's Philae project leader Stephan Ulamec. Using an identical model in the Microgravity User Support Center (MUSC) at DLR, the engineers are currently testing various commands, with which they want to enable and optimise Philae. "In the
telemetry received, we have observed signs that Philae could have moved and that its antennas are thus perhaps more concealed or their orientation might have changed."

Philae's move

In the data previously sent by Philae from the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko about its condition, the lander has also transmitted information about the sunlight reaching its solar panels. “This profile – where panels are receiving
a great deal of sunlight – has clearly changed between June and July,” says Ulamec. “This cannot be explained only by the course of the seasons on the comet.” The lander could have moved, for example, due to outgassing during the comet's
awakening. After a not entirely smooth landing on 12 November 2014, Philae finally halted at a crater rim on uneven terrain – for this reason, even a slight change in its position could mean that its antennas are now obstructed by more
objects above it. This would affect communication with Philae.

Blind commands as backup

It is also possible that one of the lander's two radio receiver units is damaged and that one of the transmitter units is not fully functional. However, Philae is programmed to switch back and forth between the two transmitters periodically.
This could also explain why contact with Philae is irregular. "We have therefore tested a command on our ground model that will cause Philae to only interact with the functional transmitter." This command has been transmitted to the lander.
This 'blind commanding' – without the lander sending a confirmation – should make it possible for it to receive the command and execute it as soon as it is supplied with solar energy during the comet day and switches on.

The engineers at the LCC are also testing another command on the ground model of Philae; they want to try to activate a 'work package' on the lander that was successfully executed in November 2014 during the landing and is still stored
by Philae. At that time, the team at the LCC had supplied the lander with a kind of 'emergency program', so that it could still operate five instruments without communication. This occurred as the engineers at the consoles had to adjust
their plans to adapt to the evolving situation with a new landing site. "With this work package, the thermal probe MUPUS measured temperatures, ROMAP and SESAME conducted measurements, and PTOLEMY and COSAC researched in 'sniff' mode,"
says Ulamec. "All of these instruments require no detailed commands, but the stored work package must first of all be retrieved." If this idea works, once Philae switches on, it would start to conduct scientific measurements and then send
the data to Earth.

Interaction between lander and orbiter

Until 24 July 2015 the Rosetta orbiter will fly an orbit that satisfies the requirements of the lander and follow a path that is favourable for communication between the two spacecraft. Then, Rosetta will fly with its 11 instruments over
the southern hemisphere of the comet, which is now increasingly illuminated by the Sun. Here, the attempts to communicate with Philae will alternate with the priorities for observation with the orbiter instruments. The comet's increasing
activity – with its gas and dust ejections –does not allow the orbiter to fly very close to the comet's surface. On 12 July 2015, Rosetta’s star trackers were once again affected by the dusty environment. For this reason, the orbiter is
now flying at a safer distance of 170–190 kilometres.

Of course, the Philae lander team at DLR has not given up. "The lander is obviously still functional, because it sends us data, albeit at irregular intervals and at surprising times," says Ulamec. "There have been several times when we
feared that the lander would not switch back on, but it has repeatedly taught us otherwise."
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 07/23/2015 01:48 pm
http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/07/23/video-report-rosetta-orbiter-science/

Video report: Rosetta orbiter science

https://youtu.be/CXjWFTDuit0
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 07/30/2015 07:05 pm
DLR German Aerospace Center, Corporate Communications, Linder Hoehe, 51147 Koeln, Germany - http://www.DLR.de/en/
Press release, 30 July 2015

Churyumov-Gerasimenko: Almost like firn and shaped by 'hail'

On 12 November 2014, as the Philae lander slowly descended onto Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the first instruments on board began to take measurements. Philae touched down three times during the first ever landing on a comet, scraped
against a crater rim, and finally arrived at the unforeseen landing site, called Abydos, at 18:31 CEST. "We would never have dared to attempt a landing in a terrain as rough as that at Abydos," explains German Aerospace Center (Deutsches
Zentrum fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) Philae project manager Stephan Ulamec. But, due to this, the instruments were able to conduct measurements at two different locations on the comet. The first ever recorded data acquired from the surface
of a comet – the data that Philae relayed to its scientists back on Earth – partly confirmed the previous understanding of what a comet looks like, but in part it also amazed them:  covered with coarse material, a surprisingly hard surface
– which made things difficult for the MUPUS (MUlti-PUrpose Sensors for Surface and Sub-Surface Science) hammer probe – and organic molecules, which had thus far not been found on or in the vicinity of comets. "The experiments conducted
on site have led to new and, at times, unexpected insights into the nature of the comet," summarises DLR planetary researcher Ekkehard Kuehrt, DLR's Scientific Director for the project. "Some things can only be accurately measured at close
proximity." These results will be published on 31 July 2015 in a special edition of the scientific journal Science.

Coarse debris and deposits

The Rosetta Lander Imaging System (ROLIS) had the first – and best – view of Comet 67P; and as it was mounted on the underside of the Philae lander it already recorded images of the comet at 10-second intervals during the whole landing
process. "Never before has a cometary surface been imaged at such high resolution, up to one centimetre per pixel," explains Stefano Mottola from the DLR Institute of Planetary Research. At the first landing site, Agilkia, the camera did
not record the expected dust deposits, but rather a surface with coarse debris, pebbles and rocks with dimensions ranging from a few centimetres up to five metres. The regolith on the comet's surface is dark and absorbs light really well.
In addition, the particle size distribution on the comet is identical to that of comet particles hurled into space: "So there is a mutual exchange of particles between the surface and coma, the gas and dust enveloping comets," explains
Mottola.

Obstacles such as the five-metre rock near Agilkia lead to the formation of small 'wind tails' – accumulations of material not moved by the wind – which are similar to formations on Mars. "But surprisingly, on Churyumov-Gerasimenko, this
happens without wind or an atmosphere. A different mechanism must be responsible for this." One likely cause of these 'wind tails' on the comet is the dust and coarse particles in the gas ejections of the comet that fall back to the surface
as a 'particle hail', causing an abrasion of the surface – except in areas that are shielded by larger boulders, for instance. This was confirmed by calculations made by the DLR planetary researchers using computer models. "The observations
made with the ROLIS camera suggest that material on the surface of comets can be moved over large areas, and that these movements are triggered by the cometary activity."

Soil hardness as firn on Earth

The vain attempts of the MUPUS hammer probe to pound into the comet's surface still provided the scientists with valuable data: "We have encountered a much harder surface than we had imagined," says Tilman Spohn, planetary researcher at
DLR and Principal Investigator for MUPUS. Under a thin layer of dust, just a few centimetres thick, the probe encountered porous, yet solid ice. "This ice is similar to firn on Earth, which is old, solid snow that evaporates and re-freezes."
Previously loose components are 'baked' together in this sintering process. This material is also comparable to glass foams, which are used in the construction industry for insulation purposes. "You could even say that the biggest surprise
provided by the comet is that the soil at Abydos is so hard," says Spohn. "The measured value of four megapascals is the highest ever recorded for a comet."

The temperature measurements conducted by MUPUS show values between minus 180 and minus 140 degrees Celsius – which is in accordance with the expectations. "After all, we did land in a dark, cold area." The thermal conductivity of the
soil, in other words the capacity of a material to conduct thermal energy, seems to be a little higher than expected, but is within the scope of what researchers expect for a comet or asteroid. It is also possible that Abydos has a slightly
more dusty or porous surface than the rest of the comet.

Bouncing rather than sinking

The amazing hardness of the comet’s material was confirmed by the team at the DLR Lander Control Center in Cologne. "It is not possible to measure the hardness of the surface from a distance, one actually has to be on site to do so," says
Jens Biele, from the DLR Microgravity User Support Center (MUSC). Before landing on Churyumov-Gerasimenko, researchers almost unanimously thought that the lander would hit rather soft ground. "Instead, the lander bounced repeatedly when
its harpoons did not fire and failed to anchor the lander to the ground." Data from the lander, combined with data acquired with the instruments during the flight, helped a team of DLR scientists led by Biele to reconstruct Philae's trajectory
after the first bounce and determine the hardness of the first landing site.

Missing magnetism and unexpected molecules

The scientists now also have a better understanding of the formation of comets through the data, for example, of the Rosetta Lander Magnetometer and Plasma Monitor (ROMAP): During the descent to the comet, the instrument already registered
that the comet does not have a measurable magnetic field. "This confirms that, in the process of cometary formation from the solar nebula, the existing magnetic fields were not strong enough to align the individual dust particles magnetically
and permanently magnetise the cometary material," explains Kührt. "Not a surprising but still an important finding for the development of formation models."

The Cometary Sampling and Composition (COSAC) instrument has 'been sniffing' around into the history of the Solar System. It is possible that even small dust particles may have entered the pipes installed on the bottom plate of the lander
and may have been outgassed there. COSAC detected a total of 16 organic molecular species, including four never before encountered in comets. "Some of these are prebiotic molecules, which are important pieces that play a role in the emergence
of life," says Ulamec.

Comet wall up close

Another camera was on board the lander in addition to ROLIS; the Comet Visible Infrared and Analyzer (CIVA), a panoramic camera system that imaged the immediate surroundings of Philae at the, rather uncomfortable, landing site. The CIVA
'panorama' shows, among other things, the cracks in the comet wall, where the lander currently remains. The comet material at this site exhibits a complex structure and varying particle sizes. Also visible are white spots that indicate
a soil with varying compositions.

Knowledge for future missions

The landing itself and the measurements conducted by the different instruments will not only change our view of comets and update our current knowledge, but will also assist in the planning of future missions. For example, NASA could also
use the knowledge acquired of the comet and its surface for future planned comet missions. "We have definitely learned at least one thing with this first comet landing: Bouncing is a bigger problem than a possible sinking into the ground," concludes Ulamec.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 08/01/2015 10:54 am
Philae best fit search ellipse

Based on the most recent calculations using CONSERT data and detailed comet shape models, Philae’s location has been revised to an area covering 34 x 21 m. The best fit area is marked in red, a good fit is marked in yellow, with areas on the white strip corresponding to previous estimates now discounted. One lander candidate proposed previously in the vicinity lies 62 m from the red marked area of the new CONSERT region, suggesting this is no longer a viable candidate.

http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2015/07/Philae_best_fit_search_ellipse

Related articles:

- Science on the surface of a comet

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/07/30/science-on-the-surface-of-a-comet/

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Science_on_the_surface_of_a_comet

Credit: ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CONSERT
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 08/06/2015 08:47 pm
Celebrating a year at the comet

06 August 2015

ESA’s Rosetta mission today celebrates one year at Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, with its closest approach to the Sun now just one week away.

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Celebrating_a_year_at_the_comet

Image credit: ESA & others
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 08/11/2015 02:25 pm
Press release, 11 August 2015

Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko approaches perihelion


Full article with images:
http://www.dlr.de/dlr/presse/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-10172/213_read-14456/year-all/#/gallery/20207

For weeks, comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko has been active, hurling dust and gas into space – but it will not reach the closest point to the Sun in its orbit, the perihelion, until 13 August 2015 at exactly 4:03 CEST. It will take another six-and-a-half
years to get this close to the Sun once again. "Even though the comet is as the shortest distance from the Sun, they are still separated by roughly 185 million kilometres; the comet finds itself in between the orbits of Earth and Mars," says Ekkehard
Kuehrt, a researcher at the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR). Earth, for example, is only about 150 million kilometres from the Sun. In spite of this, it is hotter on the comet than on Earth due to the lack
of an atmosphere: "The maximum temperature at 67P, which would currently be measured in the southern latitudes due to seasonal constraints, is around 80 degrees Celsius." In comparison, the heat record on Earth is a mere 56.7 degrees in Death Valley
(United States). And even if 67P is vigorously losing mass, the Sun's gravitational pull is too weak at this distance to tear the comet apart as has often happened in the past with other comets that have come too close to the Sun or Jupiter.

Less mass, more gas

Roughly 100 kilograms of the comet’s mass are disappearing into space per second. In its approach to the Sun, the comet’s frozen ice has been heating up and turned into gas, which has dragged along some dust with it as it spills out into space. On
29 July 2015, the instruments on board the ESA Rosetta spacecraft succeeded in imaging and analysing the most powerful outburst yet, from a distance of 186 kilometres. Images acquired with the Optical, Spectroscopic, and Infrared Remote Imaging System
(OSIRIS), taken at 18-minute intervals, show a 'Jet', a gas outburst, in which comet material is being hurled into space at high speeds. 

The Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis (ROSINA) recorded a change in the composition of the coma, the dust and gas enveloping the comet: compared to measurements taken two days earlier, shortly after the gas outburst, the scientists
discovered twice the amount of carbon dioxide, four times the amount of methane and a sevenfold increase in the amount of hydrogen sulphide, whereas the vapour production remained almost constant. Fourteen hours after the outburst, about 30 dust grains
a day started to drizzle on the Grain Impact Analyser and Dust Accumulator (GIADA)– 10 times the amount of particles in comparison with measurements taken in early July 2015. This quantity continued to increase, and on 1 August 2015 no less than 70
dust grains hit the detector in four hours. This powerful outburst was so strong that it even pushed away the solar wind's magnetic field from around the nucleus for a few minutes.

At a safe distance from Churyumov-Gerasimenko

"The activity of the comet will likely increase slightly in the days after perihelion," says Kuehrt. At least, this is what has been observed in previous perihelion passages of 67P and of many other comets. "We are now excited to see how it will evolve
in the coming days and weeks. The activity will depend mainly on where the active areas are with respect to the comet's seasonal cycle." When Rosetta arrived at 67P one year ago, the comet was more than 500 million kilometres away from the Sun and
hardly active. "With the mission, we are for the first time accompanying a comet and monitoring its development for such a long period of time."

The active comet is making it difficult for the Rosetta spacecraft to fly any closer to the surface as the dust particles that are constantly being hurled into space confuse the star trackers and cause problems with the navigation. For this reason,
at perihelion, Rosetta will be flying at a safe distance of approximately 300 kilometres from Churyumov-Gerasimenko. "For some instruments on the orbiter – for example, the magnetometer – that is the better option, but for others, such as OSIRIS, it
would be nice to fly tighter." The comet's outgassing and its associated risks for Rosetta in this case warrant a safe distance.

Waiting for contact possibilities with Philae

The Philae lander is also on its way to perihelion on the comet's surface, although Rosetta's current trajectory is not favourable for establishing communications with it. "The orbiter, which is a kind of relay station to Philae for us, is flying over
the southern hemisphere, which is particularly active," explains DLR engineer Koen Geurts, Technical Project Manager for the Philae lander. "From 11 August, Rosetta will once again be flying over latitudes where communication with Philae would be possible."
However, the great distance between the orbiter and the comet could complicate communication with the lander. The last contact between Philae and the team at the DLR Lander Control Center in Cologne took place on 9 July 2015.

To make sure Philae could still carry out its job on the surface, even without communication with the ground team, the DLR engineers tested some commands on their ground model in Cologne. These commands were then sent "blind", in other words: without
a response, to Philae. In the event that the lander receives these commands and executes them, it will initiate a sequence in which various instruments will be operated and the data stored until contact is resumed.

At least it will not be too warm for the lander during perihelion: at its landing site Abydos, Philae is in the shade and cool. "The lander and instruments can endure temperatures of at least 50 degrees Celsius," says Geurts. "And the temperature at
Abydos will definitely not get higher than this."
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Star One on 08/12/2015 04:46 pm
Rosetta gets ringside seat to smelly comet outburst

Quote
The outburst gave scientists a rich insight into the workings of the comet, but it also introduced caution into Rosetta’s flight plan. Engineers are worried dust could interfere with Rosetta’s navigation system — as it has before — and the probe is now positioned more than 300 kilometers (186 miles) from the comet.

“This is the brightest jet we’ve seen so far,” said Carsten Güttler, OSIRIS team member at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Göttingen, Germany. “Usually, the jets are quite faint compared to the nucleus and we need to stretch the contrast of the images to make them visible — but this one is brighter than the nucleus.”

Rosetta’s sharp-eyed OSIRIS camera caught the plume in its viewfinder, and another sensor on Rosetta detected spikes in the abundances of several molecules in the coma, or gas cloud, surrounding Comet 67P. Compared to measurements two days earlier, carbon dioxide levels doubled, methane concentrations quadrupled and hydrogen sulfide increased by a factor of seven, according to ESA.

“This first ‘quick look’ at our measurements after the outburst is fascinating,” said Kathrin Altwegg, principal investigator for Rosetta’s ROSINA instrument at the University of Bern. “We also see hints of heavy organic material after the outburst that might be related to the ejected dust. But while it is tempting to think that we are detecting material that may have been freed from beneath the comet’s surface, it is too early to say for certain that this is the case.”

A human sniffing the mixture of gases around Comet 67P would likely recoil in disgust. Hydrogen sulfide, for example, gives off the foul odor of a rotten egg.

