Monday, September 15, 2014

Comet 67P from just 30 km (18 miles)...

Comet 67P from just 30 km (18 miles)...  Via APOD, of course.  Yesterday the ESA chose primary and secondary landing sites for the Philae lander.  They're carefully setting expectations, as there is a good chance the landing attempt will fail.  The selection team emphasized safety over scientific interest (though every potential site is quite interesting!), and the primary site ended up being on the relatively smooth end of the comet's smaller lobe.  The landing attempt is scheduled for November 11th, by which time the Rosetta “mother ship” will be orbiting at an altitude of just 10 km (6 miles)...
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3 comments:

  1. LarrySeptember 15, 2014 at 9:14 AM

    Its out gassing already? Are they getting photos of that yet?

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  2. UnknownSeptember 15, 2014 at 9:35 AM

    It is outgassing. The best photo so far is this one: http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2014/08/Comet_activity_on_2_August_2014

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  3. LarrySeptember 15, 2014 at 11:02 AM

    cool. I was hoping that would be visible up close. Maybe as it does it more?

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