7 ms·

Rosetta ends its mission

296 points by pcrh 10y ago

anilgulecha 10y ago
Our little trouble seem so tiny, when you see something like https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ctk7stYWEAA10jf.jpg:large https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ctk7stYWEAA10jf.jpg:large and ponder on one of our vessel landing on there. (Don't astronauts feel a very strong version of this when they look back at the blue globe from space?)
- asimuvPR 10y ago
  I felt something similar while using a VR headset with space simulator. It really changed me.
  - daedecai 10y ago
    Can you expand on this experience?
    - asimuvPR 10y ago
      Its really hard to describe. I felt a sense of calm take over me. As if time stopped and life was perfect for a moment. No worries, no problems. Just me and the universe. I do not practice any religion but this was a religious moment. Like meeting your creator. Even thinking about it is calming.
      - mr_overalls 10y ago
        Many astronauts report a similar feeling. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overview_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overview_effect
  - sixdimensional 10y ago
    I would like to experience this. Could you elaborate - what space simulator was it and which VR headset? Thank you!
    - mattkevan 10y ago
      The total perspective vortex.
    - asimuvPR 10y ago
      It was at a conference. The software was part of a suite of an edtech library. I don't remember the company. The headset was a Vive.
- cheeseprocedure 10y ago
  "You develop an instant global consciousness, a people orientation, an intense dissatisfaction with the state of the world, and a compulsion to do something about it. From out there on the moon, international politics look so petty. You want to grab a politician by the scruff of the neck and drag him a quarter of a million miles out and say, 'Look at that, you son of a bitch.'" -- Edgar Mitchell, Apollo 14 astronaut
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
jankeromnes 10y ago
GMT is deprecated, please use UTC instead: "GMT is no longer precisely defined by the scientific community" - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coordinated_Universal_Time https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coordinated_Universal_Time
- arethuza 10y ago
  To be fair it is a BBC site - if they started reporting times in UTC then it would just confuse the vast majority of their readers.
  - lucideer 10y ago
    This may be true generally, but given the subject of the article this would be an ideal pilot for a gradual changeover
    - jbb555 10y ago
      But most of don't want a changeover. So no.
      - roninb 10y ago
        Most of us don't want sustainable energy, agriculture, etc., that doesn't mean we don't fight tooth and nail for them...
        TheSpiceIsLife 10y ago
        It's possible (probable?) an absence of sustainable agriculture and / or energy may present an existential crisis at some point. Agreeing on a set of weights and measures not so much.
        roninb 10y ago
        I was simply presenting a counter-example to the argument: We don't want to change so we shouldn't change.
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
mino 10y ago
I found this FAQ very informative: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_s_grand_finale_frequently_asked_questions http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rose... Also, the per-instrument bitrate breakdown for the last minutes: http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2016/09/28/science-til-the-very-end/ http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2016/09/28/science-til-the-very... Goodbye Rosetta!
wbhart 10y ago
They apparently got photos down to 5m (or maybe only 51m) above the comet. Here are images on the way down. https://www.cieletespace.fr/actualites/dernieres-images-de-rosetta-avant-son-contact-avec-la-comete https://www.cieletespace.fr/actualites/dernieres-images-de-r... https://twitter.com/C_et_E_Photos/status/781809777370423296 https://twitter.com/C_et_E_Photos/status/781809777370423296 https://twitter.com/ESA_Rosetta/status/781808178048696321 https://twitter.com/ESA_Rosetta/status/781808178048696321 https://twitter.com/elakdawalla/status/781809255443673088 https://twitter.com/elakdawalla/status/781809255443673088 https://twitter.com/C_et_E_Photos/status/781819361241817088 https://twitter.com/C_et_E_Photos/status/781819361241817088 https://twitter.com/ESA_Rosetta/status/781825922647355392 https://twitter.com/ESA_Rosetta/status/781825922647355392 https://twitter.com/elakdawalla/status/781834822583017472 https://twitter.com/elakdawalla/status/781834822583017472
- eric_h 10y ago