The jet was at its most intense for just a few minutes. In the course of less than 40 minutes, the plume suddenly shot out from the comet’s collar and rapidly weakened.

http://spaceflightnow.com/2015/08/11/rosetta-gets-ringside-seat-to-comet-outburst/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Scylla on 08/12/2015 06:47 pm
A short-lived outburst from comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko was captured by Rosetta’s OSIRIS narrow-angle camera on July 29, 2015. The image at left was taken at 13:06 Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) (6:06 a.m. PDT), and does not show any visible signs of the jet. It is very strong in the middle image captured at 13:24 GMT (6:24 a.m. PDT). Residual traces of activity are only very faintly visible in the final image taken at 13:42 GMT (6:42 a.m. PDT). The images were taken from a distance of 116 miles (186 kilometers) from the center of the comet. The jet is estimated to have a minimum speed of 33 feet per second (10 meters per second) and originates from a location on the comet’s neck. Credits: ESA/Rosetta/MPS
http://rosetta.jpl.nasa.gov/news/rosetta-comet-outburst-captured
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 08/19/2015 08:22 am
ESAHangout: Rosetta mission's day in the Sun

https://youtu.be/TaBZbc6WGLs
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 09/01/2015 09:20 pm
9 days after perihelion, 67P-CG produced a huge outburst: preview in the latest CometWatch section.

http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2015/08/Comet_on_22_August_2015_NavCam (http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2015/08/Comet_on_22_August_2015_NavCam)

Also a fairly interesting article on fractures and its associated high-res OSIRIS pictures.

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/08/18/do-comet-fractures-drive-surface-evolution/ (http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/08/18/do-comet-fractures-drive-surface-evolution/)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 09/23/2015 10:16 am
http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/09/18/rosettas-far-excursion-to-study-the-coma-at-large/

Rosetta's far excursion to study the coma at large

Quote
.... on 23 September, Rosetta will depart on a three-week excursion that will take it up to 1500 km from the nucleus of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, much farther than it has been since arriving at the comet in August 2014.

The main science goal driving this course of action is to study the coma of 67P/C-G on a broader scale while the comet's activity is still high in the post-perihelion phase. While almost all instruments on Rosetta will be operating during the excursion, this exploration of the coma at large will be especially interesting to study the plasma environment of the comet with the Rosetta Plasma Consortium (RPC) instruments.

Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: catdlr on 09/23/2015 06:44 pm
Rosetta and Philae at Schiphol airport

Published on Sep 23, 2015
This short compilation of the adventures of Rosetta and Philae is currently being screened at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport plaza. It features new scenes covering Philae's wake-up and the duo waiting for perihelion. A new feature-length episode is coming soon!

https://youtu.be/WORqSa1Dh_U
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 09/24/2015 09:39 am
The water-ice cycle of Rosetta’s comet

Left, top: Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko based on four images taken by Rosetta's navigation camera on 2 September 2014.

Left, bottom: images of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko taken with Rosetta’s Visible, InfraRed and Thermal Imaging Spectrometer, VIRTIS (left), and maps of water ice abundance (middle) and surface temperature (right). The images were taken on 12 (top), 13 (middle) and 14 September (bottom) and focus on Hapi, a region on the comet's ‘neck’, one of the most active spots on the nucleus at the time. By comparing these images and maps, the scientists have found that water ice is present on colder patches, while it is less abundant or absent on warmer patches. In addition, water ice was only detected on a patch of the surface when it was cast in shadow. This indicates a cyclical behaviour of water ice during each comet rotation.

Right: the daily water ice cycle. During the local day, water ice on and a few centimetres below the surface sublimates and escapes; during the local night, the surface rapidly cools while the underlying layers are still warm, so subsurface water ice continues sublimating and finding its way to the surface, where it freezes again. On the next comet day, sublimation starts again, beginning from water ice in the newly formed surface layer.

Full story: Rosetta reveals comet’s water-ice cycle (http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_reveals_comet_s_water-ice_cycle)

http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2015/09/The_water-ice_cycle_of_Rosetta_s_comet

Credits:  Data: ESA/Rosetta/VIRTIS/INAF-IAPS/OBS DE PARIS-LESIA/DLR; M.C. De Sanctis et al (2015); Comet: ESA/Rosetta/NavCam – CC BY-SA IGO 3.0
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: llanitedave on 09/24/2015 05:11 pm
That's interesting, it means the shallow interior reprocesses itself rapidly, leading to changes in texture and composition below the surface.  That might explain the breccia-like textures that Philae revealed.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Scylla on 09/29/2015 03:23 pm
HOW ROSETTA'S COMET GOT IT'S SHAPE

Two comets collided at low speed in the early Solar System to give rise to the distinctive ‘rubber duck’ shape of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, say Rosetta scientists.

The origin of the comet’s double-lobed form has been a key question since Rosetta first revealed its surprising shape in July 2014.

Two leading ideas emerged: did two comets merge or did localised erosion of a single object form the ‘neck’?

Now, scientists have an unambiguous answer to the conundrum. By using high-resolution images taken between 6 August 2014 and 17 March 2015 to study the layers of material seen all over the nucleus, they have shown that the shape arose from a low-speed collision between two fully fledged, separately formed comets.

More....
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/How_Rosetta_s_comet_got_its_shape
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 10/02/2015 02:05 pm
How Rosetta's comet got its shape

http://sci.esa.int/rosetta/56543-how-rosetta-s-comet-got-its-shape/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: catdlr on 10/16/2015 12:42 am
Here is cool video:




This is a better link directly from ESA published on Sept 15th:  https://youtu.be/wJOh9DL6yBQ
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 10/29/2015 08:15 am
Molecular oxygen (correlated with water release) has been detected in 67P. It is a significant surprise because of the reactivity of this molecule, which makes it much more likely to recombine into some other compound or ozone, but it is seen in abundance nevertheless. This has huge implication for Solar System formation models, since it imposes tight constraints on comet formation temperatures and violent processes which would recombine/sublimate this O2 away.

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/10/28/first-detection-of-molecular-oxygen-at-a-comet/

Also, peak brightness has been confirmed by ground-based telescopes to have occurred in late August, as well as peak dust release on August 31st (~1mT/s):

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/10/28/cometwatch-from-earth-peak-brightness-and-coma-gases/

Meanwhile, Rosetta is approaching the comet again after perihelion (it has reduced its relative distance by more than 1000km since September: October 18th's picture was taken at 433 km)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: baldusi on 10/29/2015 11:47 am
Excuse me, by what is the mT/s symbol for? I read it as milli Tesla, but that couldn't be a measure of dust release.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: notsorandom on 10/29/2015 11:50 am
Excuse me, by what is the mT/s symbol for? I read it as milli Tesla, but that couldn't be a measure of dust release.
Metric tonnes per second perhaps?
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: baldusi on 10/29/2015 12:01 pm
Excuse me, by what is the mT/s symbol for? I read it as milli Tesla, but that couldn't be a measure of dust release.
Metric tonnes per second perhaps?
That's Mg/s or tonne/sec. T (capital t) means Tesla. m (small caps m) means milli (1/1,000), and M (capital m) means Mega (or 1,000,000 x ). The article stated 1,000kg/s exactly for that. Because the SI is simple but you have to take care of the symbols.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 10/29/2015 12:04 pm
Yeah, I should have written tons or t, but wanted to convey I was referring to SI.

I'm not sure Mg would be very clear and I'm a physicist ;)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 10/30/2015 02:17 pm
Rosetta’s detection of molecular oxygen

Rosetta has made the first detection of molecular oxygen at a comet. The results presented in this graphic are based on data collected by the Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis Double-Focusing Mass Spectrometer (ROSINA-DFMS) between September 2014 and March 2015 when Rosetta was still on the approach to the Sun along its orbit.

Top middle: high-resolution measurements allowed molecular oxygen (O2) to be distinguished from other species like sulphur (S) and methanol (CH3OH). The detection of the coma gases is stronger closer to the comet nucleus, as expected. The contribution to the detection from contamination from the spacecraft thruster firings during manoeuvres is very low.

Top right: the strong correlation of molecular oxygen abundance with water vapour indicates a shared origin and release mechanism from the nucleus.

Bottom middle: the O2/H2O ratio does not vary significantly over the study period. Short-lived strong variations are attributed to the decrease of the O2 ratio for occasionally higher H2O abundances linked to the daily water-ice cycle. The overall consistent level implies that O2 is not produced today by solar wind or UV interaction with surface ices, otherwise it would rapidly decrease due to the comet's increased activity. Instead the O2 must have been incorporated into the comet's ices during its formation in the early Solar System, and is being released with the water vapour today.

Full story: First detection of molecular oxygen at a comet (http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/First_detection_of_molecular_oxygen_at_a_comet)

http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2015/10/Rosetta_s_detection_of_molecular_oxygen

Credits:  Spacecraft: ESA/ATG medialab; comet: ESA/Rosetta/NavCam – CC BY-SA IGO 3.0; Data: A. Bieler et al. (2015)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 11/03/2015 10:57 am
The story behind the Rosetta 'claymation'
https://youtu.be/4Oo8KnTsyk0
More: http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/10/27/the-story-behind-the-rosetta-claymation/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Sam Ho on 11/04/2015 10:18 pm
Nature has an article on end-of-mission planning.

http://www.nature.com/news/historic-rosetta-mission-to-end-with-crash-into-comet-1.18713
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: catdlr on 11/10/2015 08:40 pm
Once upon a time... Living with a comet

Published on Nov 10, 2015
Rosetta tells us what she's learned in her first year studying Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, and Philae wakes up from hibernation.

Find out more about the Rosetta mission: http://rosetta.esa.int/

Credits: ESA

#livingwithacomet

https://youtu.be/Ibo3ppiv8Zk

Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: catdlr on 11/12/2015 10:08 pm
Reconstructing Philae’s flight

Published on Nov 12, 2015
Data from both the Philae lander and Rosetta orbiter experiments, as well as simulation results based on Philae’s mechanical design have been used to reconstruct the lander’s attitude and motion during its descent and touchdowns on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on 12 November 2014.

https://youtu.be/rJ2eqH3Bz4c
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 11/13/2015 02:00 pm
From one comet landing to another: planning Rosetta's grand finale

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/11/12/from-one-comet-landing-to-another-planning-rosettas-grand-finale/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Hobbes-22 on 11/19/2015 09:25 am
Rosetta has been orbiting 67P for a year now. 
Cartoon overview:
http://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Videos/2015/11/Once_upon_a_time_Living_with_a_comet (http://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Videos/2015/11/Once_upon_a_time_Living_with_a_comet)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ibo3ppiv8Zk

I was wondering about Philae, after the excitement surrounding its wakeup we heard nothing for a while. According to the video, Rosetta has had to retreat to higher orbits to prevent comet dust from interfering with its star trackers, and Rosetta's out of Philae's range as a result.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Alpha_Centauri on 12/11/2015 04:51 pm
FINALLY! We now get to see some pretty pictures from Osiris,

http://m.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Ride_along_with_Rosetta_through_the_eyes_of_OSIRIS

https://planetgate.mps.mpg.de:8114/Image_of_the_Day/public/IofD_archive.html?PHPSESSID=lq7hspa34eodnli5fsk8189j11

Note especially,

Quote
The OSIRIS dataset from both the wide- and narrow-angle cameras covering the period 20 June 2014 – 16 September 2014 are currently in processing and are foreseen for release via the Archive Image Browser and the Planetary Science Archive early next week.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: NovaSilisko on 12/11/2015 05:50 pm
At last. I wonder if somebody had a Talk with them over their release policy.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 12/18/2015 04:17 pm
Christmas comet

Season's greetings from Rosetta and Philae.

This 'card' is also available in French, German, Italian and Spanish via the Rosetta blog. (http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/12/18/seasons-greetings/)

http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2015/12/Christmas_comet

Image credit: ESA
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mtakala24 on 12/22/2015 11:19 am
The Finnish media is reporting that Philae woke up last night!

01 am UTC,  for around 10 seconds of data. Source is the Finnish Meteorological Institute, who made the mass memory for Philae.
http://yle.fi/uutiset/komeetalle_laskeutuneen_aluksen_jouluyllatys_herasi_yllattaen_horroksestaan/8547143
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Alpha_Centauri on 12/22/2015 03:04 pm
Still only in the Finnish media so I've asked the mission twitter for clarification, will post if I get a response.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mtakala24 on 12/22/2015 03:17 pm
Its quite common for ESA to make everything ready and then announce. Lets keep an eye out for other sources.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: plutogno on 12/22/2015 05:02 pm
how official is this twitter account?
https://twitter.com/IamPhilaeLander
it confirms tonight's contact
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: DaveS on 12/22/2015 05:20 pm
how official is this twitter account?
https://twitter.com/IamPhilaeLander
it confirms tonight's contact
Not official at all. There's nothing at all in the official Philae Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/Philae2014
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: NovaSilisko on 12/22/2015 06:02 pm
how official is this twitter account?
https://twitter.com/IamPhilaeLander
it confirms tonight's contact

It literally says "100% UNOFFICIAL" in its description...
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mtakala24 on 12/22/2015 06:45 pm
Update on another Finnish site; the writer has worked for ESA in the past.

http://tiedetuubi.fi/avaruus/tieto-philaen-signaalista-epaselva-oikea-yhteys-vai-interferenssia

Basically, they got some signal at the Philae frequency, which cannot be anything else than Philae's radio transmitter, but they haven't been able to get any useful data from the received packets.

(add/edit: They are still investigating if it could be anything else on that frequency.)

Philae's transmitter is only turned on by command from Rosetta, so it means that Philae is somewhat alive, and there is more hope than in a long time for successful communications.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Jeff Lerner on 12/23/2015 10:07 pm
New contact with Philae ??

http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?s=&showtopic=8036&view=findpost&p=228763
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Star One on 12/23/2015 10:23 pm

New contact with Philae ??

http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?s=&showtopic=8036&view=findpost&p=228763

Isn't that just referring to the above already reported?
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 01/05/2016 09:23 am
Philae is running out of available solar power within 10 days.... How is it possible ESA is just doing nothing  (http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/12/14/year-end-break-notice/)due to Christmas holidays?!?  ???
dec 22 - jan 5: 14 days!
Did they put embargo on anything again???
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mtakala24 on 01/05/2016 09:30 am
Or they couldn't positively confirm the signal came from Philae, and would not want to release any speculative news.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: plutogno on 01/05/2016 11:39 am
French press is reporting another brief (a few seconds) contact on 25 December. listening will continue to the end of January
http://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2015/12/29/2246422-mission-rosetta-philae-repond-toujours-ecoutes-poursuivent.html
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 01/07/2016 12:37 pm
ESA? Are you there?  :o 
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: plutogno on 01/08/2016 11:01 am
French press is reporting further short bursts on January 1 and 3. The trajectory of the orbiter should enable contacts between the 9th and the 18th of January.

http://www.sciencesetavenir.fr/espace/systeme-solaire/20160106.OBS2340/philae-a-t-il-envoye-ses-v-ux-a-rosetta.html
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 01/08/2016 01:20 pm
ESA? Are you there?  :o 
There is nothing to report. The very short burst of comms from Philae to Rosetta only show that Philae is still alive. But there is nothing usefull to gain from it. Earlier, when Rosetta awoke from it's winter slumber there were high hopes to do some usefull science again. But that didn't work out. The energy levels on Philae were just too low to have it operate for any extended period of time and no stable communications were established between Philae and Rosetta.
Hard as it may sound but Philae's practical use ended 60 hours after touchdown on the comet.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Olaf on 01/08/2016 01:41 pm
New impetus for Philae
http://www.dlr.de/dlr/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-10212/332_read-16365/year-all/#/gallery/21643
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: plutogno on 01/08/2016 01:51 pm
a new Philae status report
http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2016/01/08/philae-status-report-time-is-running-out/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: DaveS on 01/08/2016 05:37 pm
it would have been far more embarassing if ESA had announced contacting Philae in December and then had to apologize for rushing the announcement. I think in this case ESA has actually done what it had to do!
Yes and the reported "contacts" so far has been very short bursts, probably just strong enough for Rosetta to pick up. Nothing too exciting as those kind of contacts can't relay any useful data at all.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 01/08/2016 05:47 pm
I think money for Philae are over, just like they were when NASA Spirit incidentally died.


Anyway, just in case somebody is able to find raw telemetries files such as http://www.musc.dlr.de/philae/db_curent_5_landung.php?filename=pssh_v_sbat-c.json (http://www.musc.dlr.de/philae/db_curent_5_landung.php?filename=pssh_v_sbat-c.json) , this is my converter:
http://win98.altervista.org/RosettaJavascriptGrabber.html (http://win98.altervista.org/RosettaJavascriptGrabber.html)


"1416009886628" means "November 15th 2014", hence look for greater numbers.


