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Update: Rosetta comet (Philae has landed)

flyingkiwiDK
flyingkiwiDK Posts: 5,723
edited November 2014 in Not Sports Related
Right now, someone is landing a robot on a comet 4 billion miles away at 40,000 mph! Anyone else following this?

Fascinating stuff!
«13

Comments

  • kentaddick
    kentaddick Posts: 18,729
    science is amazing. We're only at the very dawn of an amazing part of human history.
  • soapy_jones
    soapy_jones Posts: 21,370
    edited November 2014
    Due to land 16:00 GMT

    Should be a live feed about
  • Dazzler21
    Dazzler21 Posts: 51,420
    Link?
  • ValleyGary
    ValleyGary Posts: 37,991
    image

    Size of comet compared to London
  • flyingkiwiDK
    flyingkiwiDK Posts: 5,723
    ValleyGary said:

    image

    Size of comet compared to London

    Wow!
  • Stone
    Stone Posts: 3,026
    ValleyGary said:

    image

    Size of comet compared to London

    Phew, I thought that was where is was going to land!
  • soapy_jones
    soapy_jones Posts: 21,370
    Dazzler21 said:

    Link?

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/science-environment-29985988
  • Dippenhall
    Dippenhall Posts: 3,920
    Unexpected singing reported to be coming from comet, just hope it's not Bono done a deal to force us to listen to his damn album.
  • Oggy Red
    Oggy Red Posts: 44,961
    Stone said:

    ValleyGary said:

    image

    Size of comet compared to London

    Phew, I thought that was where is was going to land!
    So that's why Spurs were looking to groundshare somewhere?

  • charltonkeston
    charltonkeston Posts: 7,371

    Bruce Willis found this a difficult thing to do even with the full backing of a large studio.
    Wouldn't be supprised if this ends up 10 years work in the bin.

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  • ForeverAddickted
    ForeverAddickted Posts: 94,592
    Just imagine the awkward silence if the bloke crashes it into the comet
  • soapy_jones
    soapy_jones Posts: 21,370
    Always remember the awkward glances and embarrassed faces when we managed to lose Beagle on Mars. Pillinger (RIP) was priceless in trying to keep the faith.

    Mind you being a solely British project, we did attempt it with a budget that only stretched to elastic bands and what someone at the BBC found at the back of the boarded up Blue Peter store cupboard...
  • red_murph
    red_murph Posts: 2,460
    I think it's an amazing thing. The missus thinks it's doomed to failure and will crash.
  • ForeverAddickted
    ForeverAddickted Posts: 94,592
    edited November 2014
    red_murph said:

    The missus thinks it's doomed to failure and will crash.

    Well missus + parking = image;)
  • JWADDICK
    JWADDICK Posts: 846
    red_murph said:

    I think it's an amazing thing. The missus thinks it's doomed to failure and will crash.

    It actually doesn't matter if it crashes on landing. The fact we have been able to get this close to landing a man made object on a small rock (in galactic terms) that far away is an incredible achievement.

    Let's not forget that the tech being used up there is now getting on for twenty years old and the lessons learned today will stand us in very good stead for the future. I'm getting sweet FA done today as I'm spending way too much time following this. IMHO it's right up there with the lunar landings,although I am a science geek and a sucker for spavce.
  • Addicted
    Addicted Posts: 2,804
    The maths and engineering required to even get there is mind boggling. This could be the first step towards a solution against asteroids; without a doubt one of the largest threats (long term) to human life. Just a shame how much NASA's budget has been cut.
  • se9addick
    se9addick Posts: 32,059
    What's the UK's contribution to this ?
  • tom_k
    tom_k Posts: 1,207
    se9addick said:

    What's the UK's contribution to this ?

    This thread

  • JWADDICK
    JWADDICK Posts: 846
    se9addick said:

    What's the UK's contribution to this ?

    UK engineers designed and built Rosetta and many UK scientists, cosmologists and engineers are an integral part of ESA. The UK has made a huge contribution.
  • kentaddick
    kentaddick Posts: 18,729
    Addicted said:

    The maths and engineering required to even get there is mind boggling. This could be the first step towards a solution against asteroids; without a doubt one of the largest threats (long term) to human life. Just a shame how much NASA's budget has been cut.

    i'm sure bruce willis will help us out

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  • cabbles
    cabbles Posts: 15,258
    JWADDICK said:

    red_murph said:

    I think it's an amazing thing. The missus thinks it's doomed to failure and will crash.

