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AFTER A DECADE-LONG chase quest spanning six billion kilometres, a European probe will come face to face on Wednesday with a comet, one of the Solar System’s enigmatic wanderers.
The moment will mark a key phase of the most ambitious project ever undertaken by the European Space Agency (ESA) — a €1.3 billion euro bid to get to know these timeless space rovers.
More than 400 million km from where it was launched in March 2004, the spacecraft Rosetta will finally meet up with its prey, Comet 67P or Churyumov-Gerasimenko to give it its proper title.
To get there, Rosetta has had to make four flybys of Mars and Earth, using their gravitational force as a slingshot to build up speed, and then entering a 31-month hibernation as light from the distant Sun became too weak for its solar panels.
The probe was awakened in January.
After braking manoeuvres, the three-tonne craft should on Wednesday be about 100 km from the comet — a navigational feat that, if all goes well, will be followed by glittering scientific rewards.
ESA Rosetta Mission / TwitterDo you think I got #67P's good side yesterday?! #CometWatch 3 August (NAVCAM) http://t.co/4cV9pNRZo8 pic.twitter.com/2XgBX1cWqq
— ESA Rosetta Mission (@ESA_Rosetta) August 4, 2014
“It’s taken more than 10 years to get here,” said Sylvain Lodiot, spacecraft operations manager.
“Now we have to learn how to dock with the comet, and stay with it for the months ahead.”
World Cup final
But the arrival of Rosetta at its celestial target hasn’t been without controversy. The ESA has only been releasing sample images of the comet taken by Rosetta six months after they were shot.
Although the images have been released weekly, the six month embargo has meant that scientists throughout the world have to wait for half a year for the latest images.
Now that Rosetta comes head-to-head with the comet, they want to see the images immediately as space writer Daniel Fischer wrote in the New Scientist magazine:
Imagine it’s the soccer World Cup final, but you can’t watch it live on TV. The sport’s governing body has decided that all but a few sample photos of it will be embargoed for half a year, and that all decisions by the referee will have to be reviewed by experts over the coming months before a winner can be announced. Sounds silly?This is pretty much how many space enthusiasts experienced the countdown to the final phase of Europe’s much-anticipated Rosetta mission.
The ESA have been forced to backtrack though after French agency CNES leaked “sensational new images of the comet’s icy core” and whetted the appetite of of scientists who took to Twitter to vent their frustration.
Comets
Blazing across the sky as they loop around the Sun, comets have long been considered portents of wonderful or terrible events — the birth and death of kings, bountiful harvests or famines, floods or earthquakes.
Astrophysicists, though, see them rather differently.
Comets, they believe, are clusters of the oldest dust and ice in the Solar System — the rubble left from the formation of the planets 4.6 billion years ago.
These so-called dirty snowballs could be the key to understanding how the planets coalesced after the Sun flared into life, say some.
Indeed, one theory — the “pan-spermia” hypothesis — is that comets, by bombarding the fledgling Earth, helped kickstart life here by bringing water and organic molecules.
Until now, though, explorations of comets have been rare and mainly entailed flybys by probes on unrelated missions snatching pictures from thousands of kilometres away.
Exceptions were the US probe Stardust, which brought home dust snatched from a comet’s wake, while Europe’s Giotto ventured to within 200 km of a comet’s surface.
On 11 November, the plan is for Rosetta to inch to within a few kilometres of the comet to send down a 100 kg refrigerator-sized robot laboratory, Philae.
Anchored to the surface, Philae will carry out experiments in cometary chemistry and texture for up to six months. After the lander expires, Rosetta will accompany “C-G” as it passes around the Sun and heads out towards the orbit of Jupiter.
ESA Operations / TwitterCould an astronaut onboard #Rosetta simply jump off & land on #67P? @rjallain provides answers http://t.co/Z3U3UC13JH pic.twitter.com/sjQj1L55n0
— ESA Operations (@esaoperations) August 4, 2014
‘Duck’ in space
Before November’s landing, though, Rosetta’s operators have a mountain of work to do.