Available telemetries pages (currently not mantained, but previosuly removed):
http://www.musc.dlr.de/philae/telemetrie.html (http://www.musc.dlr.de/philae/telemetrie.html)
http://isee3.p3s.nl/philae/ (http://isee3.p3s.nl/philae/)


Thanks to those pages I was able to perform this analysis:
http://win98.altervista.org/batteries.html (http://win98.altervista.org/batteries.html)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: cscott on 01/09/2016 01:28 am
According to the last ESA update, the December signal wasn't actually Philae.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 01/09/2016 06:38 am
REAL status report:

Contacts:
21-22 dec 2015, 10secs, 51 packages
http://yle.fi/uutiset/komeetalle_laskeutuneen_aluksen_jouluyllatys_herasi_yllattaen_horroksestaan/8547143

dec 25, unknown duration/data
http://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2015/12/29/2246422-mission-rosetta-philae-repond-toujours-ecoutes-poursuivent.html

Jan 1, jan 3, unknown duration/data
http://www.sciencesetavenir.fr/espace/systeme-solaire/20160106.OBS2340/philae-a-t-il-envoye-ses-v-ux-a-rosetta.html


Battery fully charged at june (http://win98.altervista.org/batteries.html); contact lost due to Rosetta crossing 200 km distance (for safety reasons, due to perihelion).
Lithium batteries self discharge: 1%/month
Philae in hybernation waiting for Rosetta wakeup trigger.

Perihelion passed, probe survived, location known with few meters precision, slightly out of previously CONSERT-estimated area; no images availble.
No HD Osiris images available after september 2014 (Philae landed in november)
OSIRIS hires images currently released daily in realtime (one per day). Available latitude/longitde of each picture.
Philae lat/lon: unknown

Rosetta closer than 75 km, on opposite side w.r.t Philae till jan 10.
Lower distance from comet ever reached: 8km
Best resolution ever reached: 0.35m
Philae body size: 1m (2m with legs)
Minimal survival temperature for Philae to be reached within jan 15

Philae to be killed on jan 10 by moving it. :-(
Rosetta to be landed on the comet on september 2016.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: plutogno on 01/09/2016 07:04 am
according to someone on a French forum, some of these alleged "contacts" occurred when Philae was not even in sight of the orbiter. they look more likely to be some kind of receiver glitch.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 01/09/2016 08:30 am
according to someone on a French forum, some of these alleged "contacts" occurred when Philae was not even in sight of the orbiter. they look more likely to be some kind of receiver glitch.
By the way, did anybody calculate/find/read/heard the approximate latitude and longitude of the CONSERT area supposedly hosting Philae?
It would be interesting to look for Philae in upcoming OSIRIS narrow cam images, which contain lat/lon data.
At which distance from the comet the OSIRIS resolution will reach 0.5m/pixel?

Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: kato on 01/09/2016 03:34 pm
At which distance from the comet the OSIRIS resolution will reach 0.5m/pixel?
Pixel size on Osiris NAC is 0.0186mrad, i.e. 0.5m at 26.9 km.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: hop on 01/09/2016 06:51 pm
REAL status report:
Real? As opposed to ...?

are you claiming that http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2016/01/08/philae-status-report-time-is-running-out/
Quote
In the night of 21-22 December, 2015, the receiver on Rosetta was triggered, but analysis showed that this was not a transmission from the lander.
Is false? If so, what specific evidence do you have?

edit:
Quote from: mcgyver
I think money for Philae are over, just like they were when NASA Spirit incidentally died.
If you are implying that Spirit was killed to save money, this is completely wrong and incredibly offensive to all the who worked extremely hard to rescue it.


Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Jester on 01/09/2016 08:22 pm
Although I find the statement on that .fi / .fr website interesting, the DLR report (which the ESA article is based on) clearly states the weak transmission received on the 21st of December is not from Philae.

http://www.dlr.de/dlr/presse/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-10172/213_read-16365/year-all/#/gallery/21643 (http://www.dlr.de/dlr/presse/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-10172/213_read-16365/year-all/#/gallery/21643)

basically what is left is to keep our fingers crossed and hope for a signal between now and about 10 days.
To try and "help" a last ditch effort is made by sending a command to start the reaction wheel with the hope the movement will clear dust from the solar panel to generate more power.
This is not killing it, nor is there a budget issue.


Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 01/09/2016 09:03 pm
REAL status report:
Real? As opposed to ...?
Google for "philae" and limit search to last week: you'll find dozens of pages dated around 28 december stating that Philae is now definitely dead for ever.
Additionally, DLR and ESA status reports do not even mention batteries.
Eventually, 4 false positives are really a weird concidence. First "false positive" has even a count of received packages!


are you claiming that http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2016/01/08/philae-status-report-time-is-running-out/ (http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2016/01/08/philae-status-report-time-is-running-out/)
Quote
In the night of 21-22 December, 2015, the receiver on Rosetta was triggered, but analysis showed that this was not a transmission from the lander.
Is false? If so, what specific evidence do you have?

None.
Where are all those detailed reports about Philae telemetries and raw data from instruments we had in nov 2014 and jun 2015? Where is the interest for the mission?

edit:
Quote from: mcgyver
I think money for Philae are over, just like they were when NASA Spirit incidentally died.
If you are implying that Spirit was killed to save money, this is completely wrong and incredibly offensive to all the who worked extremely hard to rescue it.
Spirit was short in money already  few MONTHS after landing, and NASA was close to decide to turn one rover off; I don't think a double 10-years mission was in budget, it was just redundancy.
Unfortunately, money are not redundant.
What happened in last day of life of Spirit was a shame and can be summarized as:
NASA: "we could do this last move today, or we could do it tomorrow morning; if it fails, we'll have to retry after the winter. Ok, let's wait tomorrow!"
Tomorrow:
NASA: "O sorry,Spirit is no more responding. Let's hope it will wake up after some months without energy and heating".
After the winter:
NASA: "Sorry, it's dead".


Well, enough with OT and conspiracy theories, let's have a look at raw data from OSIRIS:
http://sbn.pds.nasa.gov/holdings/ (http://sbn.pds.nasa.gov/holdings/)
http://pdssbn.astro.umd.edu/holdings/ (http://pdssbn.astro.umd.edu/holdings/)


Look for "67P" in the folder name;  look also for OSINAC for high res images.
Look at INDEX.TAB file for list of all files in dataset:
http://sbn.pds.nasa.gov/holdings/ro-c-osinac-2-prl-67pchuryumov-m07-v1.0/index/index.tab (http://sbn.pds.nasa.gov/holdings/ro-c-osinac-2-prl-67pchuryumov-m07-v1.0/index/index.tab)
http://pdssbn.astro.umd.edu/holdings/ro-c-osinac-2-prl-67pchuryumov-m07-v1.0/index/index.tab (http://pdssbn.astro.umd.edu/holdings/ro-c-osinac-2-prl-67pchuryumov-m07-v1.0/index/index.tab)


Unfortunately, these two servers do not provide standalone labels (.LBL) for image files (stored in DATA folder): label data are embedded into big IMG files!  .LBL data are only available on server http://imagearchives.esac.esa.int/ (http://imagearchives.esac.esa.int/) ... but its directory listing is not directly accessible!  ???


LBL files for dataset 07 are in folder http://imagearchives.esac.esa.int/data_raw/ROSETTA/OSINAC/RO-C-OSINAC-2-PRL-67PCHURYUMOV-M07-V1.0/DATA/2014_09 (http://imagearchives.esac.esa.int/data_raw/ROSETTA/OSINAC/RO-C-OSINAC-2-PRL-67PCHURYUMOV-M07-V1.0/DATA/2014_09)


Additionally there are two processing levels for each image: 2 and 3:


N20140909T023857680ID20F22.IMG
N20140909T023857680ID30F22.IMG
Don't know what it means...

My mirror for the unreachable img2png (http://www.mmedia.is/bjj/utils/img2png) tool: link (http://win98.altervista.org/img2png_exe.zip)


I wan to try to write a script which downloads all LBL files and creates a latitude/longitude coverage map.


Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: hop on 01/09/2016 11:15 pm
What happened in last day of life of Spirit was a shame and can be summarized as:
NASA: "we could do this last move today, or we could do it tomorrow morning; if it fails, we'll have to retry after the winter. Ok, let's wait tomorrow!"
Tomorrow:
NASA: "O sorry,Spirit is no more responding. Let's hope it will wake up after some months without energy and heating".
After the winter:
NASA: "Sorry, it's dead".
This is totally at odds with the historical record. The effort and resources expended trying to save and re-contact Spirit are well documented.

It also shows a serious misunderstanding of how these missions are funded and operated. This applies to your theories about Philae and MER, though the details differ somewhat between NASA and ESA.

The mission team that makes operational decisions are not the ones who make funding decisions. Missions are generally funded through a fixed period, with any extensions based on competitive proposals evaluated by outside experts. The people who operate the vehicle have no motive to kill their own mission early to free up funding, doing so would be completely against their interests.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: woods170 on 01/10/2016 05:45 pm
This is totally at odds with the historical record. The effort and resources expended trying to save and re-contact Spirit are well documented.
I followed the mission day by day, reading all dozens of reports about all dozens of attempts and incredible efforts.
Then, suddenly, right a step before a possible success, just a few hours before last sunset, they just gave up, delaying last attempt to next morning, hoping in more power available ( ??? After a whol night???). It was astonishing and horrible to read.
Of course, next day Spirit didn't respond at all.
I should have saved that last report for the records. My fault. Years later I was not able to find it anymore.

It is up to NASA and ESA flight controllers to decide what they should or should-not do with regards to THEIR spacecraft and landers.
You are not 'in' on the Rosetta/Philae flight control team. Therefore you are in no position to judge what is real and what isn't. That's up to the flight controllers to decide. When they state that Philae is finished, then it is finished, regardless of you accepting this or not.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Svetoslav on 01/10/2016 05:48 pm
False positives are something that happen sometimes when dealing with faulty landers. I remember that some "signals" were detected after Mars Polar Lander disappeared, but they turned out to be false positives.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: plutogno on 01/11/2016 11:43 am
Eventually, 4 false positives are really a weird concidence. First "false positive" has even a count of received packages!

received packages during the first "contact" have never been confirmed and it looks like they were incorrectly reported by the Finnish site.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Jester on 01/11/2016 12:36 pm
commands were transmitted, but so signal was received so far.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: plutogno on 01/11/2016 07:32 pm
no contact after the flywheel was spun
https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn28752-philae-lander-fails-to-respond-to-last-ditch-efforts-to-wake-it/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Chris Bergin on 01/11/2016 07:51 pm
Very sad, but very proud. Might have to throw together a short article to say farewell too.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Chris Bergin on 01/12/2016 01:28 pm
no contact after the flywheel was spun
https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn28752-philae-lander-fails-to-respond-to-last-ditch-efforts-to-wake-it/

But it looks like they totally jumped the gun. Not over yet:

https://twitter.com/DLR_en/status/686915239007404032
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 01/13/2016 06:54 am
Is this transcript right? It looks a little weird  ??? 
"this could also be the signal going from Philae"? A dust cloud caused by rotation?
Quote
Welcome from the Lander Control Center.
On Sunday we tried to activate the Philae flywheel through blind commanding in an attempt to change Philae position.
We have not got any feedback on its success but this could also be the signal going from Philae to Rosetta. For this reason the OSIRIS camera on Rosetta took a sequence of images.
These images are being investigated now and looked in for dust clouds which could have been caused by Philae change in position . We'll get back to you when we have more news.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: EgorBotts on 01/13/2016 07:09 am
IMO he's saying "we're looking for", which justifies the fact that they are analyzing images...
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Ben the Space Brit on 01/13/2016 10:14 am
At the risk of sounding negative, the minute it was confirmed that both of Philae's redundant landing systems had failed, I expected the worst.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: cscott on 01/13/2016 12:24 pm
The "this could also be the signal" part is saying that they didn't get confirmation from Philae that it received the message, but that could be because the signal from Philae to Rosetta is weak/missing (ie Philae's transmitter could be dead).  So they're looking for dust clouds to confirm message receipt, if possible.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 01/13/2016 08:06 pm
Infrared observations of water ice in Imhotep

Data collected by Rosetta’s Visible and Infrared Thermal Imaging Spectrometer (VIRTIS) between September and November 2014 provide definitive evidence of water ice in the Imhotep region on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.

The locations of the two icy regions, spanning a few tens of metres across, are shown in navigation camera images and in VIRTIS colour images. The ice is associated with cliff walls and debris falls and has an average temperature of about –120ºC.

The bottom set of images shows the water-ice abundance with respect to dark comet material under different grain mixing regimes, where “areal” mixing concerns larger water-ice grains (millimetre-sized) side-by-side with dark grains, and “intimate” mixing concerns grains a few tens of micrometres mixed with the dark material in the same pixel.

The spectral analysis shown in the centre of the graphic is for one pixel in region 1 (labelled with the arrow in the abundance map) and shows the actual spectrum (with error bars) compared to the best-fit model. It shows that 1.2% of the pixel comprises pure water ice with a large grain size (1.96 mm) and 98.8% is an intimate mix of 3.4% water ice with peak grain size 58 microns, and the remaining amount dark material.

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Exposed_ice_on_Rosetta_s_comet_confirmed_as_water

Full story: Exposed ice on Rosetta’s comet confirmed as water (http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Exposed_ice_on_Rosetta_s_comet_confirmed_as_water)

Credits: Comet images: ESA/Rosetta/NavCam–CC BY–SA IGO 3.0; VIRTIS images and data: ESA/Rosetta/VIRTIS/INAF-IAPS, Rome/OBS DE PARIS-LESIA/DLR; G. Filacchione et al (2016)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Star One on 01/13/2016 08:34 pm
For UK posters the above results were covered by one of the project scientists on tonight's episode of Stargazing Live.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 01/13/2016 08:47 pm
Is this transcript right? It looks a little weird  ??? 
"this could also be the signal going from Philae"? A dust cloud caused by rotation?
Quote

We have not got any feedback on its success but this could also be the signal going from Philae to Rosetta [which is missing]. .
Maybe he means that maybe the command was properlly executed, but Philae could not (and could ever more...) communicate result to Rosetta... which makes him useless/dead-like. :-(
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: mcgyver on 01/14/2016 12:32 pm
philae/db_curent_5_landung.php?filename=pssh_v_sbat-c.json (http://db_curent_5_landung.php?filename=pssh_v_sbat-c.json)

The only thing is that the time stamp is I think it is coming from the orbiter.

The charging of the battery looks promissing. I look forward for a nice file with COSAC data with sniffing of tha active comet.
Did anybody, by any chance, save the raw telemetries data from June and July? I can't find them anymore...  :-[
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 02/06/2016 01:56 pm
http://sci.esa.int/rosetta/57307-inside-rosetta-s-comet/

Inside Rossetta's comet

Quote
There are no large caverns inside Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. ESA's Rosetta mission has made measurements that clearly demonstrate this, solving a long-standing mystery.

Quote
In a new study, published in this week's issue of the journal Nature, a team led by Martin Pätzold, from Rheinische Institut für Umweltforschung an der Universität zu Köln, Germany, have shown that Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is also a low-density object, but they have also been able to rule out a cavernous interior.

This result is consistent with earlier results from Rosetta's CONSERT radar experiment showing that the double-lobed comet's 'head' is fairly homogenous on spatial scales of a few tens of metres.

The most reasonable explanation then is that the comet's porosity must be an intrinsic property of dust particles mixed with the ice that make up the interior. In fact, earlier spacecraft measurements had shown that comet dust is typically not a compacted solid, but rather a 'fluffy' aggregate, giving the dust particles high porosity and low density, and Rosetta's COSIMA and GIADA instruments have shown that the same kinds of dust grains are also found at 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko ...

Image credit: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM – CC BY-SA IGO 3.0
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: catdlr on 02/12/2016 11:08 am
Philae facing eternal hibernation

Published on Feb 12, 2016
15 months after Philae made its historic landing on a comet, its legacy is enormous even if Rosetta’s lander is facing eternal hibernation.

Mission teams are now looking ahead to the grand finale: making a controlled impact of the Rosetta orbiter on the comet next September.Rosetta arrived at Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko on 6 August 2014 and Philae was delivered to the surface on 12 November. After touching down Philae bounced several times and completed 80% of its planned first science sequence before falling into hibernation. 

A contact was made with the lander on 13 June and intermittent contacts were made up to 9 July. However the results of Philae mission are unique and complement all the science harvested by the orbiter Rosetta who is continuing its quest before being sent directly to the surface of 69P late September.

https://youtu.be/VoBOqPh4et0
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 02/12/2016 12:09 pm

Rosetta’s lander faces eternal hibernation

12 February 2016

Silent since its last call to mothership Rosetta seven months ago, the Philae lander is facing conditions on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko from which it is unlikely to recover.

Rosetta, which continues its scientific investigations at the comet until September before its own comet-landing finale, has in recent months been balancing science observations with flying dedicated trajectories optimised to listen out for Philae. But the lander has remained silent since 9 July 2015.

