On November 12, 2014 will go down in history of science and humanity as the day on which a space robot named Philae landed on the surface of a comet with a strange name.
Rosetta-an ambitious mission performed by the Space Agency Europea- was designated as the scientific highlight of the year, according to US magazine Science.
That day, the world was aware of the movements of Philae, a robot that had entered the orbit of Comet 67P / Churyumov-Gerasimenko in August. This robot, the size of a refrigerator, do not come alone into space was aboard the Rosetta probe and its goal was to land on the surface of a comet to find clues about the formation of the solar system
Philae managed to reach the comet’s surface; However, it was in a different place than planned. In this “runway”, the robot did not receive enough sunlight, so their batteries went out and now this as “asleep”. The mission concluded in 2015.
The Nation spoke with two of the experts who took part in the project: the space scientist Detlef Koschny , who was involved in the design of the camera Rosetta mission and analyst, Rüdiger Jehn, the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC).
These are their answers.
If you had to explain to someone who knows nothing about the mission Rosetta, what would you say?
Koschny: Comets are leftovers from the formation of the solar system. By analyzing we can understand better how was it formed and evolved. Thus, we also understand how the solar system formed because in the end we find out if our Earth is ‘normal’ or one big exception in the universe.
What is the difference of a ‘landing’ in a kite and a ‘landing’ on the Moon or a planet like Mars?
Koschny: The gravity on a comet is so low that it is more a ‘link’ to a landing. Be sure to stay on the surface, which was a challenge as we saw Philae bounce in the first two attempts. Fortunately, he eventually managed to sit on the surface and instruments could make their measurements as planned.
Why the comet was chosen ? 67P / Churyumov Gerasimenko
Koschny: was one of comets considered of scientific interest and at the same time, was feasible to reach him with rockets we have available. In fact, the initial objective was comet Wirtanen, but the launch was postponed for a year, then it was impossible to reach.
What makes it so appealing to science?
Koschny: Churyumov Gerasimenko is extremely interesting from the scientific point of view. We are still discussing where it comes from his strange way. Was it a big subject that was eroded in the center or were two individual objects that collided and then joined?
“We do not know the answer yet, but we have a year to take measurements”.
As part of the Rosetta team, have you ever crossed his mind that the mission would fail?
Jehn: was quite optimistic that would reach the vicinity of the comet after 10 years of travel, but feared the thrusters will not work correctly to insertion into the comet’s orbit in August 2014. There were some problems with the propulsion system that put me nervous. I just prayed that the landing was achieved. As analyst mission that has nothing to do with the hardware , for me it was like a miracle.
Koschny: I was worried that the camera shutter will not work because I was involved in the development of this instrument. I’m sure everyone has similar fears in their field.
It was disappointing that Philae achieved not land on Agilkia the site ? foreseen
Koschny: No. Finally, scientific instruments could make your measurements as planned. We expected this lander pose somewhere where you give the sun, so that your batteries are recharged and make more measurements, but it’s like an extended mission and at the end, Philae was a success.
What’s the next step? That is, what can we expect from the Rosetta mission
Koschny: Let’s get a better understanding of how both formed our solar system and the Earth and how life came to this planet. The first set of investigations was subjected to peer review in scientific journals and much remains ahead. They are going to take many years to analyze information.
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