comet

” Hear the Thud Of Philae While Landing on Comet ” !!!

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Today, German scientists released a two-second recording of the sound the Rosetta mission’s Philae lander made when it touched down on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko’s icy surface. Philae landed on the comet, which is about 311 million miles (500 million kilometers) from Earth, last week (November 12, 2014).

 

 

The sound comes from sensors embedded in Philae’s three legs. The recording is part of SESAME, the Surface Electric Sounding and Acoustic Monitoring Experiment. Because its harpoons didn’t fire, Philae actually ended up bouncing twice and landing three times. This is a recording of the first bounce.

Scientists from the German Aerospace Center, DLR, which is responsible for SESAME, areanalyzing the sound of the landing for clues about the comet’s surface.

After nearly 57 hours on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, the Philae lander had completed its main science mission on November 15, 2014, when its batteries failed and the lander went silent. Read more.

Philae's bounce across the surface of its comet, as captured by the Rosetta mothership. Image via ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA

Philae’s bounce across the surface of its comet, as captured by the Rosetta mothership. Image via ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA

SOURCE::::www.earthsky.org

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Rosetta’s Lander Philae Touches Down on Comet…

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Rosetta’s Lander Philae Touches Down on Comet

Early this morning, the European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft deployed its comet lander, “Philae.” At 11:03 a.m. EST, ESA confirmed that signals were received from Philae on the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. It is the first time in history that a spacecraft has landed on a comet. Rosetta is an international mission led by the ESA, with instruments provided by its member states, and additional support and instruments provided by NASA.
> LIVE: ESA’s Rosetta Coverage

 

SOURCE:::www.nasa.gov

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Image of the Day…Comet 67p as Captured by Rosetta Spacecraft !!!

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Rosetta’s comet is spouting jets

Wow! The Rosetta spacecraft is now seeing jets from Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, as the comet draws in closer to the sun.

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As Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko gets closer to the sun, it’s becoming more active. The European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft – which has been flying in tandem with the comet since August 6 – captured the images to make the above montage on September 26, 2014, when Rosetta was 16 miles (26 kilometers) from the comet. The montage shows jets of dust and gas escaping from the neck of 67P/C-G.
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Rosetta spent 10 years on a deep-space chase of this comet, which will reach its perihelion, closest point to the sun, in July 2015.

This November, the Rosetta spacecraft will send a probe down to land on the surface of this active comet!

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