  just wanted to add that I highly recommend following @elakdawalla on twitter - she tweets lots of great things about the various space missions that are in progress.
  - IndianAstronaut 10y ago
    To follow up, the organization she works for, The Planetary Society, does fantastic work to promote greater funding for space research and missions.
  - idlewords 10y ago
    She is an absolute treasure. Her longer-form blog posts are also fantastic reading http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/ http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/
ljf 10y ago
I've only been following this news very lightly - but it is fascinating. This gave me more detail on the 'why' it was being crashed: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/rosetta-mission-what-is-it-and-when-will-it-crash-into-a-comet/ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/rosetta-mission-what-is-it...
xgbi 10y ago
I'll know rosetta has "landed" when the XKCD has been updated: https://xkcd.com/1446/ https://xkcd.com/1446/
- mnw21cam 10y ago
  And indeed, it has: http://xkcd.com/1740/ http://xkcd.com/1740/
  - TuringTest 10y ago
    And Earth is saved!
3chelon 10y ago
Can anyone explain why they would (a) crash, rather than attempt to land the probe on the comet's surface, and (b) turn the power off at the moment of touchdown? Everything I've read (admittedly, not much) says they will get more data from crashing it, but that makes no sense to me. Surely landing it as intact as possible and leaving it running means it could send data whilst it has any remaining power, and maybe again in the future whenever it gets enough sunlight? Even if it was just a semi-intact archaeological curiosity for future generations, surely that would be better than wilfully destroying it?
- gjulianm 10y ago
  I'm not sure about (a), but it would probably be very difficult to land it with the thrusters on the probe. Philae almost bounced off the comet and it was designed for that purpose... For the second one, seems that https://twitter.com/AstroKatie/status/781814758404005888 https://twitter.com/AstroKatie/status/781814758404005888 has the response (with not a lot of details).
- Symbiote 10y ago
  From the ESA FAQ "As soon as Rosetta hits the surface, its main systems will be turned off, including the attitude and control systems, as well as the main transmitter, the latter in order to meet regulations aimed at avoiding interference on deep space network communications channels" "as soon as Rosetta hits the surface, its high-gain antenna will very likely no longer be pointing towards Earth, making any potential communications impossible" "One of the key features of the trajectory design is to minimise the spacecraft's relative velocity at impact. The current scenario predicts that the impact velocity will be around 90 cm/s, around walking pace." I recommend reading the whole FAQ, it's very informative. http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_s_grand_finale_frequently_asked_questions http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rose...
  - 3chelon 10y ago
    Useful info, thanks. So it's more of slo-mo crash landing then - that makes much more sense now. And the bit about the directional antenna also makes total sense.
thewavelength 10y ago
I wonder why they uploaded a special software which disallows any communication prior to the impact [1]. Why don't they just let Rosetta impact and have a look if it still works? Why is it necessary to shut it down to disallow command instructions from earth? [1] http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_s_grand_finale_frequently_asked_questions http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rose...
- pducks32 10y ago
  The antenna is incredibly strong (or would be if it got some sunlight) so it's important to not interfere with communications in deep space that we may want in the future and even sensors on earth. These scientists—I imagine—fell in love a long time ago from staring at the deep beauty of space; it'd be quite a shame if we drowned it out with our petty no-longer-useful noises.
Stratoscope 10y ago
I love Paul Coxon's tweet of the Rosetta mission told in emoji: https://twitter.com/paulcoxon/status/781785896513314816 https://twitter.com/paulcoxon/status/781785896513314816
sandworm101 10y ago
Wait a second. With every other probe or rover story the experts talk about how there is no "shutdown" command, that there is no need and that having one only creates a risk of inadvertent use. Is this just PR to cover the fact that this probe will be sitting alone in the dark but still 'alive' should it get enough power? See https://xkcd.com/695/ https://xkcd.com/695/
flinty 10y ago
feel strangely emotional about the end of the mission :(