The first few weeks will be a get-to-know-you exercise, as the spacecraft gingerly carries out elongated loops around the comet, scanning its surface.
The probe will have to avoid ice crystals and dust particles that are stripped from the comet’s outer layers as it nears the Sun — a trail that is reflected in solar rays as its wake.
And it will have to look for a suitable landing site for Philae.
Last month, as Rosetta came ever closer to the comet, its cameras revealed that the target body, far from being shaped like a potato as many had expected, rather resembled a duck — two lobes, one big and the other small, connected by a “neck”.
“That was a bit of a surprise,” said Philippe Lamy of the Astrophysics Laboratory of Marseille, southern France.
“Several theories have already been aired to explain this shape, but the likeliest in my book is that it came from two bodies which fused while the Solar System was being formed.”
The unexpected shape will limit the choice of a landing site, Lamy said. “You can reasonably argue that it will impose additional constraints.”
© – AFP 2014 with reporting from Rónán Duffy
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A brilliant achievement for science, humanity and the search for knowledge. Well done everyone involved……
Agreed. I just wish they’d keep their stupid sport out of my science.
No sport or sportsman has ever come close to being worthy of kissing the feet of any scientist.
Think again, Dr Oppenhimer invented the nuclear bomb. Pele, Jairzinho, Alberto & co invented the beautiful game.
they call it beautiful because it’s more like a bunch of ballerinas prancing around than a sport. Nuclear weapons could be used for space exploration thanks to the nuclear pulse engine if it weren’t for politicians and is used as a weapon because of politicians.
I’d consider myself quite intelligent but anything to do with space/physics I just can’t handle! Great work by all involved.
I think NASA and Benjamin Net and Yahoo have the same artist working on their presentation pieces – a good way of saving money I suppose !
This is what we can do now. If we could influence our children to take up science the results would be endless.
An endless black hole to pour money into.
The entire budget of NASA is less than the budget of the HSE.
Columbus, what are you spending all that money on ships for?
Jason – that’s great post !
If one searches the prophecies then they will see that a Civil war will break out between Mars and Earth in the next century !
God we really are nothing on the edge of this vast, mysterious world.
We have people starving and so many social problems but money can always be found for this nonsense.
Another naysayer who would like to stop the advancement of science.
Luddite
@powerabbey – I’m all for the advancement of science especially medical science which will benefit mankind.
This rubbish is of no benefit (note I say benefit not interest) to anyone.
“Why look at the stars when you have daisies under your feet ?” …My mother told me that – Ross’s post reminded me of it .
If you red thumb this saying then you are insulting my mother not me… she’s a quiet old pensioner .
The story before this details people suffering after an earthquake and the story after it deals with Ebola in Africa – we’re seriously expected to say that spending billions on looking at a rock in space is money well spent.
Ross, who is to say that information taken from places other than our planet will not benefit us?
What if another element is discovered that could lead to medical advancement s in the future, or even sustainable fuel sources? Would you still be such a ludite?
@Ailbhe – I’m the type who prefers to try deal with problems in the here and now rather than procrastinating for what “could” happen.
Posted on an internet site which would not exist were it not for satellite communication.
What have the Romans ever done for us?
@Jason – and how will this mission benefit mankind?
Dermot, you’re pathetic. What a sad attempt to avoid “red thumbs”.
Ross, how does expanding our knowledge and understanding of the universe around us and investigating the potential origin of life on Earth NOT benefit mankind?
“Let’s all just stay home watching Judge Judy for the rest of our lives and never do anything adventurous or expensive because famine” – Judge Judy
Ross, it’s not nonsense. These are worthwhile endeavours for humanity. We’d still be chasing animals around with spears and living in caves without ambition or the drive to explore and invent.
What is a waste are the billions given to the arms industry so we can slaughter each other.