“The chances for Philae to contact our team at our lander control centre are unfortunately getting close to zero,” says Stephan Ulamec, Philae project manager at the German Aerospace Center, DLR. “We are not sending commands any more and it would be very surprising if we were to receive a signal again.”

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_s_lander_faces_eternal_hibernation
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 02/12/2016 12:37 pm
Press release, 12 February 2016

A slow farewell – Time to say goodbye to Philae

The last prolonged silence had already indicated that contact with the Philae lander will be increasingly unlikely, and the conditions on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko have become more hostile. "Unfortunately, the probability of Philae re-establishing
contact with our team at the DLR Lander Control Center (LCC) is almost zero, and we will no longer be sending any commands; it would be very surprising if we received a signal now," said Stephan Ulamec Philae Project Manager of the German Aerospace
Center (Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR). For Philae, this means that, although ice-free, it is probably covered with dust in its shaded location on the comet and will go into permanent hibernation - no longer able to activate its systems
in its cold environment. The European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft will continue to orbit the comet and carry out measurements with its scientific instruments until September 2016. The communication unit on board Rosetta will not be switched off
yet – it will continue to listen for signals from the lander in the coming months until it will be switched off due to power constraints.

"The Philae mission was one-of-a-kind – it was not only the first time that a lander was ever placed on a comet's surface, but we also received fascinating data," says Pascale Ehrenfreund, Chair of the DLR Executive Board and a participating scientist
on the mission. "Rosetta and Philae have shown how aerospace research can expand humankind’s horizon and make the public a part of what we do."

A world-renowned lander 

On 12 November 2014, Philae accomplished its spectacular comet landing, despite a harpoon system that did not function after the 10-year journey through space. The lander endured multiple 'hops' on the comet's surface, and arrived at a final location
that nobody on the team had foreseen. Across the globe, people followed its progress, curious to see whether a never before attempted landing on a comet would be successful. Finally, at 18:31 CET, DLR engineers and scientists were able to announce
that Philae was on the surface of Comet 67P, 510 million kilometres from Earth, and was communicating with its ground stations. Google's search engine dedicated its start-up screen to the lander, and instead of the second letter O in its logo, depicted
Philae extending its three legs. Newspapers from Africa to South America, from the United States to Asia and Australia, reported on the first comet landing. News in multiple languages informed that Philae had indeed accomplished its goal. Meanwhile,
the team at the DLR LCC in Cologne worked around the clock to adapt their carefully prepared plans to the new situation, and to work with Philae in its unexpected location. "I had expected some interest," says Ulamec, "but this world-wide, immense
and continued enthusiasm surprised me in an extremely positive way."

Hibernation at low temperatures

Scientists carried out over 60 hours of research with Philae's instruments, acquiring images, sensing molecules and attempting to hammer the unexpectedly hard surface. With its primary batteries, the lander was able to work at this site with minimal
sunlight. Philae was able to send all the data it acquired to Earth. After reaching the point nearest to the Sun on 13 August 2015, the comet, Rosetta and Philae started making their way out of the interior of the Solar System: "Now, Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
is over 350 million kilometres from the Sun," explained Ekkehard Kuehrt, a planetary scientist at DLR and responsible for DLR's scientific contribution to the Rosetta mission. "Night temperatures on the comet can fall below minus 180 degrees Celsius.
Even during the day, the entire comet remains frozen." For a lander that is designed for temperatures as low as minus 50 degrees Celsius, this is an environment in which it can no longer function. If it had come to rest on its original landing site
and had anchored itself there, it would have had significantly more sunlight available to use as an energy supply, but would probably have overheated in March 2015 as the comet approached the Sun.

Contact difficulties with breaks in communication

"Philae will, most likely, no longer transmit any signals due to the fact that it does not have sufficient power and the electronics are too cold," says Ulamec. In the last few months, there have been no radio signals from Philae. Its silence in August
2015, however, was due to a different reason. While the comet was at the point nearest the Sun, the Rosetta spacecraft was too far away to be able to receive signals from the lander and forward them to Earth. "There were also times last year when we
did not understand why Philae had made no contact with us." Philae made contact on 13 June 2015 and sent data on its 'health'. Overall, contact with the ground team was established seven more times, but these remained erratic and unpredictable. On
9 July 2015, it sent information for the last time. "We repeatedly sent various commands to try to stabilise contact with Philae and conduct measurements with its instruments, but unfortunately it was not possible." The project engineers believe that
the reason for the irregular contact and subsequent silence could have been a failure in the lander's transmitter.

Positive results for a premiere

With the Philae lander, engineers and scientists have drawn a mostly positive experience overall. "Although some measurements could not be carried out, overall, Philae was a success," Kuehrt stressed. "We ended up in an unknown environment and for
the first time ever, gathered scientific data from a comet's surface, which we were able to complement with measurements from the orbiter." The Rosetta mission has demonstrated that cometary activity is significantly more complex than previously thought.
"We have acquired a great deal of new information, but we are still far from a final understanding."

Even if the work with Philae was not all completed, for example, the chemical analysis of a soil sample or needing more time for scientific measurements: "We will not get such high-resolution and spectacular images as those that were acquired by the
ROLIS camera underneath the lander and from the panoramic CIVA camera for a long time." In addition, the mass spectrometer found organic molecules on the surface and the MUPUS thermal probe and SESAME seismometer were able to determine the physical
properties of the comet's surface. The comet nucleus was examined using radio signals transmitted from the lander to the orbiter, which provided information about the comet's structure. The comet did not have a measurable magnetic field. Meanwhile,
many of the results have been published in scientific journals. "The analysis of the data will continue for several years," emphasised Kuehrt.

Knowledge for future missions

Several firsts in space were celebrated with the Rosetta mission. Never before had a spacecraft accompanied a comet on its path around the Sun; never before has a robot landed on a comet's surface and carried out measurements there. "If you are looking
for a comparison with other historic missions, these would be the Viking missions, which sent detailed images of Mars for the first time, or the Voyager probes, which allowed a glimpse of the large planets of the Solar System," says Ulamec. The Philae
landing was a useful lesson: "We can better adapt future missions to conditions on a comet." 

The last images of Philae will probably be acquired in the summer of 2016, when the Rosetta spacecraft images the lander during close fly-bys. "When we see how Philae is positioned, we will be able to better interpret certain data, such as the measurements
of the CONSERT radar experiment." In approximately six years, Philae and Rosetta, which will be landed on the comet in September 2016 at the end of its mission, will be closer to Earth - and Comet 67/P Churyumov-Gerasimenko will have circled the Sun
once again.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: catdlr on 02/12/2016 10:21 pm
Philae facing eternal hibernation

Published on Feb 12, 2016
15 months after Philae made its historic landing on a comet, its legacy is enormous even if Rosetta’s lander is facing eternal hibernation.

Mission teams are now looking ahead to the grand finale: making a controlled impact of the Rosetta orbiter on the comet next September.Rosetta arrived at Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko on 6 August 2014 and Philae was delivered to the surface on 12 November. After touching down Philae bounced several times and completed 80% of its planned first science sequence before falling into hibernation. 

A contact was made with the lander on 13 June and intermittent contacts were made up to 9 July. However the results of Philae mission are unique and complement all the science harvested by the orbiter Rosetta who is continuing its quest before being sent directly to the surface of 69P late September.

https://youtu.be/VoBOqPh4et0
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 03/11/2016 12:08 pm
A diamagnetic cavity (volume around the comet without a magnetic field) has been found around 67P-C/G, as was expected from the similar results found by Giotto in Halley's comet. More details:

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta_finds_magnetic_field-free_bubble_at_comet (http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta_finds_magnetic_field-free_bubble_at_comet)


Note to mods: Shouldn't this thread be moved to the "Space Science" section, at least until the crash landing?
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Blackstar on 04/03/2016 12:58 am
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2016/04/01/the-latest-picture-of-rosettas-comet-is-truly-breathtaking/?hpid=hp_no-name_hp-in-the-news%3Apage%2Fin-the-news

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2016/04/01/cometwatch-27-march/

http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2016/04/Comet_on_27_March_2016_NavCam


Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 04/08/2016 01:33 pm
The colour changing comet

Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko was seen changing colour and brightness by Rosetta’s Visible and InfraRed Thermal Imaging Spectrometer, VIRTIS, as more water-ice was exposed near its surface as it moved close to the Sun between August and November 2014.

In the three-month study period the comet moved from about 542 million km to 438 million km from the Sun, and the spacecraft-to-comet distance varied from about 100 km to 10 km, resulting in a range of illumination conditions and viewing geometries.

In general, the darkest portions of the comet, containing dry dust made out of a mixture of minerals and organics, reflect light at redder wavelengths, while active regions and the occasional ice-rich exposure is bluer.

The VIRTIS study shows that even in the first three months of study at the comet, global average changes are noticeable, with an overall trend of the comet becoming brighter and more water-ice-rich. This is particularly notable in the Imhotep region, which becomes overall bluer over time.

Full story: The colour changing comet (http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/The_colour-changing_comet)

Image credit: Spacecraft: ESA/ATG medialab; Data: ESA/Rosetta/VIRTIS/INAF-IAPS/OBS DE PARIS-LESIA/DLR; G. Filacchione et al (2016)

http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2016/04/The_colour-changing_comet
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 05/27/2016 08:43 pm
Rosetta’s comet contains ingredients for life

The Rosina-DFMS instrument on Rosetta has detected ingredients considered important for life as we know it on Earth, in the coma of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.

One important detection was that of the simple amino acid glycine (top, C2H5NO2), a biologically important organic compound commonly found in proteins. Phosphorus was also detected (bottom, P), a key element in all living organisms. It is found in the backbone of DNA and RNA, in cell membranes, and in adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which transports chemical energy within cells for metabolism.

The multitude of organic molecules identified by Rosetta confirms our idea that comets have the potential to deliver key molecules for prebiotic chemistry on Earth.

Full story: Rosetta’s comet contains ingredients for life (http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_s_comet_contains_ingredients_for_life)

Image credit: Spacecraft: ESA/ATG medialab; Comet: ESA/Rosetta/NavCam – CC BY-SA IGO 3.0; data: Altwegg et al. (2016)

http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2016/05/Rosetta_s_comet_contains_ingredients_for_life
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 05/30/2016 04:41 pm
http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2016/05/30/rosetta-safe-mode-5-km-from-comet/

A bit of a scare over the weekend, when Rosetta was in safe mode at just 5 km (!!!) from the comet's surface, because of a star tracker locking onto a nearby dust fragment rather than a real star. New Norcia commanding in the blind brought the spacecraft back, although it's still stabilizing.

Aside from that, the latest plan for Rosetta's final descent is to aim for a lobe next to the Agilkia landing site (the original one Philae was aiming for) around the 30th of September.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 06/20/2016 04:46 pm
http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2016/06/14/krypton-and-xenon-added-to-rosettas-noble-gas-inventory/

Quote
Rosetta has detected the noble gases krypton and xenon while flying close to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko last month. The detections were made during dedicated orbits between 10 and 31 May, which took the spacecraft to within 10 km of the comet’s surface, and sometimes as close as 5 km.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: catdlr on 06/28/2016 07:54 pm
Rosetta status

European Space Agency, ESA

Published on Jun 28, 2016
Rosetta has another three months of science to collect before its historic mission comes to an end. But the mission is not resting on its laurels. It has just broken a new record by flying an orbit 7 kms from the comet’s centre – just 5 kms from the surface – and there are more breathtaking manoeuvres to come.

https://youtu.be/VxC0_icfwCM?t=001

https://youtu.be/VxC0_icfwCM
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 06/30/2016 01:22 pm
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_finale_set_for_30_September

Quote
Rosetta is set to complete its mission in a controlled descent to the surface of its comet on 30 September.

The mission is coming to an end as a result of the spacecraft’s ever-increasing distance from the Sun and Earth. It is heading out towards the orbit of Jupiter, resulting in significantly reduced solar power to operate the craft and its instruments, and a reduction in bandwidth available to downlink scientific data.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: catdlr on 07/01/2016 08:10 pm
Once upon a time... Rosetta's second year at the comet

European Space Agency, ESA

Published on Jul 1, 2016
Rosetta describes the exciting discoveries she made during her second year at Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, after the comet made its closest approach to the Sun along its orbit. She also tells us about her efforts to contact Philae, and starts counting down to her own mission finale.

https://youtu.be/lxdDx8frN_Y?t=001

https://youtu.be/lxdDx8frN_Y
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 07/22/2016 01:34 pm
Final destination: Maat region

The decision has been made for the location of Rosetta’s controlled impact on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on 30 September 2016, ending the mission.

The spacecraft will target Ma’at, a region hosting some active pits on the small comet lobe. This region has been chosen for its scientific potential and taking into account key operational constraints involved in executing the descent.

The expected time for Rosetta's contact with the surface of the comet is approximately 12:30 CEST / 10:30 UTC. More details on the timeline and likely data to be taken during the descent will follow shortly.

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2016/07/21/final-destination-maat-region/

Image credit: ESA
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: plutogno on 07/27/2016 07:19 am
http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2016/07/26/farewell-silent-philae/

Quote
Tomorrow, 27 July 2016 at 09:00 UTC / 11:00 CEST, the Electrical Support System Processor Unit (ESS) on Rosetta will be switched off. The ESS is the interface used for communications between Rosetta and the lander, Philae, which has remained silent since 9 July 2015.

Switching off the ESS is part of the preparations for Rosetta's end of mission. By the end of July 2016, the spacecraft will be some 520 million km from the Sun, and will start facing a significant loss of power – about 4W per day. In order to continue scientific operations over the next two months and to maximise their return, it became necessary to start reducing the power consumed by the non-essential payload components on board.

No signal has been received by Rosetta from Philae since last July and earlier this year the lander was considered to be in a state of eternal hibernation. In spite of this, the ESS was kept on until now in the unlikely chance that Philae would re-gain contact. Although Rosetta has reached altitudes well below 10 km over the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, however, no signal from the lander was received since July 2015.

The decision was taken by the mission manager and will be implemented by the Rosetta Mission Operations Centre, in coordination with the DLR Lander Control Center and the Rosetta Science Ground Segment.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/27/2016 11:56 am
To mark the milestone:
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2016/07/rosetta-goodbye-successful-mission-conclusion/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 08/02/2016 08:59 pm
New Vangelis album inspired by ESA's Rosetta mission

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2016/07/29/new-vangelis-album-inspired-by-esas-rosetta-mission/

Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 08/04/2016 08:53 am
How comets are born

28 July 2016

Detailed analysis of data collected by Rosetta show that comets are the ancient leftovers of early Solar System formation, and not younger fragments resulting from subsequent collisions between other, larger bodies.

http://sci.esa.int/rosetta/58119-how-comets-are-born/

Image credit: ESA/Rosetta/NavCam, Insets: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA; Fornasier et al. (2015); ESA/Rosetta/MPS for COSIMA Team MPS/CSNSM/UNIBW/TUORLA/IWF/IAS/ESA/BUW/MPE/LPC2E/LCM/FMI/UTU/LISA/UOFC/vH&S; Langevin et al. (2016)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jgoldader on 08/05/2016 03:25 pm
Does anybody know if the close approach a couple months back (IIRC) gave any clear detection of Philae?  Last I heard, there was a candidate a little outside the best-guess ellipse, but that was from last summer.  Thanks!
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: catdlr on 08/05/2016 08:21 pm
Rosetta’s journey around the comet

European Space Agency, ESA

Published on Aug 5, 2016
Animation visualising Rosetta’s two-year journey around Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.

The animation begins on 31 July 2014, during Rosetta’s final approach to the comet after its ten-year journey through space. The spacecraft arrived at a distance of 100 km on 6 August whereupon it gradually approached the comet and entered initial mapping orbits that were needed to select a landing site for Philae. These observations also enabled the first comet science of the mission. The manoeuvres in the lead up to, during and after Philae’s deployment on 12 November are seen, before Rosetta settled into longer-term science orbits.

https://youtu.be/RnwwxZwUSCY?t=001

https://youtu.be/RnwwxZwUSCY
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 08/08/2016 05:47 pm
Press release, 8 August 2016


Rosetta, Philae and comet fever - DLR opens the Rosetta mission exhibition at the Berlin Museum of Natural History


It's hard to say what surprised scientists and engineers the most during the Rosetta mission: the unusual form of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko that earned it the nickname 'Rubber Duck'? The bizarre, unexpectedly varied landscape with fissures, terraces,
crevasses, steep cliffs and even dune-like structures? The landing in November 2014, during which Philae bounced and flew for kilometres, touching down on multiple occasions instead of just once, before finally coming to rest? Perhaps the hard surface
of the comet, although many had voiced initial fears that it might be too soft? The plethora of molecules discovered for the first time on a comet? All around the globe, people were rooting for the scientists as they for the first time, explored the
surface of a comet on site, which was several hundred million kilometres away from Earth. Starting on 9 August 2016, the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt;  ;DLR), in cooperation with the Berlin Museum of Natural History
and the Max Planck Society, present the special exhibition 'Comets: The Rosetta Mission – A journey to the origins of the Solar System' that will showcase what makes comets so endlessly fascinating and how the Rosetta mission investigated their mysteries.