296 points by pcrh 10y ago

Our little trouble seem so tiny, when you see something like https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ctk7stYWEAA10jf.jpg:large https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ctk7stYWEAA10jf.jpg:large and ponder on one of our vessel landing on there. (Don't astronauts feel a very strong version of this when they look back at the blue globe from space?)

asimuvPR 10y ago
I felt something similar while using a VR headset with space simulator. It really changed me.
- daedecai 10y ago
  Can you expand on this experience?
  - asimuvPR 10y ago
    Its really hard to describe. I felt a sense of calm take over me. As if time stopped and life was perfect for a moment. No worries, no problems. Just me and the universe. I do not practice any religion but this was a religious moment. Like meeting your creator. Even thinking about it is calming.
    - mr_overalls 10y ago
      Many astronauts report a similar feeling. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overview_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overview_effect
- sixdimensional 10y ago
  I would like to experience this. Could you elaborate - what space simulator was it and which VR headset? Thank you!
  - mattkevan 10y ago
    The total perspective vortex.
  - asimuvPR 10y ago
    It was at a conference. The software was part of a suite of an edtech library. I don't remember the company. The headset was a Vive.
cheeseprocedure 10y ago
"You develop an instant global consciousness, a people orientation, an intense dissatisfaction with the state of the world, and a compulsion to do something about it. From out there on the moon, international politics look so petty. You want to grab a politician by the scruff of the neck and drag him a quarter of a million miles out and say, 'Look at that, you son of a bitch.'" -- Edgar Mitchell, Apollo 14 astronaut

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

jankeromnes 10y ago

GMT is deprecated, please use UTC instead: "GMT is no longer precisely defined by the scientific community" - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coordinated_Universal_Time https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coordinated_Universal_Time

arethuza 10y ago
To be fair it is a BBC site - if they started reporting times in UTC then it would just confuse the vast majority of their readers.
- lucideer 10y ago
  This may be true generally, but given the subject of the article this would be an ideal pilot for a gradual changeover
  - jbb555 10y ago
    But most of don't want a changeover. So no.
    - roninb 10y ago
      Most of us don't want sustainable energy, agriculture, etc., that doesn't mean we don't fight tooth and nail for them...
      - TheSpiceIsLife 10y ago
        It's possible (probable?) an absence of sustainable agriculture and / or energy may present an existential crisis at some point. Agreeing on a set of weights and measures not so much.
        roninb 10y ago
        I was simply presenting a counter-example to the argument: We don't want to change so we shouldn't change.

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

mino 10y ago

I found this FAQ very informative: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_s_grand_finale_frequently_asked_questions http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rose... Also, the per-instrument bitrate breakdown for the last minutes: http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2016/09/28/science-til-the-very-end/ http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2016/09/28/science-til-the-very... Goodbye Rosetta!

wbhart 10y ago

They apparently got photos down to 5m (or maybe only 51m) above the comet. Here are images on the way down. https://www.cieletespace.fr/actualites/dernieres-images-de-rosetta-avant-son-contact-avec-la-comete https://www.cieletespace.fr/actualites/dernieres-images-de-r... https://twitter.com/C_et_E_Photos/status/781809777370423296 https://twitter.com/C_et_E_Photos/status/781809777370423296 https://twitter.com/ESA_Rosetta/status/781808178048696321 https://twitter.com/ESA_Rosetta/status/781808178048696321 https://twitter.com/elakdawalla/status/781809255443673088 https://twitter.com/elakdawalla/status/781809255443673088 https://twitter.com/C_et_E_Photos/status/781819361241817088 https://twitter.com/C_et_E_Photos/status/781819361241817088 https://twitter.com/ESA_Rosetta/status/781825922647355392 https://twitter.com/ESA_Rosetta/status/781825922647355392 https://twitter.com/elakdawalla/status/781834822583017472 https://twitter.com/elakdawalla/status/781834822583017472