‘What’s the point in wasting flint making a round stone, when we we need to bring our animal skins to our new cave?’
Good man Dermot and dermots mam
There is a simple, effective and guaranteed 100% remedy for all the social problems we face.
Stop having so many babies. Full stop.
We live on a rock in space.
Now, now David … don’t go calling me a liar or my mother either – Last warning !
Thanks Tom – I’ll tell her you liked it – it’s a nice saying isn’t it !
Of course being the scamp that I am I have looked at the stars every night since – they’re fascinating – I saw a thing the other night that I still don’t believe ….so I must get a telescope !
Sorry Rossa, no voyage of discovery has ever benefited mankind in any way.
Drilling randomly and striking oil did nothing for humanity.
Deciding to test what gases are created by burning mercury and various other calcs led to the discovery that air is made up of many gases, leading to the ability to isolate pure oxygen. This revolutionised respiratory medicine. I’m sure there was somebody like you telling them dont bother, what a waste, etc etc.
I’ve no idea what Edward Jenner was at, infecting himself with cow pox. Shur he only invented THE VACCINE and virtually irradicated small pox. Im sure you would have told him not to bother though Rossa.
Shall I go on?
@Jason – looking for the origins of life had no benefits for those dying needlessly in our world today.
@Ailbhe – if you read all my comments you will have seen that I agree medical research is necessary.
This mission will not assist fuels or medicine as you quote in your examples.
PS – please spell my name correctly if you’re taking a sarcastic tone. You frequently call people for misspelling your name.
Apologies Ross. Sarcasm is entirely necessary however. How do you know what may or may not be discovered. You’re pessimistic, defeatest and entirely presumptuous. You don’t know but imply you do know that it will offer no insights medically. It could offer insights into a variety of issues, such as the sustainability of the human race. The only way to find out, is to take risks and go on a voyage of discovery. You’re clearly not up to the challenge, so lets leave it to the scientific geniuses
@Ailbhe – I think we will leave it there since you’ve resorted to personal attacks and insults – always the lowest form of ‘debate’.
I note you also include yourself in those not capable of debating “lets leave it to the scientific geniuses” (sic).
Ailbhe, wouldn’t give too much weight to that Edward Jenner story. Pretty certain he infected some local urchin boy with the two pox to prove his theory. A hugely important discovery undoubtedly, but not quite the honourable and selfless story that has been promoted!
” looking for the origins of life had no benefits for those dying needlessly in our world today.”
Please do tell me how the €1.3b spent on this probe would instead make a massive difference to the world we live in. I’ll wait.
The irony of someone ridiculing science/technology on a social news site using a smart phone/ laptop/pc over the Internet never ceases to amaze me.
‘Pessimistic, defeatest and presumptuous’
These are observations based on your comments, which are all of the above. If you deride some form of insult from them, then maybe you’re a little touchy Ross. Good man though, avoid my points entirely. Avoiding debate entirely is worse than making clear observations. …and is a little, well, defeatest
@ross with 7bn people on the planet we’re at critical mass as to what the planet can support so either a mass cull (Ebola) or a way to get off this rock and colonise is the only way for the survival of the species, endeavours like this are of huge benefit as the research results they return
Wuuuuuuuuooooo Ebola, we’re all going to die…. Well the headline readers think so. No point in believing the medical experts when a good “let’s scare the s h i t out of the i d i o t s” headline is there to believe
@Niall – this is ludicrous. IF your theory is to be developed do you think a distant comet is the best place to start?
@ross do you honestly believe that without discovery we’d still be alive, at 45 I certainly would be at the end, by your reckoning I’d see us all die on this planet and never escape, it’s in our nature to discover and advance and be inquisitive so wasting money on a “fruitless” research mission to a comment may not benefit humankind but we don’t know yet but it’s a tremendous achievement of both engineering and mathematics
E=ms2
That’s all I’ve to say
Energy = mass speed squared …you could be onto something there James !
Hmmm cake
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