It was relief and joy at European Space Operations Centre of ESA this morning around 10am. These scientists in Darmstadt, Germany, as well as CNES in Toulouse, France, applauded the successful release of Philae. And it is more than understandable for flight director Rosetta Andrea Accomazzo: "We lived and flew together for 10 years, and now he has gone to the comet ..."
From the first moments of separation, the robot Philae has deployed three trains
landing its antennas and mast. This robot was folded 1m3. It weighs 100 pounds on Earth, 1 gram on the comet. It is adorned with 10 instruments.
"What we're looking for Rosetta, with this journey to the comet, it is to increase our knowledge and understanding how comets in general works. This is the fundamental goal of this mission. In the following and asking them, we will see how it evolves during its return to the sun, we will be able to observe changes in the comet's activity, "says Matt Taylor, the Rosetta project scientist.
The landing of Philae is expected around 16:30 CET. This robot is going to go 22 kilometers due to one meter per second, before landing on the comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
This is the first time in history a human machine will land on a comet.
And our correspondent in Darmstadt, Claudio Rosmino, concludes: "after 10 years together, Rosetta and Philae separate. For the small probe is the moment of truth, a leap into the unknown to better understand the origins of the universe. "
No comments:
Post a Comment