# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2014, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/81 "2014-11-13T03:33:11Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > In particular they’re concerned with random gas releases, frequent on the comet, and also with the possibility that drilling could release gas. Can we have some more beans, Mr Taggert! ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2014, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/82 "2014-11-13T03:50:07Z")
These guys need a mohawk guy. ---
**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 13, 2014, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/83 "2014-11-13T04:24:01Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > These guys need a mohawk guy. I wondered where he was until I heard everyone’s funny accents. They did have a tattoo guy though. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2014, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/84 "2014-11-13T04:27:03Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I wondered where he was until I heard everyone’s funny accents. They did have a tattoo guy though. They did? ---
**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 13, 2014, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/85 "2014-11-13T04:27:36Z")
I happened to catch this guy at one point today: [Matt](http://i.guim.co.uk/static/w-620/h--/q-95/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2014/11/12/1415803881046/b88f0e41-deb8-4dde-a06e-ecd1870db7b6-620x414.jpeg) [Taylor](http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/11/12/1415793643173_wps_18_image002_png.jpg) ---
**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 13, 2014, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/86 "2014-11-13T04:29:26Z")
That should be [Dr Matt Taylor](https://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/2014/11/08/15d432c26b1799e85c2e79b0209be8f5.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![BOOM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c4cdca/32.png) [@BOOM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BOOM)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2014, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/87 "2014-11-13T12:18:11Z")
I can’t get over how great this is: Europe landed a washing machine on a duck comet - yay! ---
**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 13, 2014, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/88 "2014-11-13T12:34:34Z")
I’m looking forward to today’s briefing. I believe it starts in about 30 minutes, [here](http://rosetta.esa.int/) and [here](http://new.livestream.com/esa/cometlanding). ---
**Author:** ![Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/arrogance_ex_machina/32/192_2.png) [@Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrogance_Ex_Machina)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2014, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/89 "2014-11-13T13:47:44Z")
They seem more happy than worried right now, so I guess they think the lander isn’t going to drift away from the comet. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2014, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/90 "2014-11-13T13:54:49Z")
Did you guys see this short science fiction film created in anticipation/celebration of this mission? [Ambition](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H08tGjXNHO4). (Bonus: Littlefinger.) ---
**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 13, 2014, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/91 "2014-11-13T13:57:07Z")
> [@Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](#): > > They seem more happy than worried right now, so I guess they think the lander isn’t going to drift away from the comet. They pretty confident the first touchdown was on a nice flat surface, but it’s clear it didn’t stay there. Now, it looks like they think they’ve figured out where it settled, but don’t want to release that info yet (?). [This first image](https://twitter.com/ESA_Rosetta/status/532833867817033728/photo/1) from the surface suggests it’s up against some craggy surface/wall, possibly settled in a crater or hole. I’m guessing they have instruments that can tell it’s not on its side. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2014, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/92 "2014-11-13T15:05:08Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > They pretty confident the first touchdown was on a nice flat surface, but it’s clear it didn’t stay there. Now, it looks like they think they’ve figured out where it settled, but don’t want to release that info yet (?). > > [This first image](https://twitter.com/ESA_Rosetta/status/532833867817033728/photo/1) from the surface suggests it’s up against some craggy surface/wall, possibly settled in a crater or hole. I’m guessing they have instruments that can tell it’s not on its side. Who was at the wheel, Howard Wolowitz? 😃 In today’s press conference they mentioned a few things (and I probably missed others), The solar panels are not providing enough power so the battery will run out in about 60 hours, although the lander is designed to wake up if the amount of light changes in the future due to the orientation of the comet relative to the Sun. They are thinking, as a last resort measure, to twitch the landing legs to hop somewhere else if they can asses the location and attitude of the probe, by the same token firing the harpoons again is a bad idea since the recoil could be enough to send the probe careening into space. I’m not 100% sure but some instruments seem to be working, but drilling to analyze the soil composition is out of consideration until they can see that won’t also send the probe who knows where. ---
**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 13, 2014, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/93 "2014-11-13T15:23:54Z")
> [@Sal\_Ammoniac](#): > > I’m really surprised by how the comet looks. Who knew it would be so spiky, so craggy, and so irregular, with its hollows full of what looks like soft sand? In the mental picture that I’d always maintained, comets were like giant pieces of pumice. But, you know, I don’t encounter comets all that often. I always heard comets described as “dirty snowballs”, but maybe that was one particular comet. ---
**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 13, 2014, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/94 "2014-11-13T15:30:43Z")
> [@Ale](#): > > Who was at the wheel, Howard Wolowitz? 😃 > > In today’s press conference they mentioned a few things (and I probably missed others), The solar panels are not providing enough power so the battery will run out in about 60 hours, although the lander is designed to wake up if the amount of light changes in the future due to the orientation of the comet relative to the Sun. > They are thinking, as a last resort measure, to twitch the landing legs to hop somewhere else if they can asses the location and attitude of the probe, by the same token firing the harpoons again is a bad idea since the recoil could be enough to send the probe careening into space. > I’m not 100% sure but some instruments seem to be working, but drilling to analyze the soil composition is out of consideration until they can see that won’t also send the probe who knows where. If they can get the drills into the the comet, they could fire the rockets a bit to turn the whole thing, comet and probe, and see if lands facing the sun. ---
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2014, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/95 "2014-11-13T15:34:31Z")
I don’t think the lander has rockets, it had one thruster on the top which pushes it down, but that also has some challenges ( it isn’t working either) . The landing was entirely unpowered, just a very gentle drop. ---
**Author:** ![BOOM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c4cdca/32.png) [@BOOM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BOOM)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2014, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/96 "2014-11-13T16:09:25Z")
LOL … on landing it bounced 1k: top toon: 'It’s all about the bounce, the bounce, the bounce … ’ > [@](#): > > Philae is thought to be resting somewhere in candidate landing site B, shown here. The exact location of the lander is unknown Good enough for govmint work. Excellent photos: > **[Rosetta mission: Philae comet landing photos released - live](https://www.theguardian.com/science/across-the-universe/live/2014/nov/13/rosetta-mission-philae-lander-live-coverage-comet-esa)** > > European Space Agency scientists say they’re still trying to locate the Philae lander but it is “stable” and sending data ---
**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 13, 2014, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/97 "2014-11-13T16:09:31Z")
> [@Precambrianmollusc](#): > > I don’t think the lander has rockets, it had one thruster on the top which pushes it down, but that also has some challenges ( it isn’t working either) . > The landing was entirely unpowered, just a very gentle drop. I assume it had one retro rocket to slow it’s descent, but I could be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![BOOM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c4cdca/32.png) [@BOOM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BOOM)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2014, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/98 "2014-11-13T16:11:55Z")
Top Londoner: [![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B2U_rIyIMAAnngz.jpg) ](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B2U_rIyIMAAnngz.jpg) > [@](#): > > Genius lacks common sense says family ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2014, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/99 "2014-11-13T16:36:33Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > That should be [Dr Matt Taylor](https://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/2014/11/08/15d432c26b1799e85c2e79b0209be8f5.jpg) Ah, they do have a mohawk guy then. That’s cool. He’s kind of playing up the super nerd look, though. I still like our mohawk guy. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2014, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411/100 "2014-11-13T16:36:44Z")
> [@BOOM](#): > > Top Londoner: > > [https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B2U\_rIyIMAAnngz.jpg](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B2U_rIyIMAAnngz.jpg) Ha! My wife says this about me – but I’m no genius, and I’m actually pretty good at parking a car. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-this-rosetta-comet-probe/704411.md?page=6)