# Anyone else excited about this Rosetta comet probe? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 12, 2014, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411 "2014-11-12T03:11:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/41 "2014-11-12T16:15:08Z")
Very very cool. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/42 "2014-11-12T16:17:21Z")
Pics or it did’nt happen. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/43 "2014-11-12T16:23:13Z")
Amazing. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/44 "2014-11-12T16:26:06Z")
Suck it, dolphins. Primates rule, cetaceans drool. . ---
**Author:** ![CheshireKat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheshirekat/32/1207_2.png) [@CheshireKat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheshireKat)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/45 "2014-11-12T16:29:09Z")
Well, that made me cry. One of the most amazing things I’ve witnessed. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/46 "2014-11-12T16:29:46Z")
Yeah, science! ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/47 "2014-11-12T16:32:02Z")
An incredible achievement. Huge congratulations to ESA! ---
**Author:** ![Zerc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/82dd89/32.png) [@Zerc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zerc)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/48 "2014-11-12T16:37:06Z")
I have the same happy feeling as when Curiosity landed on Mars! ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/49 "2014-11-12T16:38:40Z")
The Telegraph article says that it’s “a mission which could reveal the origins of life on Earth.” That sounds like hyperbolic horseshit. Isn’t the mission interesting enough as it is? ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/50 "2014-11-12T16:42:26Z")
uh oh… harpoons didn’t shoot. ---
**Author:** ![CheshireKat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheshirekat/32/1207_2.png) [@CheshireKat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheshireKat)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/51 "2014-11-12T16:47:55Z")
He did say something about sending a re-try command, but yeah - not being anchored would interfere with a lot of the planned experiments, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/52 "2014-11-12T16:52:46Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > The Telegraph article says that it’s “a mission which could reveal the origins of life on Earth.” That sounds like hyperbolic horseshit. Isn’t the mission interesting enough as it is? It seems like every single space program/mission ever includes that line. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/53 "2014-11-12T16:53:09Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > The Telegraph article says that it’s “a mission which could reveal the origins of life on Earth.” That sounds like hyperbolic horseshit. Isn’t the mission interesting enough as it is? Well it _could_, just as it _could_ reveal where the Loch Ness monster goes for ski holidays to beat the crowds. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/54 "2014-11-12T16:56:38Z")
> [@Ale](#): > > uh oh… harpoons didn’t shoot. Crap. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/55 "2014-11-12T16:58:38Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > It seems like every single space program/mission ever includes that line. As if there’ll be one mission that’ll explain it all. I hope they work out the harpoon issue though. Maybe they should’ve named the lander Ahab. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/56 "2014-11-12T16:58:44Z")
It still has the screws in its feet, right? Hopefully those will help keep it anchored. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/57 "2014-11-12T17:02:06Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > Well it _could_, just as it _could_ reveal where the Loch Ness monster goes for ski holidays to beat the crowds. Lake Tahoe, mid-November,—everyone knows that. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/58 "2014-11-12T17:06:42Z")
I totally misunderstood what was going on here. I was under the impression that harpoons were being launched from the orbiter and the lander would essentially climb down the cables so it wouldn’t bounce off the comet (it’s got a really low escape velocity, like 1mph). The XKCD graphic didn’t help with this misunderstanding. So when someone said the harpoons didn’t fire, I was confused since we already have confirmation that it landed and I head them say we’ll have pictures back in the next hour or so. Anyways, harpoons seems like an odd thing to call it when your launching them from, what, a few feet away right into the ground. Also, I wonder why they’d do that, and then they’re going to use drills too. I supposed the concern is that the module isn’t heavy enough to push the drills into the ground and it’ll just skip around with the cable from the harpoons pulling it down. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/59 "2014-11-12T17:12:15Z")
The comet is about 3.6 au away, so according to my calculations, that’s a 30 minute, one-way trip in giving commands, and another 30 min trip to find out if it worked. Yes? ---
**Author:** ![CheshireKat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheshirekat/32/1207_2.png) [@CheshireKat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheshireKat)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/60 "2014-11-12T17:16:19Z")
Yes, there’s a 30 minute delay each way. On the harpoon comment: quick Wiki info: The lander, named Philae, will approach Churyumov–Gerasimenko at relative speed around 1 m/s (2.2 mph; 3.6 km/h) and **on contact with the surface, two harpoons will be fired into the comet to prevent the lander from bouncing off** because the comet’s escape velocity is only around 0.5 m/s (1.1 mph; 1.8 km/h). **Additional drills are used to further secure the lander on the comet.** After its attachment to the comet, the lander will begin its science mission. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411.md?page=4)