An ambitious mission with soaring targets

The idea to dispatch an orbiter and a lander to a comet was born almost 30 years ago. Observers became dissatisfied with merely casting a brief glance at these celestial bodies from the earliest days of the Solar System as they blazed across the skies.
Instead, they wanted to stay on the surface for a while and observe the comet becoming increasingly active as it drew closer to the Sun, spewing dust and gas into space. "These processes, typical of comets, were insufficiently researched. There was
plenty we had not grasped yet," says Ekkehard Kührt, planetary researcher at DLR and the man responsible for DLR's scientific contribution to the Rosetta and Philae mission. "We must not forget that comets are considered contemporary witnesses to the
birth of our planetary system, as they have largely preserved their original properties. We want to use this fact to cast our eyes deep into this nascent phase."

So the goals – and also the list of firsts that the European Space Agency (ESA) would have to perform as part of this mission – were largely defined: the first was to send an orbiter to orbit the comet and accompany it on its journey through space;
then came the unprecedented feat of dispatching the landing craft Philae, developed by a consortium under the leadership of DLR, to touch down on the surface of the comet, where it would conduct on site measurements. This would be the closest one could
ever get to a comet. It did not take long to come up with suitable names for the orbiter and the landing craft: Rosetta gave a nod to the Rosetta Stone, used to decipher the hieroglyphics. And in 1822, Jean Françoise Champollion used the inscriptions
on an obelisk from the Temple of Philae to translate what until then had been entirely indecipherable hieroglyphics.

Together, Rosetta and Philae carried a total of 21 instruments to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko: among other things, the international teams of scientists wanted to photograph, drill, sniff, hammer and listen in the hope of finding out what the comet
is made of, which physical properties it possesses and whether comets once brought water and building blocks for early life to Earth. "The emergence of life is a fundamental part of our research," explains Tilman Spohn, Director of the DLR Institute
of Planetary Research. "Rosetta showed us that, while comets may conceivably have brought prebiotic molecules, they most certainly were not the main source of water on Earth."

A comet in the heart of Berlin

The international mission was launched on 2 March 2004. The journey through space, during which the Rosetta orbiter gained momentum by close Earth and Mars flybys, took 10 years. On its journey, the spacecraft photographed the asteroids Šteins and
Lutetia before finally starting its approach toward Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko after two-and-a-half years of hibernation. Rosetta reached its destination on 6 August 2014, and Philae completed the hitherto unprecedented landing on a comet on 12
November 2014. The exhibition documents all of these stages and also includes a 1:5 scale model of the Rosetta orbiter, as well as a life-size replica of the Philae lander. Another protagonist of the mission, Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, stands
over a street map of Berlin-Mitte in a scale of 1:1000 measuring 4.3 by 3.6 metres. 

The ups and downs of visiting a comet

"The Rosetta mission and Philae's landing were and are unique," says DLR scientist Stephan Ulamec, who led the team responsible for Philae. The engineers and scientists working on Philae experienced their fair share of ups and downs: initially, the
landing craft deviated from its plan and bounced on the surface. All the same, it spent 64 hours collecting data for its 10 on-board experiments while the team at the DLR Lander Control Center (LCC) worked round-the-clock in two-shift cycles to send
commands to Philae and operate it. The lander reported back from its hibernation once more on 13 June 2015, sending more data packages and making contact with the team on the ground on seven more occasions.

The scientists received the last sign of life from their landing craft on 9 July 2015. The lines of communication then went dead, and Philae has remained silent ever since. With its eye still focused on the comet, the work of the Rosetta orbiter was
far from over: the mission was so successful that it was extended by the European Space Agency for a further nine months, until 30 September 2016.

The insights gained during the mission are revolutionary: astounding images of a jagged, jet black comet outgassing increasingly as it approaches the Sun and hurling colossal streams of gas and cometary material out into space; the knowledge that comets
are not 'dirty snowballs' consisting of loose material, but are instead icy, porous spheres of dust with an unexpectedly hard surface; and the realisation that comets like 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko did not actually bring water to Earth.

The Rosetta orbiter and the Philae lander will be united once more in September 2016: Rosetta will be landed on the comet's surface, conduct a number of spectacular measurements, and finally join Philae and 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on their journey
around the Sun. From then on, it will no longer be possible to make radio contact with either spacecraft.

The exhibition

'Comets: The Rosetta Mission – A journey to the origins of the Solar System', the DLR exhibition in cooperation with the Berlin Museum of Natural History and the Max Planck Society will open on 9 August 2016. Visitors are invited to attend a free pre-opening
from 18:00 to 21:00 on 8 August 2016.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 09/02/2016 08:01 pm
http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2016/09/02/video-report-the-end-is-in-sight/

Video report: the end is in sight

https://youtu.be/UobzGZH2VnE
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Chris Bergin on 09/05/2016 01:57 pm
Philae found!!!

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Philae_found
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 09/05/2016 02:10 pm
Close-up of the Philae lander, imaged by Rosetta’s OSIRIS narrow-angle camera on 2 September 2016 from a distance of 2.7 km. The image scale is about 5 cm/pixel. Philae’s 1 m-wide body and two of its three legs can be seen extended from the body. The images also provide proof of Philae’s orientation.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Svetoslav on 09/05/2016 03:08 pm
Rosetta's Philae lander has been found on the surface of the comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko:

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Philae_found
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Star One on 09/05/2016 03:18 pm
So are they going to put Rosetta down on the surface near it?
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Lee Jay on 09/05/2016 04:10 pm
If you can't find it in the wider image, it's partly because the NSF forum is, at least for me, cutting off most of it in the expanded view.  It's just above the middle on the extreme right edge.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Lar on 09/05/2016 04:56 pm
Another story on this

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2104594-found-philae-lander-finally-spotted-by-rosetta-on-comet-67p
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Lar on 09/05/2016 04:57 pm
If you can't find it in the wider image, it's partly because the NSF forum is, at least for me, cutting off most of it in the expanded view.  It's just above the middle on the extreme right edge.
For me (Chrome on RHEL) the whole image is shown. But you have to use multiple scroll bars to see it
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: psloss on 09/05/2016 05:05 pm
There's a nice companion/contextual composite image from ESA here:
http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2016/09/Philae_found

(Also attached)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: the_other_Doug on 09/05/2016 05:08 pm
Hooray!

Funny thing, it would appear that the third leg should be pointing right back at the observer's position in the OSIRIS picture.  I don't see any sign of it.  Does it just sort of disappear from view because we're looking at end-on?
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Rocket Science on 09/05/2016 05:24 pm
Hooray!

Funny thing, it would appear that the third leg should be pointing right back at the observer's position in the OSIRIS picture.  I don't see any sign of it.  Does it just sort of disappear from view because we're looking at end-on?
It's giving us on Earth "the bird" Doug saying "finally"! ;D
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Hobbes-22 on 09/05/2016 05:28 pm
 I grabbed the annotated image  (http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2016/09/Philae_close-up_labelled)from the ESA site:

I think the lower of the two visible legs is pointing towards us. It's at a small angle wrt where it's supposed to be, maybe the legs got twisted around by all the bouncing?

The third leg is not visible as it's behind the lander.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: the_other_Doug on 09/05/2016 05:56 pm
I grabbed the annotated image  (http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2016/09/Philae_close-up_labelled)from the ESA site:

I think the lower of the two visible legs is pointing towards us. It's at a small angle wrt where it's supposed to be, maybe the legs got twisted around by all the bouncing?

The third leg is not visible as it's behind the lander.

OK, I see what you're saying.  I have interpreted the bottom leg as being below and behind the lander, with the third leg's geometry having it pointing directly at me.

It's hard to see how a third leg can actually be behind the lander here, that's one reason why I'm not seeing it the way you propose.  So, maybe that leg is collapsed, or off the vehicle?

I thought we saw all three legs in sunshine in the CIVA pan, though.  I could be wrong about that, though.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Hobbes-22 on 09/05/2016 06:16 pm
Found the CIVA pan here (http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/11/13/comet-with-a-view/). 2 legs in view.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Dalhousie on 09/06/2016 03:39 am
I grabbed the annotated image  (http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2016/09/Philae_close-up_labelled)from the ESA site:

I think the lower of the two visible legs is pointing towards us. It's at a small angle wrt where it's supposed to be, maybe the legs got twisted around by all the bouncing?

The third leg is not visible as it's behind the lander.

OK, I see what you're saying.  I have interpreted the bottom leg as being below and behind the lander, with the third leg's geometry having it pointing directly at me.

It's hard to see how a third leg can actually be behind the lander here, that's one reason why I'm not seeing it the way you propose.  So, maybe that leg is collapsed, or off the vehicle?

I thought we saw all three legs in sunshine in the CIVA pan, though.  I could be wrong about that, though.

It's basically in a crevice, so I think there is plenty of room behind the lander for the third leg.  It would have been twisted or broken, but I suspect not.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 09/09/2016 01:22 pm
Press Release
N°31-2016

Paris, 9 September 2016

Call for Media: Rosetta's grand finale

Rosetta is set to complete its mission in a controlled descent to the surface of its comet on 30 September. 

Members of the media are invited to join Rosetta science and mission control experts at the ESA's European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany, on 29 and 30 September, to follow the conclusion of this historic mission.

ESA's Rosetta spacecraft arrived at Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on 6 August 2014, following a ten-year journey through the Solar System after its launch on 2 March 2004. The Philae lander was sent down to the surface of the comet on 12 November
2014.

After two years living with the comet, returning an unprecedented wealth of scientific information during its closest approach to the Sun, Rosetta and the comet are now heading out beyond the orbit of Jupiter again.

Travelling further from the Sun than ever before, and faced with a significant reduction in solar power that it needs to operate, Rosetta's destiny has been set: it will follow Philae down onto the surface of the comet.
 
Confirmation of the end of mission is expected from ESA's main control room at 11:20 GMT  or 13:20 CEST +/- 20 minutes on 30 September, with the spacecraft set on a collision course with the comet the evening before.

The final hours of descent will enable Rosetta to make many once-in-a-lifetime measurements, including analysing gas and dust closer to the surface than ever possible before, and taking very high resolution images of the comet nucleus, including the
open pits of the Ma'at region where the spacecraft is expected to make its controlled impact.

These data should be returned during the descent up to the moment of final impact, after which communication with the spacecraft will not be possible.

Media are invited to cover the final hours of operations at ESOC from 10:00 CEST on 30 September, and join mission representatives in celebrating the success of this incredible adventure. 

In addition, scientific journalists are invited to apply to attend an afternoon with Rosetta science experts the day before, on 29 September, dedicated to reviewing the key scientific highlights of the mission so far. 

Both the science session on 29 September and the main mission finale on 30 September will be live streamed for all interested media at www.esa.int.

Programme at ESOC
(all times in CEST, programme/times subject to change)

29 September

Livestream of Rosetta Science Talks from 14:30 to 17:00 at www.esa.int 
Rosetta has provided many important clues for scientists to put together to solve key questions regarding the comet's origin and evolution, its place in the early Solar System, and the possible role of comets in delivering ingredients considered crucial
for the emergence of life on Earth, including water and organic materials.
Rosetta scientists will take us on a comprehensive scientific journey, putting those puzzle pieces together. The tour will start with an explanation of the comet's varied landscape, its interior properties and the nature of the dust ejected from the
nucleus, followed by a close look at its changing activity over the course of the mission, and the interaction of the comet with its surroundings as it orbits the Sun. We will also discover more about the organic molecules detected at the comet, and
finally what the consequences all of these findings have for our understanding of the evolution of our Solar System.

30 September

11:00 - 15:00 (doors open at 10:00)
The programme for media will follow the operational highlights of the descent of Rosetta, which will be relayed live via videostream from the Main Control Room to the Media Centre. Mission experts will also explain the scientific highlights of the
mission so far, and present the final images as Rosetta gets closer and closer to the surface of the comet. 

Members of the wide international Rosetta team, including scientists, spacecraft operators, and engineers, as well as representatives from ESA and its partner agencies, along with industry and some special guests, will witness and celebrate the final
hours of this iconic mission together. 
All will be available for media interviews. 

Media accreditation
Media with valid press and/or social media credentials should register at https://myconvento.com/public/event_register/index/1438240 for the main finale on 30 September. Journalists with specific scientific interest should also register to attend the
29 September scientific session, although numbers may be limited.

Follow online
The briefings on 29 and 30 September will be livestreamed at: esa.int
Live coverage of operational milestones in the final days of the mission will also be provided via the Rosetta blog (blogs.esa.int/rosetta/) and via @ESA_Rosetta (twitter.com/ESA_Rosetta ) and @esaoperations on Twitter (twitter.com/esaoperations).
Please use the #CometLanding hashtag on social media.

Hangout on air event - 19 September
In preparation for the mission end, we will host a hangout on air at 14:00 CEST on 19 September  to present and discuss Rosetta's final days and hours of operation. The sequence of the descent, as well of the images and scientific data to be acquired
will be presented, as well as a summary of the results of the search that led to the announcement of the discovery of Philae on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on 5 September.

For broadcasters
Information on available footage, broadcast times and satellite parameters will be availabale at: http://www.esa.int/esatv/Television


Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 09/09/2016 04:32 pm
Rosetta’s last week at the comet

A simplified overview of Rosetta’s last week of manoeuvres at Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko (comet rotation is not considered). After 24 September the spacecraft will leave the flyover orbits and transfer towards an initial point of a 16 x 23 km orbit that will be used to prepare for the final descent. The collision course manoeuvre will take place in the evening of 29 September, initiating the descent from an altitude of about 20 km. The impact is expected to occur at 10:40 GMT (±20 minutes) at the comet, which taking into account the 40 minute signal travel time between Rosetta and Earth on 30 September, means the confirmation would be expected at mission control at 11:20 GMT / 13:20 CEST (±20 minutes).

More details about the final trajectory will be provided once available.

http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2016/09/Rosetta_s_last_week_at_the_comet

Image credit: ESA
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 09/09/2016 04:39 pm
Rosetta’s planned impact site

Rosetta is destined to make a controlled impact into the Ma’at region of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko on 30 September 2016, targeting a point within a 700 x 500 m ellipse (a very approximate outline is marked on the image).

The target area is home to several active pits measuring over 100 m across and 60 m deep, from which a number of the comet’s dust jets originate. Some of the pit walls also exhibit intriguing metre-sized lumpy structures called ‘goosebumps’, which could be the signatures of early cometesimals that agglomerated to create the comet in the early phases of Solar System formation.

Rosetta’s final descent may afford detailed close-up views of these features.

Related article: Rosetta's descent towards region of active pits (http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_s_descent_towards_region_of_active_pits)

http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2016/09/Rosetta_s_planned_impact_site

Image credit: ESA/Rosetta/NavCam – CC BY-SA IGO 3.0
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: plutogno on 09/11/2016 04:23 pm
from the French space agency CNES: Philae had already been imaged (but not resolved) in December 2014 (in French)
https://rosetta.cnes.fr/fr/rosettaphilae-les-coulisses-dune-retrouvaille
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Aragatz on 09/12/2016 09:37 am
Merci beaucoup ! / Thank you very much !
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Hobbes-22 on 09/12/2016 10:15 am
Close-up of the Philae lander, imaged by Rosetta’s OSIRIS narrow-angle camera on 2 September 2016 from a distance of 2.7 km. The image scale is about 5 cm/pixel. Philae’s 1 m-wide body and two of its three legs can be seen extended from the body. The images also provide proof of Philae’s orientation.

I think those annotations are incorrect. The dashed line indicating the top panel is rotated one facet counterclockwise.

(http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=36067.0;attach=1366288;image)

Compare to the animated GIF in the CNES article (from plutogno's link), which I've attached. This also shows the position of the third leg. I've also attached an annotated version of that image.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Sam Ho on 09/13/2016 07:54 am
So are they going to put Rosetta down on the surface near it?
The landing target is on the other side of the small lobe.

Quote
Is the target site close to Philae, and will Rosetta be able to see Philae during its descent?

Rosetta’s planned touchdown site is on the small comet lobe, but on the opposite side from where Philae has been located at Abydos. Due to a combination of orbital dynamics and illumination reasons, the current trajectory plan does not see Rosetta pass over Philae during the descent.

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_s_grand_finale_frequently_asked_questions
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Sam Ho on 09/19/2016 11:12 pm
ESA blog post about EOM planning.