    It actually doesn't matter if it crashes on landing. The fact we have been able to get this close to landing a man made object on a small rock (in galactic terms) that far away is an incredible achievement.

    Let's not forget that the tech being used up there is now getting on for twenty years old and the lessons learned today will stand us in very good stead for the future. I'm getting sweet FA done today as I'm spending way too much time following this. IMHO it's right up there with the lunar landings,although I am a science geek and a sucker for spavce.
    Excellent attitude JW. I spend most of my time reading up on all things astronomy and space. There are numerous things happening at the moment that could give us a very precise understanding of the universe and its origins. Of course the age old problem for physics of unifying all of the known forces still exists, and unfortunately, as soon as we think we have got closer to an answer, inconsistencies appear.

    Imagine how much discipline and patience those that dedicate their professional lives to the subject must have. To produce a paper or theory they believe is correct, only for it to be disproved.

    I've just been smashing through Brian Cox's Human Universe and the remake of Carl Sagan's Space Time Odyssey on Discovery Channel (I think). Both excellent shows. What I wouldn't give if I could go back and tell my younger self to have studied all the sciences properly at GCSE so that I could now be working in that field
  • ValleyGary
    ValleyGary Posts: 37,991
    cabbles said:

    JWADDICK said:

    red_murph said:

    I think it's an amazing thing. The missus thinks it's doomed to failure and will crash.

    It actually doesn't matter if it crashes on landing. The fact we have been able to get this close to landing a man made object on a small rock (in galactic terms) that far away is an incredible achievement.

    Let's not forget that the tech being used up there is now getting on for twenty years old and the lessons learned today will stand us in very good stead for the future. I'm getting sweet FA done today as I'm spending way too much time following this. IMHO it's right up there with the lunar landings,although I am a science geek and a sucker for spavce.
    Excellent attitude JW. I spend most of my time reading up on all things astronomy and space. There are numerous things happening at the moment that could give us a very precise understanding of the universe and its origins. Of course the age old problem for physics of unifying all of the known forces still exists, and unfortunately, as soon as we think we have got closer to an answer, inconsistencies appear.

    Imagine how much discipline and patience those that dedicate their professional lives to the subject must have. To produce a paper or theory they believe is correct, only for it to be disproved.

    I've just been smashing through Brian Cox's Human Universe and the remake of Carl Sagan's Space Time Odyssey on Discovery Channel (I think). Both excellent shows. What I wouldn't give if I could go back and tell my younger self to have studied all the sciences properly at GCSE so that I could now be working in that field
    Agree 100% cabbles. Love the fact Brian Cox has become so popular.
  • cabbles
    cabbles Posts: 15,258
    ValleyGary said:

    cabbles said:

    JWADDICK said:

    red_murph said:

    I think it's an amazing thing. The missus thinks it's doomed to failure and will crash.

    It actually doesn't matter if it crashes on landing. The fact we have been able to get this close to landing a man made object on a small rock (in galactic terms) that far away is an incredible achievement.

    Let's not forget that the tech being used up there is now getting on for twenty years old and the lessons learned today will stand us in very good stead for the future. I'm getting sweet FA done today as I'm spending way too much time following this. IMHO it's right up there with the lunar landings,although I am a science geek and a sucker for spavce.
    Excellent attitude JW. I spend most of my time reading up on all things astronomy and space. There are numerous things happening at the moment that could give us a very precise understanding of the universe and its origins. Of course the age old problem for physics of unifying all of the known forces still exists, and unfortunately, as soon as we think we have got closer to an answer, inconsistencies appear.

    Imagine how much discipline and patience those that dedicate their professional lives to the subject must have. To produce a paper or theory they believe is correct, only for it to be disproved.

    I've just been smashing through Brian Cox's Human Universe and the remake of Carl Sagan's Space Time Odyssey on Discovery Channel (I think). Both excellent shows. What I wouldn't give if I could go back and tell my younger self to have studied all the sciences properly at GCSE so that I could now be working in that field
    Agree 100% cabbles. Love the fact Brian Cox has become so popular.
    For me he is excellent. Great delivery, great manner and puts everything across in a way that the viewer can understand.

