European Space Agency Makes History -Rosetta Philae Probe Comet Landing

SUCCESS and JUBILATION!

Inside the comet lie the mysteries of the solar system. Within the ice and dust of the universe may be the key to understanding life and how we came to be on the Earth. This successful mission means we are on the precipice of a major accomplishment in our human history, and we may finally be able to answer the questions that have been plaguing those who look to the sky for centuries. How did we get here? Why is our Earth the way it is?

Comets are celestial objects consisting of a nucleus of ice and dust; they are also known as “dirty snowballs.” For the first time in history, the European Space Agency landed on an unusual rubber-duck shaped comet.

Finding a place to land that would not leave Philae broken and defunct was a mission in itself. The comet was riddled with hills and jutting cliffs, and the plains were strewn with boulders.

Rosetta spent weeks flying around the comet to create a surface map from which mission controllers could choose a landing site. They had many issues to contend with: the site had to be fairly flat and clear of boulders, but with a good view of the whole comet and plenty of sunlight to charge the lander’s batteries. From a shortlist of five potential landing spots, scientists and engineers unanimously voted for a 1 sq km region on the comet’s “head” later named Agilkia.

Agilkia, like the other mission names, are of Egyptian descent. Philae refers to the island of the Nile where the temple of Isis stood. This temple was later moved to the island of Agilkia after Philae was flooded. Interestingly, Philae also refers to the obelisk from the island that, along with the Rosetta stone, assisted in the understanding of ancient hieroglyphics.
And, now, Philae will pave the way for the understanding of the comet.

Initially, according to Fred Jansan (the mission’s manager), rates of success were assumed to be about 75%. This rated jumped and fell as the staff learned more about the landing site. A malfunction with the thruster on Philae failed to respond to commands, and the mission was nearly aborted. Because the comet’s surface has a gravitational pull that is several hundred thousand times weaker than on Earth, the nitrogen thruster, facing upwards, was designed to fire for 60 seconds as the lander touched down. This would prevent it from bouncing off. Earth confirmation of the landing happened at 0903 GMT after a seven-hour long descent.

Philae has battery power that will last 40 hours; after that a switch will be made to rechargeable ones that will be replenished by sunlight. The Rosetta mission will run until December 2015, and they would like to extend the life of the mission by six months to give the mothership tasks such as flying through the gas and dust jets that stream from the comet. When the lander’s electronics become too warm to work properly, it will be in for laps around the sun if it can cling to the comet.

While Philae hitches a ride on the comet, the scientists hope to learn the following:

1. Comets are remnants from the formation of the solar system. Further clues may be unlocked about the development of life on Earth.
2. How did the Earth become blue? The bombardment of comets billions of years ago could have brought water and simple organic molecules to Earth. We can find out if the icy remnants from the phase of planet building are responsible for life on Earth.
3. Adding to the detailed information Rosetta has already learned about the composition of the comet’s nucleus, gaseous coma, and outer surface, the comet’s interior contains the initial composition of the solar system when it was formed 4.5 billion years ago. We are so close to learning what made our planet habitable.

The mission was a risky one, but we know great risk also can achieve great reward. And this is no exception. We have so much to learn about our Earth, and now we have one more way to do so.
#Keepitnerdy
Written by: Amber Hiles

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