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2016/09/16/beginning-of-the-end/

Also, an hour-long ESA hangout with EOM Q&A.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9lIPUjFe40
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 09/23/2016 04:03 pm
Rosetta’s journey and timeline 2004–16

Infographic and timeline summarising the milestones of Rosetta’s journey through the Solar System, from launch in 2004 to mission end in 2016.

http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2016/09/Rosetta_s_journey_and_timeline_2004_16

Image credit: ESA
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: catdlr on 09/24/2016 01:23 am
ESA Euronews: Rosetta heads for glorious crash-landing

European Space Agency, ESA

Published on Sep 23, 2016
In just a few days' time ESA's Rosetta mission is going to come to a close in a most extraordinary fashion, because the spacecraft is going to slowly, and deliberately crash-land into the comet that it has been orbiting for the past two years.

https://youtu.be/K_7u71Lu3S4?t=001

https://youtu.be/K_7u71Lu3S4
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: catdlr on 09/27/2016 04:01 pm
Once upon a time... Rosetta's grand finale

European Space Agency, ESA

Published on Sep 27, 2016
Rosetta revisits the exciting scientific discoveries she made during her time at Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, including the successful search to find Philae. Finally, she starts preparing to descend to the comet for the end of her extraordinary mission.

https://youtu.be/lVKFyFbfpOI?t=001

https://youtu.be/lVKFyFbfpOI
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: aga on 09/28/2016 10:34 am
and Ambition – Epilogue

https://youtu.be/LSdYCPATV9o
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: catdlr on 09/28/2016 05:59 pm
September 28, 2016
MEDIA ADVISORY M16-113
NASA Television to Provide Coverage of European Mission Comet Touchdown

NASA Television and the agency’s website will air the conclusion of ESA’s (European Space Agency’s) Rosetta mission from 6:15 to 8 a.m. EDT Friday, Sept. 30, with NASA commentary, interviews and analysis of the successful mission. The Rosetta mission will end with the controlled decent of the spacecraft onto the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko at around 7:20 a.m.

From 8:15 to 10:15 a.m., NASA scientists and engineers involved in ESA’s Rosetta mission will be available for live broadcast interviews from the European Space Operations Center in Darmstadt, Germany. To schedule an interview, contact Mark Petrovich at 818-393-4359 or [email protected].

Rosetta was launched in 2004 carrying 11 science instruments, with several contributions from NASA including: the Microwave Instrument for Rosetta Orbiter (MIRO); the Alice spectrograph; the Ion and Electron Sensor (IES); and the Double Focusing Mass Spectrometer (DFMS) electronics package for the Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion Neutral Analysis (ROSINA). NASA's Deep Space Network supports ESA's Ground Station Network for spacecraft tracking and navigation.

The spacecraft arrived at its destination comet on Aug. 6, 2014, becoming the first mission in history to rendezvous with a comet and escort it as it orbits the sun. About two months later, the small Philae lander deployed from Rosetta touched down on the comet and bounced several times before alighting on the surface. Philae obtained the first images ever taken from the surface of a comet, and sent back valuable scientific data for several days. ESA is ending the mission because the spacecraft’s ever-increasing distance from the sun has resulted in significantly reduced solar power to operate the spacecraft and its instruments.

Comets are time capsules containing primitive material left over from the epoch when the sun and its planets formed. Rosetta is the first spacecraft to witness up close how a comet changes as it is subjected to the increasing intensity of the sun's radiation. Observations will help scientists learn more about the origin and evolution of our solar system and the role comets may have played in the formation of planets.

In addition to NASA’s contribution, Rosetta's Philae lander was provided by a consortium led by the German Aerospace Center, Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, French National Space Agency, and Italian Space Agency. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, manages the U.S. contributions to the Rosetta mission for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. JPL also built the MIRO and hosts its principal investigator, Mark Hofstadter. The Southwest Research Institute developed Rosetta's IES and Alice instruments and hosts their principal investigators, James Burch for IES and Alan Stern for the Alice instrument.

NASA TV streaming video, downlink and updated scheduling information is at:

http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

The landing coverage will also be streamed live at:

http://www.ustream.tv/nasajpl2

For more information on the U.S. instruments aboard Rosetta, visit:

http://rosetta.jpl.nasa.gov

-end-

Artist's concept of Rosetta shortly before hitting Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko on Sept. 30, 2016.
Artist's concept of Rosetta shortly before hitting Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko on Sept. 30, 2016.
Credits: ESA/ATG medialab
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 09/28/2016 08:05 pm
How to follow Rosetta's grand finale

Rosetta is set to complete its historic mission in a controlled descent to the surface of its comet on 30 September, with the end of mission confirmation predicted to be within 20 minutes of 11:20 GMT (13:20 CEST). Details of how, when and where to follow the key moments online, starting with a review of the mission’s impressive haul of science highlights on 29 September, can be found below:

29 September 12:30–15:30 GMT / 14:30–17:30 CEST, science highlights

Tune in to the livestream viewer at  rosetta.esa.int, https://new.livestream.com/ESA/rosettagrandfinale or ESA's Facebook page on 29 September for dedicated talks celebrating the scientific highlights of the mission.

Programme overview

- Matt Taylor (ESA’s Rosetta Project Scientist): Introduction
- Mohamed El-Maarry (OSIRIS team, University of Bern): Landscapes of Chury
- Valerie Ciarletti (CONSERT team, Universités Paris-Saclay): Getting the ground truth about the nucleus
- Thurid Mannel (MIDAS team, University of Graz): Dust under the microscope
- Jean-Baptiste Vincent (OSIRIS team, Max-Planck Institute for Solar Physics, Göttingen): Cometary activity and fireworks
- Andre Bieler (ROSINA team, University of Bern/University of Michigan): Comet activity variation and evolution
- Charlotte Goetz (RPC team, Institute for Extra-terrestrial Physics, TU Braunschweig): The singing comet
- Cecila Tubiana (OSIRIS team, Max-Planck Institute for Solar Physics, Göttingen): Rosetta’s link to Earth
- Kathrin Altwegg (ROSINA team, University of Bern): The cometary zoo
- Björn Davidsson (Asteroids, Comets and Satellites Group, JPL): Formation of our Solar System
- Matt Taylor: Final comments and close

29 September 20:50 GMT / 22:50 CEST, final manoeuvre

Rosetta is expected to execute its ‘collision manoeuvre’ at 20:50 GMT / 22:50 CEST, at an altitude of about 19 km, which will set it on course to collide with the comet within 20 minutes of 10:40 GMT / 12:40 CEST on 30 September at the comet. An update to confirm the manoeuvre will be provided via the Rosetta blog  and via Twitter through the spacecraft’s account @ESA_Rosetta and via @esaoperations shortly after the manoeuvre is completed.

Images from the descent are expected to be shared from the early morning of 30 September onwards, via ESA’s Space in Images and Rosetta social media channels (in the first instance on Twitter via @ESA_Rosetta).

30 September 07:55–08:05 GMT / 09:55–10:05 CEST, last commands and confirmation of landing time

At 08:00 GMT / 10:00 CEST the last commands will be uploaded to the spacecraft to fine-tune the spacecraft’s pointing, based on the Navigation Camera images taken shortly after the collision manoeuvre. It is at this stage that a refined time for Rosetta’s impact will be known: it is currently predicted at 10:40 GMT / 12:40 CEST (±20 minutes) at the comet but it is expected to be narrowed down to within ±2 minutes.

There will be a short transmission streamed via rosetta.esa.int, https://new.livestream.com/ESA/rosettagrandfinale and ESA's Facebook page confirming this information, and once known, we will update the time indicated at the top of the How to follow... page on the main ESA web portal (and also via the blog and social media channels).

Note that due to the signal travel time, the end of mission will be confirmed 40 minutes after the impact has actually occurred, within 20 minutes of 11:20 GMT / 13:20 CEST.

30 September 10:30–11:40 GMT / 12:30–13:40 CEST, end of mission coverage

Live coverage will begin at 10:30 GMT /12:30 CEST via rosetta.esa.int or at https://new.livestream.com/ESA/rosettagrandfinale and ESA's Facebook page featuring status updates from mission controllers live from ESA’s European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany. Note that the start time may be subject to ±20 minute change depending on the final confirmed impact time.

All times are subject to change due to circumstances beyond our control – check this page for the latest update.

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2016/09/27/how-to-follow-rosettas-grand-finale/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: theonlyspace on 09/28/2016 08:14 pm
For us in the USA what are the times in Eastern Daylight Savings Time will the events take place please?
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: AnalogMan on 09/28/2016 11:02 pm
For us in the USA what are the times in Eastern Daylight Savings Time will the events take place please?

EDT = GMT  minus 4 hours
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: catdlr on 09/29/2016 03:22 am
Once upon a time... Rosetta's grand finale

 
European Space Agency, ESA

Published on Sep 27, 2016
Rosetta revisits the exciting scientific discoveries she made during her time at Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, including the successful search to find Philae. Finally, she starts preparing to descend to the comet for the end of her extraordinary mission.

https://youtu.be/lVKFyFbfpOI?t=001

https://youtu.be/lVKFyFbfpOI
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Chris Bergin on 09/29/2016 09:07 pm
EOM Article by Chris Gebhardt:
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2016/09/esa-historic-rosetta-mission-comet-67p/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Sam Ho on 09/29/2016 09:38 pm
Quote
Collision Burn start confirmed, monitoring the progress #CometLanding @ESA_Rosetta
https://twitter.com/esaoperations/status/781607323945013249
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Sam Ho on 09/29/2016 09:39 pm
Quote
End of #CometLanding Collision Burn confirmed at 20:51:39 UTC, duration around 208s. Next stop #67P! @ESA_Rosetta
https://twitter.com/esaoperations/status/781608745537245184
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: DaveS on 09/29/2016 09:43 pm
ESA Operations ‏@esaoperations  4m4 minutes ago
End of #CometLanding Collision Burn confirmed at 20:51:39 UTC, duration around 208s. Next stop #67P! @ESA_Rosetta

Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Sam Ho on 09/29/2016 09:51 pm
Quote
@ESA_Rosetta's thruster temperatures during #CometLanding Collision Burn, with @mggtTaylor in attendance. All set for tomorrow...
https://twitter.com/esaoperations/status/781610269155987456
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Alpha Control on 09/30/2016 02:55 am
EOM Article by Chris Gebhardt:
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2016/09/esa-historic-rosetta-mission-comet-67p/

Fine article, Chris G. Very well written, and a great recap of some of the fascinating science discoveries of this historic mission. I had missed some of the earlier science announcements so several of the discoveries that you highlighted were new for me. A great summary to a great mission. One of my favorite space science missions of the past 20 years.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 09/30/2016 03:42 am
Quote from: @esaoperations
Overnight, Rosetta took the final 5 NavCamimages; these are now being analysed (we'll share shortly) #CometLanding
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 09/30/2016 03:49 am
Meanwhile, taken one hour ago with the NavCam from 16 km out:
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: wxmeddler on 09/30/2016 05:15 am
Is there any chance it could "survive" the landing. I'm sure most the instruments will be damaged but the bus should survive (minus some propellent breach). Does ESA have any plans of trying to contact it after landing and just say "hey can you still hear me?" or did they just hit the kill switch with that final transmission?
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Sam Ho on 09/30/2016 05:50 am
Is there any chance it could "survive" the landing. I'm sure most the instruments will be damaged but the bus should survive (minus some propellent breach). Does ESA have any plans of trying to contact it after landing and just say "hey can you still hear me?" or did they just hit the kill switch with that final transmission?
Rosetta will be configured so that safe mode will put the spacecraft into ground test mode, with the transmitter and propulsion off. The attitude disturbance upon impact is expected to trigger that safe mode. In any case, the HGA beamwidth is only one degree, and there would be no way to maintain antenna pointing from the surface.

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2016/09/29/how-rosetta-gets-passivated/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Sam Ho on 09/30/2016 05:54 am
Updated #cometlanding time: 10:38 UTC (12:38CEST) then we'll see confirmation on Earth at 13:18 CEST - one-way signal time is 40 mins today

https://twitter.com/esaoperations/status/781714030184529920
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Sam Ho on 09/30/2016 06:10 am
Final commands confirmed on board @ESA_Rosetta - #OSIRIS camera pointing to be executed in sequence during today's #cometlanding descent

https://twitter.com/esaoperations/status/781736970645110785
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Chris Bergin on 09/30/2016 10:31 am
NASA TV's got some coverage..

http://www.ustream.tv/NASAHDTV
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Helodriver on 09/30/2016 10:35 am
Live broadcast from the IAC.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Silmfeanor on 09/30/2016 10:42 am
Rosetta should have landed / crashed now. We won't hear till ~40 more minutes, though.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Chris Bergin on 09/30/2016 10:43 am
Rosetta will be down at this point, but it takes 40 mins for the signal to reach Earth.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Silmfeanor on 09/30/2016 10:43 am
DSN in Madrid busily downlinking.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Silmfeanor on 09/30/2016 10:52 am
Scientist with a great british accent ' just like Philae, we have only just scratched the surface' - the science from the data collected and analysis thereof is continuing.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Silmfeanor on 09/30/2016 10:52 am
2 km shots of the pit.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Silmfeanor on 09/30/2016 10:56 am
https://twitter.com/esaoperations/status/781809730037673984

ESA Operations ‏@esaoperations

Science still streaming down from @ESA_Rosetta to #ESOC as we await confirmation of #CometLanding

Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Apollo-phill on 09/30/2016 10:59 am
In the OSIRIS image showing an area just 255 metres across there appears to be ice in the crevices to the right centre.

Phill P.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Chris Bergin on 09/30/2016 10:59 am
A lot (and understandably) passionate reviews of the mission.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Silmfeanor on 09/30/2016 11:01 am
Talking about the search for Philae
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Silmfeanor on 09/30/2016 11:03 am
around 1km height.
unstitched image from a bit higher.
Also, 1.5km bottom of pit.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Helodriver on 09/30/2016 11:04 am
1000 people have crowded into the hall for the landing, IAC crowd second in size only to Elon's presentation.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Silmfeanor on 09/30/2016 11:04 am
The bottom of the pit image has a resolution of 2.8 cm / pixel!
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Silmfeanor on 09/30/2016 11:07 am
Happy scientists saying goodbye to the mission!
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Silmfeanor on 09/30/2016 11:11 am
~8 minutes till the last signal reaches earth.

Talking about other missions; BepiColombo, Ice giants, international cooperation.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Silmfeanor on 09/30/2016 11:12 am
overview image; the spacecraft will fly 'through' the boxes.
edit: or will images be taken of the boxes? didnt get that
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Chris Bergin on 09/30/2016 11:13 am
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Silmfeanor on 09/30/2016 11:15 am
stopped commenting; 4 minutes 20 sec to go.
Control room.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Chris Bergin on 09/30/2016 11:16 am
Teams standing by for the confirmation of touchdown.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Silmfeanor on 09/30/2016 11:16 am
telemetry signal, I assume
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Silmfeanor on 09/30/2016 11:18 am
https://twitter.com/esaoperations/status/781814999668883456

"Less than 200m!!! 3 min to impact" @ESA_Rosetta #CometLanding
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Chris Bergin on 09/30/2016 11:18 am
Will be on this screen.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Silmfeanor on 09/30/2016 11:20 am
aaand signal gone! Rosetta has landed!
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Chris Bergin on 09/30/2016 11:21 am
There we go:
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Silmfeanor on 09/30/2016 11:22 am
DSN Madrid also gone silent. The last bits of signal of Rosetta have been received!
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Silmfeanor on 09/30/2016 11:24 am
https://twitter.com/esaoperations/status/781816617097392129

ESA Operations ‏@esaoperations 59s
Screenshot of the last packet received from @ESA_Rosetta #CometLanding
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Chris Bergin on 09/30/2016 11:25 am
As we wait for the final images....congrats to all involved with these two deep space explorers.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Silmfeanor on 09/30/2016 11:26 am
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Perchlorate on 09/30/2016 11:27 am
The usual 1 congratulatory post OK now, Chris?  If so, great job to all involved at ESA, and the intrepid spacecraft as well!!!
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Helodriver on 09/30/2016 11:31 am
Video of reaction from IAC hall.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Chris Bergin on 09/30/2016 11:31 am
The usual 1 congratulatory post OK now, Chris?  If so, great job to all involved at ESA, and the intrepid spacecraft as well!!!

I don't see why not. We're still waiting for some photos of course.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Silmfeanor on 09/30/2016 11:35 am
I don't see why not. We're still waiting for some photos of course.

Heres one -
http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2016/09/Comet_from_1.2_km_narrow-angle_camera

1.2km height narrow-angle camera.

Congratulations everyone who worked with Rosetta, its been a great journey!
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Silmfeanor on 09/30/2016 11:40 am
raw images, from different heights.

750m

1cm/pixel from 590m

360m - a gravel field.

an image from -10 sec - about 10-5 meter from the ground!
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Chris Bergin on 09/30/2016 11:43 am
Why wouldn't he pan in for the final photo?
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Chris Bergin on 09/30/2016 11:45 am
Great work with the coverage Silmfeanor!