    Neil deGrasse who narrates cosmos: space time odyssey is also worth a watch (if you haven't already)
  • Weegie Addick
    Weegie Addick Posts: 16,546
    It's landed apparently, but they don't know what state it is in....
  • JWADDICK
    JWADDICK Posts: 846
    cabbles said:

    JWADDICK said:

    red_murph said:

    I think it's an amazing thing. The missus thinks it's doomed to failure and will crash.

    It actually doesn't matter if it crashes on landing. The fact we have been able to get this close to landing a man made object on a small rock (in galactic terms) that far away is an incredible achievement.

    Let's not forget that the tech being used up there is now getting on for twenty years old and the lessons learned today will stand us in very good stead for the future. I'm getting sweet FA done today as I'm spending way too much time following this. IMHO it's right up there with the lunar landings,although I am a science geek and a sucker for spavce.
    Excellent attitude JW. I spend most of my time reading up on all things astronomy and space. There are numerous things happening at the moment that could give us a very precise understanding of the universe and its origins. Of course the age old problem for physics of unifying all of the known forces still exists, and unfortunately, as soon as we think we have got closer to an answer, inconsistencies appear.

    Imagine how much discipline and patience those that dedicate their professional lives to the subject must have. To produce a paper or theory they believe is correct, only for it to be disproved.

    I've just been smashing through Brian Cox's Human Universe and the remake of Carl Sagan's Space Time Odyssey on Discovery Channel (I think). Both excellent shows. What I wouldn't give if I could go back and tell my younger self to have studied all the sciences properly at GCSE so that I could now be working in that field
    You and me both Cabbles. I do however have a son who actually listened to me and is currently studying physics at Uni, he wants to specialise in particle physics and do his Phd. I could not be prouder though my bank balance keeps telling me to tell the lazy soapdodging git to get a job! :)

    Cox is a bit of a hero of mine and I am loving the way some of the younger scientific community are becoming "celebrities", in the right way. the more interest we can generate in the yoof for science, engineering etc the better and frankly if Dr Alice Roberts can't get a young man interested in science what hope is there? She's certainly got this old man's interest.

    Did you ever see the original Sagan Odyssey? The remake was good but the original was amazing, probably due to the Carl Sagan himself although De Grasse Tyson does a good job.

  • kentaddick
    kentaddick Posts: 18,729
    ValleyGary said:

    cabbles said:

    JWADDICK said:

    red_murph said:

    I think it's an amazing thing. The missus thinks it's doomed to failure and will crash.

    It actually doesn't matter if it crashes on landing. The fact we have been able to get this close to landing a man made object on a small rock (in galactic terms) that far away is an incredible achievement.

    Let's not forget that the tech being used up there is now getting on for twenty years old and the lessons learned today will stand us in very good stead for the future. I'm getting sweet FA done today as I'm spending way too much time following this. IMHO it's right up there with the lunar landings,although I am a science geek and a sucker for spavce.
    Excellent attitude JW. I spend most of my time reading up on all things astronomy and space. There are numerous things happening at the moment that could give us a very precise understanding of the universe and its origins. Of course the age old problem for physics of unifying all of the known forces still exists, and unfortunately, as soon as we think we have got closer to an answer, inconsistencies appear.

    Imagine how much discipline and patience those that dedicate their professional lives to the subject must have. To produce a paper or theory they believe is correct, only for it to be disproved.

    I've just been smashing through Brian Cox's Human Universe and the remake of Carl Sagan's Space Time Odyssey on Discovery Channel (I think). Both excellent shows. What I wouldn't give if I could go back and tell my younger self to have studied all the sciences properly at GCSE so that I could now be working in that field
    Agree 100% cabbles. Love the fact Brian Cox has become so popular.
    brain cox is a bit of a hack, gets basic stuff wrong for the benefit of being accessable.

    check out sixty symbols who do some great stuff and are the physics department at the university of nottingham https://www.youtube.com/user/sixtysymbols
  • c4fcdenmark
    c4fcdenmark Posts: 2,041
    So far so good, legs have just been depolyed succesfully. Someone also got a tattoo!
  • Henry Irving
    Henry Irving Posts: 85,256
    It's all been made up.

    Filmed using CGI

    Conspiracy to keep us distracted from something they don't want us to know
  • flyingkiwiDK
    flyingkiwiDK Posts: 5,723
    Landed
  • c4fcdenmark
    c4fcdenmark Posts: 2,041
    Tattoo

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