eric_h 10y ago
just wanted to add that I highly recommend following @elakdawalla on twitter - she tweets lots of great things about the various space missions that are in progress.
- IndianAstronaut 10y ago
  To follow up, the organization she works for, The Planetary Society, does fantastic work to promote greater funding for space research and missions.
- idlewords 10y ago
  She is an absolute treasure. Her longer-form blog posts are also fantastic reading http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/ http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/

ljf 10y ago

I've only been following this news very lightly - but it is fascinating. This gave me more detail on the 'why' it was being crashed: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/rosetta-mission-what-is-it-and-when-will-it-crash-into-a-comet/ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/rosetta-mission-what-is-it...

xgbi 10y ago

I'll know rosetta has "landed" when the XKCD has been updated: https://xkcd.com/1446/ https://xkcd.com/1446/

mnw21cam 10y ago
And indeed, it has: http://xkcd.com/1740/ http://xkcd.com/1740/
- TuringTest 10y ago
  And Earth is saved!

3chelon 10y ago

Can anyone explain why they would (a) crash, rather than attempt to land the probe on the comet's surface, and (b) turn the power off at the moment of touchdown? Everything I've read (admittedly, not much) says they will get more data from crashing it, but that makes no sense to me. Surely landing it as intact as possible and leaving it running means it could send data whilst it has any remaining power, and maybe again in the future whenever it gets enough sunlight? Even if it was just a semi-intact archaeological curiosity for future generations, surely that would be better than wilfully destroying it?

gjulianm 10y ago
I'm not sure about (a), but it would probably be very difficult to land it with the thrusters on the probe. Philae almost bounced off the comet and it was designed for that purpose... For the second one, seems that https://twitter.com/AstroKatie/status/781814758404005888 https://twitter.com/AstroKatie/status/781814758404005888 has the response (with not a lot of details).
Symbiote 10y ago
From the ESA FAQ "As soon as Rosetta hits the surface, its main systems will be turned off, including the attitude and control systems, as well as the main transmitter, the latter in order to meet regulations aimed at avoiding interference on deep space network communications channels" "as soon as Rosetta hits the surface, its high-gain antenna will very likely no longer be pointing towards Earth, making any potential communications impossible" "One of the key features of the trajectory design is to minimise the spacecraft's relative velocity at impact. The current scenario predicts that the impact velocity will be around 90 cm/s, around walking pace." I recommend reading the whole FAQ, it's very informative. http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_s_grand_finale_frequently_asked_questions http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rose...
- 3chelon 10y ago
  Useful info, thanks. So it's more of slo-mo crash landing then - that makes much more sense now. And the bit about the directional antenna also makes total sense.

thewavelength 10y ago

I wonder why they uploaded a special software which disallows any communication prior to the impact [1]. Why don't they just let Rosetta impact and have a look if it still works? Why is it necessary to shut it down to disallow command instructions from earth? [1] http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_s_grand_finale_frequently_asked_questions http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rose...

pducks32 10y ago
The antenna is incredibly strong (or would be if it got some sunlight) so it's important to not interfere with communications in deep space that we may want in the future and even sensors on earth. These scientists—I imagine—fell in love a long time ago from staring at the deep beauty of space; it'd be quite a shame if we drowned it out with our petty no-longer-useful noises.

Stratoscope 10y ago

I love Paul Coxon's tweet of the Rosetta mission told in emoji: https://twitter.com/paulcoxon/status/781785896513314816 https://twitter.com/paulcoxon/status/781785896513314816

sandworm101 10y ago

Wait a second. With every other probe or rover story the experts talk about how there is no "shutdown" command, that there is no need and that having one only creates a risk of inadvertent use. Is this just PR to cover the fact that this probe will be sitting alone in the dark but still 'alive' should it get enough power? See https://xkcd.com/695/ https://xkcd.com/695/

flinty 10y ago

feel strangely emotional about the end of the mission :(