Chris Gebhardt's article updated:
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2016/09/esa-historic-rosetta-mission-comet-67p/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Silmfeanor on 09/30/2016 11:47 am
Touching!
Rosetta going to sleep..but in the future perhaps we might visit again!
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 09/30/2016 12:11 pm
Beautiful end to such a awe-inspiring mission! Thanks for the archived coverage for those of us who kept sleeping until almost touchdown time :)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Apollo-phill on 09/30/2016 12:31 pm
A 67/P ROCK TALE


How can I describe it ?

Whatever it is, it isn't native to my home, so I'll call it ".. an alien.." !

I'd was bathing, taking in the last weak rays of sunshine before the long ride along the "winter" path. I've done it ever since I can remember and thats quite a few years , I'll tell you !  Someone jokingly said I'd probably been sunbathing since the start of time or, at least the start of the solar system .  Cheeky upstart ! I'm old but not that old !

Anyway, back to the tale.

Had an inkling "something" was to happen since - quite a few weeks ago now this other item - I'll call it a " small robotic alien" for want of a description - went whizzing over my  head and kept touching down then bouncing around like a lunatic . And you know what 'lunatics' are like as we've passed dozens of their  " moon homes"  on our journies around ! But, I've not seen the small alien since. Some close friends said it had crashed into the side of the cliffs not too far away. But I could not go investigate being " set in stone" like I am , all these years , unable to move .Sigh !

Then, today of all days, I caught sight on the periphery of my view , this much, much "bigger alien" which was probably the " robotic mother ship " ? Who knows ?

It plummeted to the ground and one of  its two large flat , mirror like protuberances hit the surface and the whole thing bounced up and over, rocking from side to side as it did so. Suddenly, without warning, it bounced again and its direction changed and started heading towards me with some speed. Being rooted like I am with my " rock like" inability to move, I could not get out of the way .

Crash, bang, wallop !

The " big alien" came to a halt with one if its two panels over the top of me  ! Everything went dark. I was afraid . Very afraid not knowing what may happen next . I could sense this " vibration and humming noise" coming from inside the big cube of the alien. Its body felt " warm" too as if something inside was keeping it ' alive' ? However, after a short while, it went quiet and it cooled down .Its like the rest of " us" now. Stood motionless, no noise, no warmth . Its probably "dead" ?

But, now, I can no longer sunbathe and fear that I'll be in permanent shadow for the rest of my life due to the alien' s panel. Unless of course, the robot alien makers come to collect it , take it away and leave me to continue my sunbathing for eons to come, here on comet 67/P !

So,wherever you are, take heed.

Keep looking up into the heavens for - one day - you may encounter robotic aliens !


Phill Parker
30Sept 2016


Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Semmel on 09/30/2016 12:34 pm
Congratulations to the team! Will miss Rosetta quite a bit, what a wonderful mission! *sniff*
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: westcountry on 09/30/2016 12:56 pm
Scientist with a great british accent ' just like Philae, we have only just scratched the surface' - the science from the data collected and analysis thereof is continuing.

that scientist is Dr Matt Taylor, heavy metal enthusiast and Project Scientist for Rosetta

 :)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 09/30/2016 01:33 pm
http://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Videos/2016/09/Once_upon_a_time_mission_complete

https://youtu.be/vcYo-qQ5HbA
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 09/30/2016 01:52 pm
N° 33–2016: MISSION COMPLETE: ROSETTA’S JOURNEY ENDS IN DARING DESCENT TO COMET

30 September 2016

ESA’s historic Rosetta mission has concluded as planned, with the controlled impact onto the comet it had been investigating for more than two years.
Confirmation of the end of the mission arrived at ESA’s control centre in Darmstadt, Germany at 11:19 GMT (13:19 CEST) with the loss of Rosetta’s signal upon impact.

Rosetta carried out its final manoeuvre last night at 20:50 GMT (22:50 CEST), setting it on a collision course with the comet from an altitude of about 19 km. Rosetta had targeted a region on the small lobe of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, close to a region of active pits in the Ma’at region.

The descent gave Rosetta the opportunity to study the comet’s gas, dust and plasma environment very close to its surface, as well as take very high-resolution images.

Pits are of particular interest because they play an important role in the comet’s activity. They also provide a unique window into its internal building blocks.

The information collected on the descent to this fascinating region was returned to Earth before the impact. It is now no longer possible to communicate with the spacecraft.

“Rosetta has entered the history books once again,” says Johann-Dietrich Wörner, ESA’s Director General. “Today we celebrate the success of a game-changing mission, one that has surpassed all our dreams and expectations, and one that continues ESA’s legacy of ‘firsts’ at comets.”

“Thanks to a huge international, decades-long endeavour, we have achieved our mission to take a world-class science laboratory to a comet to study its evolution over time, something that no other comet-chasing mission has attempted,” notes Alvaro Giménez, ESA’s Director of Science.

“Rosetta was on the drawing board even before ESA’s first deep-space mission, Giotto, had taken the first image of a comet nucleus as it flew past Halley in 1986.

“The mission has spanned entire careers, and the data returned will keep generations of scientist busy for decades to come.”

“As well as being a scientific and technical triumph, the amazing journey of Rosetta and its lander Philae also captured the world’s imagination, engaging new audiences far beyond the science community. It has been exciting to have everyone along for the ride,” adds Mark McCaughrean, ESA’s senior science advisor.

Since launch in 2004, Rosetta is now in its sixth orbit around the Sun. Its nearly 8 billion-kilometre journey included three Earth flybys and one at Mars, and two asteroid encounters.

The craft endured 31 months in deep-space hibernation on the most distant leg of its journey, before waking up in January 2014 and finally arriving at the comet in August 2014.

After becoming the first spacecraft to orbit a comet, and the first to deploy a lander, Philae, in November 2014, Rosetta continued to monitor the comet’s evolution during their closest approach to the Sun and beyond.

“We’ve operated in the harsh environment of the comet for 786 days, made a number of dramatic flybys close to its surface, survived several unexpected outbursts from the comet, and recovered from two spacecraft ‘safe modes’,” says operations manager Sylvain Lodiot.

“The operations in this final phase have challenged us more than ever before, but it’s a fitting end to Rosetta’s incredible adventure to follow its lander down to the comet.”

The decision to end the mission on the surface is a result of Rosetta and the comet heading out beyond the orbit of Jupiter again. Further from the Sun than Rosetta has ever journeyed before, there would be little power to operate the craft.

Mission operators were also faced with an imminent month-long period when the Sun is close to the line-of-sight between Earth and Rosetta, meaning communications with the craft would have become increasingly more difficult.

“With the decision to take Rosetta down to the comet’s surface, we boosted the scientific return of the mission through this last, once-in-a-lifetime operation,” says mission manager Patrick Martin.

“It’s a bittersweet ending, but in the end the mechanics of the Solar System were simply against us: Rosetta’s destiny was set a long time ago. But its superb achievements will now remain for posterity and be used by the next generation of young scientists and engineers around the world.”

While the operational side of the mission has finished today, the science analysis will continue for many years to come.

Many surprising discoveries have already been made during the mission, not least the curious shape of the comet that became apparent during Rosetta’s approach in July and August 2014. Scientists now believe that the comet’s two lobes formed independently, joining in a low-speed collision in the early days of the Solar System.

Long-term monitoring has also shown just how important the comet’s shape is in influencing its seasons, in moving dust across its surface, and in explaining the variations measured in the density and composition of the coma, the comet’s ‘atmosphere’.

Some of the most unexpected and important results are linked to the gases streaming from the comet’s nucleus, including the discovery of molecular oxygen and nitrogen, and water with a different ‘flavour’ to that in Earth’s oceans.

Together, these results point to the comet being born in a very cold region of the protoplanetary nebula when the Solar System was still forming more than 4.5 billion years ago.

While it seems that the impact of comets like Rosetta’s may not have delivered as much of Earth’s water as previously thought, another much anticipated question was whether they could have brought ingredients regarded as crucial for the origin of life.

Rosetta did not disappoint, detecting the amino acid glycine, which is commonly found in proteins, and phosphorus, a key component of DNA and cell membranes. Numerous organic compounds were also detected ­by Rosetta from orbit, and also by Philae in situ on the surface.

Overall, the results delivered by Rosetta so far paint comets as ancient leftovers of early Solar System formation, rather than fragments of collisions between larger bodies later on, giving an unparalleled insight into what the building blocks of the planets may have looked like 4.6 billion years ago.

“Just as the Rosetta Stone after which this mission was named was pivotal in understanding ancient language and history, the vast treasure trove of Rosetta spacecraft data is changing our view on how comets and the Solar System formed,” says project scientist Matt Taylor.

“Inevitably, we now have new mysteries to solve. The comet hasn’t given up all of its secrets yet, and there are sure to be many surprises hidden in this incredible archive. So don’t go anywhere yet – we’re only just beginning.”

Notes for Editors

Rosetta was an ESA mission with contributions from its Member States and NASA. Rosetta’s Philae lander was provided by a consortium led by DLR, MPS, CNES and ASI. Rosetta was the first mission in history to rendezvous with a comet and escort it as they orbited the Sun together. It was also the first to deploy a lander to a comet’s surface, and later end its mission in a controlled impact on the comet.

Comets are time capsules containing primitive material left over from the epoch when the Sun and its planets formed. By studying the gas, dust and structure of the nucleus and organic materials associated with the comet, via both remote and in situ observations, the Rosetta mission is a key to unlocking the history and evolution of our Solar System.

About the European Space Agency

The European Space Agency (ESA) provides Europe’s gateway to space.

ESA is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.

ESA has 22 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, of whom 20 are Member States of the EU.

ESA has established formal cooperation with seven other Member States of the EU. Canada takes part in some ESA programmes under a Cooperation Agreement.

By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, ESA can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country. It is working in particular with the EU on implementing the Galileo and Copernicus programmes.

ESA develops the launchers, spacecraft and ground facilities needed to keep Europe at the forefront of global space activities.

Today, it develops and launches satellites for Earth observation, navigation, telecommunications and astronomy, sends probes to the far reaches of the Solar System and cooperates in the human exploration of space.

Learn more about ESA at www.esa.int

For further information, please contact:

ESA Media Relations Office

Tel: +33 1 53 69 72 99

Email: [email protected]

http://www.esa.int/For_Media/Press_Releases/Mission_complete_Rosetta_s_journey_ends_in_daring_descent_to_comet
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 09/30/2016 01:57 pm
Comet from 51 m – wide-angle camera

Rosetta's last image of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, taken shortly before impact, at an estimated altitude of 51 m above the surface.

The image was taken with the OSIRIS wide-angle camera on 30 September.

The image scale is about 5 mm/pixel and the image measures about 2.4 m across.

http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2016/09/Comet_from_51_m_wide-angle_camera

Image credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: PahTo on 09/30/2016 02:40 pm

Congrats and a hearty well-done to everyone who supported this mission--what a collection of great teams.
This quote is a nice summation:

"Overall, the results delivered by Rosetta so far paint comets as ancient leftovers of early Solar System formation, rather than fragments of collisions between larger bodies later on, giving an unparalleled insight into what the building blocks of the planets may have looked like 4.6 billion years ago."
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: baldusi on 09/30/2016 03:36 pm
Congratulations and Farewell Rosetta, ESA should be really proud.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Star One on 09/30/2016 03:36 pm
Congratulations to all and farewell Rosetta for now.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 09/30/2016 05:42 pm
Comet from 51 m – wide-angle camera

Rosetta's last image of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, taken shortly before impact, at an estimated altitude of 51 m above the surface.

The image was taken with the OSIRIS wide-angle camera on 30 September.

The image scale is about 5 mm/pixel and the image measures about 2.4 m across.

http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2016/09/Comet_from_51_m_wide-angle_camera

Image credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA

Updated in Twitter: the last image was taken not from 51 m as previously reported, but only ~20 m (!!!)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 09/30/2016 05:45 pm
Chury cake  ;D


(image from Emily Lakdawalla)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 09/30/2016 07:29 pm
Comet from 51 m – wide-angle camera

Rosetta's last image of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, taken shortly before impact, at an estimated altitude of 51 m above the surface.

The image was taken with the OSIRIS wide-angle camera on 30 September.

The image scale is about 5 mm/pixel and the image measures about 2.4 m across.

http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2016/09/Comet_from_51_m_wide-angle_camera

Image credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA

Updated in Twitter: the last image was taken not from 51 m as previously reported, but only ~20 m (!!!)

Rosetta's last image

Rosetta's last image of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, taken with the OSIRIS wide-angle camera shortly before impact, at an estimated altitude of about 20 m above the surface.

The initially reported 51 m was based on the predicted impact time. Now that this has been confirmed, and following additional information and timeline reconstruction, the estimated distance is now thought to be around 20 metres, and analysis is ongoing

The image scale is about 5 mm/pixel and the image measures about 2.4 m across.

http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2016/09/Rosetta_s_last_image

Image credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: zubenelgenubi on 09/30/2016 10:28 pm
Congratulations to the Rosetta/Philae team!  I am especially enjoying the terminal descent imagery.
Well done!
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Aragatz on 10/02/2016 09:36 am
I surveyed the DSN yesterday and the DSS 63 antenna of Madrid in Spain was oriented and available again to Rosetta... but no more today. It's really over...
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Svetoslav on 10/15/2016 06:17 pm
Today Roscosmos announced that Clim Churyumov has died.

RIP, Mr. Discoverer!

http://www.roscosmos.ru/22753/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Star One on 10/18/2016 08:17 pm
Western University astronomers predict possible birthplace of Rosetta-probed comet 67P

Quote
“These results come from computations of the comet’s orbit from the present to the past, which is computationally difficult due to the chaosity of the orbit caused by close encounters with Jupiter,” says Galiazzo. “Thus the details are obscure but we can establish a dynamical pathway from its current orbit back to the Kuiper belt.”

Galiazzo and Wiegert think that 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is relatively new to the inner parts of our solar system, having only arrived about 10,000 years ago. Prior to this time, the comet would have been inactive in frozen storage far from the Sun.

Previous studies show that similar comets — known as Jupiter Family comets — historically stay in the inner parts of our solar system for 12,000 years, therefore recognizing comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko as a member of the Jupiter Family makes sense.

http://mediarelations.uwo.ca/2016/10/17/western-university-astronomers-predict-possible-birthplace-rosetta-probed-comet-67p/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 12/17/2016 02:39 pm
Rosetta’s final imaging sequence

Imaging ‘footprints’ of Rosetta’s OSIRIS camera during the descent to the comet’s surface. A primary focus was the pit named Deir el-Medina, as indicated by the number of footprints indicated in blue. The trail of orange and red squares reflect the change in pointing of the camera towards the impact site, subsequently named Sais. The final image was acquired at about 20 m above the surface, and the touchdown point was only 33 m from the centre of the predicted landing ellipse.

- Related article: Rosetta's last words science descending to a comet (http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_s_last_words_science_descending_to_a_comet)

Image credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA

http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2016/12/Rosetta_s_final_imaging_sequence
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: catdlr on 12/23/2016 05:19 pm
The final movie?....

The amazing adventures of Rosetta and Philae

 
European Space Agency, ESA

Published on Dec 23, 2016
Watch the amazing cartoon adventures of Rosetta and Philae, now back-to-back in one special feature-length production.

Find out how Rosetta and Philae first got inspired to visit a comet, and follow them on their incredible ten-year journey through the Solar System to their destination, flying around planets and past asteroids along the way. Watch as Philae tries to land on the comet and deals with some unexpected challenges!

Learn about the fascinating observations that Rosetta made as she watched the comet change before her eyes as they got closer to the Sun and then further away again. Finally, wish Rosetta farewell, as she, too, finishes her amazing adventure on the surface of the comet. Keep watching for one last surprise!

https://youtu.be/HD2zrF3I_II?t=001

https://youtu.be/HD2zrF3I_II
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: catdlr on 12/23/2016 05:23 pm
The final movie...

The amazing adventures of Rosetta and Philae

European Space Agency, ESA

Published on Dec 23, 2016
Watch the amazing cartoon adventures of Rosetta and Philae, now back-to-back in one special feature-length production.

Find out how Rosetta and Philae first got inspired to visit a comet, and follow them on their incredible ten-year journey through the Solar System to their destination, flying around planets and past asteroids along the way. Watch as Philae tries to land on the comet and deals with some unexpected challenges!

Learn about the fascinating observations that Rosetta made as she watched the comet change before her eyes as they got closer to the Sun and then further away again. Finally, wish Rosetta farewell, as she, too, finishes her amazing adventure on the surface of the comet. Keep watching for one last surprise!

https://youtu.be/HD2zrF3I_II?t=001

https://youtu.be/HD2zrF3I_II
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 02/03/2017 10:44 am
Close-up images of the final Philae landing site on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko acquired by the ROLIS camera

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S001910351630505X (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S001910351630505X)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: catdlr on 03/21/2017 08:08 pm
The Many Faces of Rosetta's Comet 67P

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6786

Quote
Images returned from the European Space Agency's Rosetta mission indicate that during its most recent trip through the inner solar system, the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko was a very active place - full of growing fractures, collapsing cliffs and massive rolling boulders. Moving material buried some features on the comet's surface while exhuming others. A study on 67P's changing surface was released Tuesday, March 21, in the journal Science.

Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Star One on 03/22/2017 07:07 pm
Rosetta’s comet shows scars from swing through inner solar system

https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/03/22/rosettas-comet-shows-scars-from-swing-through-inner-solar-system/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 04/04/2017 08:05 pm
Rosetta's intimate portrait of a comet: read all about it

04 April 2017

Rosetta's pioneering mission to explore a comet in unprecedented detail completed operations last year. As the science continues, members of the public, as well as scientists, can freely access hundreds of papers that reveal the comet's secrets. A special issue of Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society is the latest journal to provide this service.

http://sci.esa.int/rosetta/58866-rosettas-intimate-portrait-of-a-comet-read-all-about-it/

Rosetta science in free access special issues of scientific journals

http://sci.esa.int/rosetta/58867-rosetta-science-in-free-access-special-issues-of-scientific-journals/

Rosetta (publications)

http://sci.esa.int/rosetta/31062-publications/?farchive_objecttypeid=15&farchive_objectid=30995&fareaid_2=13

Image credit: various sources (see inside (http://sci.esa.int/rosetta/58867-rosetta-science-in-free-access-special-issues-of-scientific-journals/))
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 06/03/2017 07:56 pm
https://youtu.be/VjWrGWh93aY
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 06/12/2017 07:57 pm
Rosetta finds comet connection to Earth's atmosphere

08 June 2017

The challenging detection, by ESA's Rosetta mission, of several isotopes of the noble gas xenon at Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko has established the first quantitative link between comets and the atmosphere of Earth. The blend of xenon found at the comet closely resembles U-xenon, the primordial mixture that scientists believe was brought to Earth during the early stages of Solar System formation. These measurements suggest that comets contributed about one fifth the amount of xenon in Earth's ancient atmosphere.

http://sci.esa.int/rosetta/59177-rosetta-finds-comet-connection-to-earth-s-atmosphere/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 09/28/2017 01:12 pm
Unexpected final image reconstructed from Rosetta! (1x1 m)

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Unexpected_surprise_a_final_image_from_Rosetta (http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Unexpected_surprise_a_final_image_from_Rosetta)
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: eeergo on 10/26/2017 10:35 pm
Amazing released image of a thick and powerful plume being ejected from 67P:

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_finds_comet_plume_powered_from_below (http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_finds_comet_plume_powered_from_below)

Quote
It lasted for roughly an hour, producing around 18 kg of dust every second
The images showed the location of the outburst: a 10 m-high wall around a circular dip in the surface.
Rosetta was, by chance, flying through the plume and looking at the right part of the surface when it happened
How such energy was released remains unclear. Perhaps it was pressurised gas bubbles rising through underground cavities and bursting free via ancient vents, or stores of ice reacting violently when exposed to sunlight
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Star One on 03/06/2018 07:31 pm
Paris, 05 March 2018

Comet Chury formed by a catastrophic collision

Comets made up of two lobes, such as Chury, visited by the Rosetta spacecraft, are produced when the debris resulting from a destructive collision between two comets clumps together again. Such collisions could also explain some of the enigmatic structures observed on Chury. This discovery, made by an international team coordinated by Patrick Michel, CNRS researcher at the laboratoire Lagrange (CNRS/Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur/Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis1), was published on 5 March 2018 in Nature Astronomy.
Ever since Giotto visited Halley's comet in 1986, a few spacecraft have flown close to several cometary nuclei. It turns out that most of them appeared to be elongated or even made up of two lobes, such as the well-known Chury, which was observed at very short range by the Rosetta spacecraft in 2014 and 2015. Astronomers believe that this astonishing shape can be explained by the merger of two formerly separate comets. The two comets would have to exhibit very low density and be rich in volatile elements, and therefore be moving very slowly, to enable them to come together and collide gently without exploding. For a number of reasons it is usually assumed that this type of gentle encounter only occurred in the initial stages of the Solar System, more than four billion years ago. However, there remains a mystery: how could such fragile bodies of the size of Chury, formed so long ago, have survived until now, given that they are constantly subjected to collisions in the regions where they orbit? 

An international team, including in particular a French researcher at the Lagrange Laboratory, now proposes a completely different scenario, using numerical simulations partly run at the Mésocentre Sigamm at the Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur. The simulations show that, during a destructive collision between two comets, only a small part of the material is pulverized at high speed and reduced to dust. However, on the sides opposite the point of impact, materials rich in volatile elements are able to withstand the collision and are ejected at relative speeds low enough for them to attract each other and re-accrete, forming many small bodies which in turn clump together to form just one.  Astonishingly, this process only takes a few days, or even a few hours.  In this way, the comet formed keeps its low density and its abundant volatiles, just like Chury.

This process is thought to be possible even in impacts at speeds of 1 km/s, which are typical in the Kuiper belt, the disc of comets extending beyond Neptune where Chury originated.
Since this type of collision between comets takes place regularly, Chury may have formed at any point in the history of the Solar System and not necessarily at its beginnings, as previously thought, thus solving the problem of its long-term survival.

This new scenario also explains the presence of the holes and stratified layers observed on Chury, which would have built up naturally during the re-accretion process, or later, after its formation. 

A final point is that, during the collision that forms this type of comet, no significant compaction or heating occurs, and their primordial composition is therefore preserved: the new comets continue to be primitive objects.  Even if Chury formed recently, analyzing its material will still enable us to go back to the origins of the Solar System.

This study was funded by the CNES and Academies 2 (Complex systems) and 3 (Space, environment and hazards) of the Idex Jedi at the Université Côte d'Azur.

http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/3071.htm
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Star One on 04/24/2018 08:00 pm
https://twitter.com/landru79/status/988490703075463168?s=20

Quote
#ROSETTA OSIRIS  #67P/CHURYUMOV-GERASIMENKO new albums --ROSETTA EXTENSION 2 MTP030--  Miércoles 1 Junio 2016 all filters stacked

Amazing little clip.
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: deruch on 04/28/2018 08:03 am
https://twitter.com/landru79/status/988490703075463168?s=20

Quote
#ROSETTA OSIRIS  #67P/CHURYUMOV-GERASIMENKO new albums --ROSETTA EXTENSION 2 MTP030--  Miércoles 1 Junio 2016 all filters stacked

Amazing little clip.

Snowstorm on a comet (star stabilized)
TheBadAstronomer
Published on Apr 25, 2018

[This is the same as https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcXUawPhhJw?t=001, but with the video stabilized to keep the stars fixed, and the comet moving. This allows you to see the stars better.]

It's snowing... on a comet! Actually, this INCREDIBLE animation is a series images from the Rosetta spacecraft, taken from a distance of about 13 km from the comet 67/P Chuyurmov-Gerasimenko,  and put into an animation by Twitter user landru79. As the spacecraft moves around the comet we see the landscape change, but you can also see stars moving in the background, and flakes of ice and dust much closer to the spacecraft flying around! It's like something from an old movie, *but it's real*.

I took his original animate GIF and repeated it; the first two clips are at fast speed, the next two at medium, and the last two at slow speed, so you can track what's going on.

Thanks to @landru79 for permission to use this. Data credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gszFmFLg_5Y?t=001


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gszFmFLg_5Y
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: catdlr on 06/22/2018 12:31 am
Rosetta’s final images

European Space Agency, ESA
Published on Jun 21, 2018

Enjoy this compilation of with the last images taken by Rosetta’s high resolution OSIRIS camera during the mission’s final hours at Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. As it moved closer towards the surface it scanned across an ancient pit and sent back images showing what would become its final resting place.

Browse all images via the Archive Image Browser: https://imagearchives.esac.esa.int

Credits: Images: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA – CC BY-SA 4.0
Image compilation: ESA–D. C. Jimeno and M. P. Ayucar

https://youtu.be/MH5crMuuf_0?t=001

https://youtu.be/MH5crMuuf_0
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Star One on 07/04/2018 09:14 am
Molecular oxygen in comet’s atmosphere not created on its surface

Quote
Scientists have found that molecular oxygen around a comet is not produced on its surface, as some suggested, but may be from its body.

http://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/187056/molecular-oxygen-comets-atmosphere-created-surface/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: catdlr on 10/02/2018 03:19 am
Rosetta: the story continues

European Space Agency, ESA
Published on Oct 1, 2018

This short movie shares an impression of some of the scientific highlights from Rosetta's mission at Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, as told through the voices of   scientists working with Rosetta's vast dataset, two years after the mission ended.

Rosetta launched in 2004 and travelled for ten years to its destination before deploying the lander Philae to the comet's surface. Following the comet along its orbit around the Sun, Rosetta studied the comet's surface changes, its dusty, gassy environment and its interaction with the solar wind. Even though scientific operations concluded in September 2016 with Rosetta's own descent to the comet's surface, analysis of the mission's data will continue for decades.

Credits: This is an ESA Web TV production. The video contains artist impressions of the spacecraft (credit: ESA/ATG medialab) and animations/infographics by ESA. Images of the comet are from Rosetta's OSIRIS and NAVCAM cameras, as well as Philae's CIVA camera (credits: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA – CC BY SA 4.0; ESA/Rosetta/NavCam – CC BY-SA IGO 3.0; ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA). Ground-based images were provided by Colin Snodgrass/Alan Fitzsimmons/Liverpool Telescope. The plasma visualization is based on modeling and simulation by Technische Universität Braunschweig and Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt and visualized by Zuse-Institut Berlin. The animation of Philae's flight across the surface is based on data from Philae's ROMAP, RPC-MAG, OSIRIS, ROLIS, CIVA CONSERT, SESAME and MUPUS instrument teams, the Lander Control Centre at DLR and the Science Operation and Navigation Center at CNES.

Learn more about  #Rosetta: http://bit.ly/RosettaMissionESA

https://youtu.be/0d_VAmyKlwA?t=001

https://youtu.be/0d_VAmyKlwA

Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: catdlr on 06/04/2019 10:49 am
Nice overview of the ESA's Rosetta / Philae project/mission.

What does it take to land on a come


Curious Droid
Published on May 29, 2019

In days of old comets were seen as bringers of doom and bad luck but now we know better.
However, landing on one is probably the most difficult operation undertaken by any space agency and almost a guarantee of some sort of bad luck as ESA's Rosetta / Philae mission found out.
So just what does it take to land on a comet as it travels around the solar system at up to 135,000 km/h and what sort of challenges did the teams at ESA, the European Space Agency face as they sent the Rosetta spacecraft and its lander Philae to comet 67/P Churyumov-Gerasimenko .

This video was made with the assistance of ESA and uses both video and imagery created by and for ESA, DLR and of course some NASA parts.

I would also like to thank Monica Pascanu, Maria Bennet, Emily Baldwin and Matt Taylor at the European Space Agency (ESA) for their help in making this video and for checking its accuracy. 

Written and researched by Paul Shillito
Presented by Paul Shillito
Images and footage: ESA, DLR, NASA.

https://youtu.be/4GXh30HpGXc?t=001

https://youtu.be/4GXh30HpGXc
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: FutureSpaceTourist on 07/29/2019 10:19 pm
https://twitter.com/thesheetztweetz/status/1155906276666355713

Quote
Austrian filmmaker Christian Stangl combined some of the more than 400,000 images taken by @ESA's Rosetta mission into a stunning short film: "the Comet."

Together the images show details of Comet 67P, which Rosetta followed and researched for 2 years: vimeo.com/347565673
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: FutureSpaceTourist on 08/13/2019 12:28 am
Quote
An unexpected companion
Last week marked five years since ESA’s Rosetta probe arrived at its target, a comet named 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (or 67P/C-G). Tomorrow, 13 August, it will be four years since the comet, escorted by Rosetta, reached its perihelion – the closest point to the Sun along its orbit. This image, gathered by Rosetta a couple of months after perihelion, when the comet activity was still very intense, depicts the nucleus of the comet with an unusual companion: a chunk of orbiting debris (circled).
 
Comet 67P/C-G is a dusty object. As it neared its closest approach to the Sun in late July and August 2015, instruments on Rosetta recorded a huge amount of dust enshrouding the comet. This is tied to the comet’s proximity to our parent star, its heat causing the comet’s nucleus to release gases into space, lifting the dust along. Spectacular jets were also observed, blasting more dust away from the comet. This disturbed, ejected material forms the ‘coma’, the gaseous envelope encasing the comet’s nucleus, and can create a beautiful and distinctive tail.
 
A single image from Rosetta’s OSIRIS instrument can contain hundreds of dust particles and grains surrounding the 4 km-wide comet nucleus. Sometimes, even larger chunks of material left the surface of 67P/C-G – as shown here.
 
The sizeable chunk in this view was spotted a few months ago by astrophotographer Jacint Roger from Spain, who mined the Rosetta archive, processed some of the data, and posted the finished images on Twitter as an animated GIF. He spotted the orbiting object in a sequence of images taken by Rosetta’s OSIRIS narrow-angle camera on 21 October 2015. At that time, the spacecraft was at over 400 km away from 67P/C-G’s centre. The animated sequence is available for download here.
 
Scientists at ESA and in the OSIRIS instrument team are now looking into this large piece of cometary debris in greater detail. Dubbed a ‘Churymoon’ by researcher Julia Marín-Yaseli de la Parra, the chunk appears to span just under 4 m in diameter.
 
Modelling of the Rosetta images indicates that this object spent the first 12 hours after its ejection in an orbital path around 67P/C-G at a distance of between 2.4 and 3.9 km from the comet’s centre. Afterwards, the chunk crossed a portion of the coma, which appears very bright in the images, making it difficult to follow its path precisely; however, later observations on the opposite side of the coma confirm a detection consistent with the orbit of the chunk, providing an indication of its motion around the comet until 23 October 2015.
 
Scientists have been studying and tracking debris around 67P/C-G since Rosetta’s arrival in 2014. The object pictured in this view is likely the largest chunk detected around the comet, and will be subject to further investigations.
 
Comet 67P/C-G is currently in the outer Solar System, between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, and will have its next perihelion in late 2021.
 
Credits: ESA/Rosetta/MPS/OSIRIS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA/J. Roger (CC BY 4.0)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/europeanspaceagency/48519516936/
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Rondaz on 12/20/2019 05:39 pm
Major update to the OSIRIS Image Archive (https://rosetta-osiris.eu/ ): We added the images from the Rosetta cruise phase 2004-2011 on the way to #67P. Including images of asteroids Lutetia and Steins and planets Earth and Mars.

https://twitter.com/Rosetta_OSIRIS/status/1208021925282365442
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: jacqmans on 01/20/2020 05:57 pm
Building blocks of life spotted on Rosetta’s comet hint at composition of its birthplace
20/01/2020


Observations from ESA’s Rosetta spacecraft are shedding light on the mysterious make-up of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, revealing a mix of compounds thought to be essential precursors to life – including salts of ammonium and a particular type of hydrocarbons.

These new studies suggest the comet gleaned this material from the presolar cloud where the Solar System formed 4.6 billion years ago.

http://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Rosetta/Building_blocks_of_life_spotted_on_Rosetta_s_comet_hint_at_composition_of_its_birthplace
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Rondaz on 02/25/2020 02:32 pm
#OTD 25 February 2007, @Philae2014 took this selfie of @ESA_Rosetta from 1000km with #Mars in the background, just 4 minutes before #Rosetta passed at 250km from the planet

https://twitter.com/ESA_History/status/1232256114454093825
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: Jakdowski on 08/23/2020 12:08 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRUQ-Z-Cmx0&feature=emb_title
Title: Re: ESA - Rosetta updates
Post by: bolun on 09/26/2020 05:42 pm
ROSETTA SPIES UNEXPECTED ULTRAVIOLET AURORA AT COMET

ESA's Rosetta mission has revealed a unique kind of aurora, an exciting phenomenon seen throughout the Solar System, at its target comet, Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. This image shows the key stages of the mechanism by which this aurora is produced: as electrons stream out into space from the Sun and approach the comet, they are accelerated and go on to break down molecules in the comet's environment. This destructive process can throw out excited atoms, which then 'de-excite' to produce the observed aurora. To reveal the auroral nature of the emissions, the study relies on a set of in situ and remote-sensing instruments aboard Rosetta (RPC, ROSINA, VIRTIS, MIRO and Alice), as shown to the right of the infographic in the spacecraft schematic.

Related article: UNIQUE ULTRAVIOLET AURORA SPIED AT ROSETTA'S COMET (https://sci.esa.int/web/rosetta/-/unique-ultraviolet-aurora-spied-at-rosetta-s-comet)

https://sci.esa.int/s/wb96LGA

Image credit: ESA (spacecraft: ESA/ATG medialab)