Rosetta spacecraft makes rendezvous with comet

[BUTCH1]

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/aug/06/rosetta-spacecraft-rendezvous-rubber-duck-comet-67pcg

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Rosetta space probe

Rosetta spacecraft makes historic rendezvous with rubber-duck comet 67P/CG

European Space Agency probe brought to within 100km of comet travelling at 55,000km per hour, where it will begin analysis

Ian Sample, science editor
The Guardian, Wednesday 6 August 2014 07.57 EDT
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ESA's Rosetta mission is now in orbit around comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Esa’s Rosetta mission is now in orbit around comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Photograph: Esa

A European spacecraft has become the first in history to rendezvous with a comet after a seven-minute burn of the probe’s thrusters brought it within 100km (62 miles) of the hurtling lump of dust and ice.

The European Space Agency’s billion-euro Rosetta spacecraft caught up with comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko more than 400m km from Earth as it streaked towards the sun at around 55,000km per hour.

The manoeuvre that brought the spacecraft alongside the comet marks the end of the beginning of a mission that lifted off from French Guiana 10 years, five months and four days ago. Rosetta now begins its scientific mission, employing a suite of instruments to analyse the comet’s nucleus.

The Rosetta mission will be the first to give scientists close-up measurements of a comet as it transforms from a cold and inactive state to an active body that sheds hundreds of kilos of dust and gas as it swings around the sun.

 

[olds]

Will they blow it up when they are done?

 

[Harrod]

It would have been funny if they named the probe Bruce Willis instead.

 

[Sattern]

I am glad they are actually analyzing the rock rather than let it pass by and destroy it.

Extra-Terrestrial intelligence is very important if we want to be able to compete with other planets in the not too distant future.

 

[dawp]

I am glad they are actually analyzing the rock rather than let it pass by and destroy it.

Extra-Terrestrial intelligence is very important if we want to be able to compete with other planets in the not too distant future.

I doubt very much that there is any life, intelligent or otherwise, on that rock.

 

[DrPizza]

Will they blow it up when they are done?

They'll be shooting it with a harpoon in a few months, to tether the space craft to the comet as it gets closer to the sun.

 

[UglyCasanova]

I am glad they are actually analyzing the rock rather than let it pass by and destroy it.

Extra-Terrestrial intelligence is very important if we want to be able to compete with other planets in the not too distant future.

Is this a serious post? I can't tell.

 

[BUTCH1]

Is this a serious post? I can't tell.

Yea, they included a thermonuclear warhead with the probe to see what it's like to blow up a giant piece of rock and ice.. 😱

 

[BUTCH1]

They'll be shooting it with a harpoon in a few months, to tether the space craft to the comet as it gets closer to the sun.

Quite clever actually as I'm sure using thrusters to descend the probe would be much more complicated vs just harpooning it and reeling the probe down to the comet's surface.