Wednesday will be a tense day for geeks

do you mean "beakability"

 

I'm sure that I've read that the cost of this venture per EU taxpayer has been only 10p per annum over the period of the project.

EDIT: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-30038871

Ooops, got it wrong, it was actually 16p per person per annum.

Our contributions to charities/good causes will be only about £100 this year, so despite our income being classed as being below the poverty line, I regard 16p as a trifling amount, especially as the investment is likely to yield financial/scientific rewards.

 

Indeed. I wonder how many nations are actively represented by ESA, and transcending that, I wonder how many scientists and enthusiasts and geeks from all over the world, all cultures, all walks of life who have little in common are united in the common interest of seeking knowledge and being inspired and awestruck by achievements like the Rossetta mission. Peace happens when people unite in a common interest. How many of us on this forum would have even bothered to chat to each other, let alone become friends in many cases, had it not been for our common interest in gardening? Science, and the thirst for knowledge, also unites people in a common interest, and the bolder something is, the more people notice it and are inspired by it. It is still a great scientific and technical achievement to get an aeroplane off the ground, but its so 'old hat' now that many people don't bat an eyelid (except perhaps people who have aviation as one of their hobbies). A couple of years ago, some chap did a parachute jump from space the edge of space. No point to it whatsoever, but it represented the something new in terms of human achievement, so people were interested. The Rossetta mission is important because it is another all-time human first, and it inspires people. It shows what can be achieved. A few years ago, people said that no person can run a mile in under 4 minutes. So someone tried, and did it, so the impossible was seen as possible. With the Rossetta mission, once again the boundaries of possibility of human achievement have been pushed back. If we learn nothing at all from the instruments on those space craft, we will at least have learned that a new set of technical impossibilities have been smashed, and made into possibles after all. And having seen what is possible, people from all walks of life, all cultures, people who wouldn't normally get to know each other and get on, will work together towards other common goals. That's more likely promote peace between people than anything else I can think of.

 

Its looking like the lander will cease working tonight.

http://phys.org/news/2014-11-comet-probe.html?utm_source=menu&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=item-menu

Apparently they've started the drill, and expect that it will actually have enough power to do a chemical analysis, but, and here's the super frustrating bit, it may manage to do the analysis then run out of power before transmitting the results. That would just be rotten luck. I can't help but be reminded of that tale from some old book about the tower of Babel, where we just weren't supposed to have the knowledge or something like that. Still, what they've achieved so far is still immense.

 

I think I just read on the net that the data collected has been downloaded and sent back to Earth and that the little module has now gone into sleep mode until it gets nearer to the sun so will see what happens next

Does anyone know what is going to happen to the larger module that the little one came out of.Is it still up there following the comet and it's passenger?

I personally think it is a marvellous achievement and money well spent if it helps mankind in the future

 

What an amazing little Workhorse she has been
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-30058176
Jenny

 

its amazing Jen

 

The larger module is following the comet as it travels closer to the sun I think

 

I think they just said on the radio that it is unlikely to recharge??? I wasn't really listening that much, so could be wrong.

 

Its in orbit around the comet, so will stay with it for as long as it can. I think I read that's expected to be until about a year and a half. I think I read that at some point it will get too close to the sun, and all its electronics will fail, then its dead, but in the meantime its going to keep sending back data. The boffins are looking forward to its close approach to the sun because that's when the comet will become increasingly active, and they'd like to see close up what happens when that starts to happen. That's when gas and vapour starts to erupt off the comet, giving it the characteristic comet tail.

That's the latest news on BBC. But on the plus side (if we need an extra plus after such a monumental achievement), its already done the drilling and sent back a massive stream of data.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-30058176

 

I think they're hoping for a little bit of recharge each time so they can get an hour at a time? It looks like they're still figuring that out

 

I wonder if they could move the mothership into a position to reflect sunlight onto its panels like I do with me car?

 

They'll have to find it first. They're still not sure exactly where it is.