rosetta comet landing live--4pm

An extraordinary achievement if the Europeans pull it off. Landing on a comet is beyond science fiction.

But these events are never the same without Patrick Moore and James Burke in the studio.

A holographic Patrick Moore would still have more life in him than any of the new Sky At Night presenters. And I would love to see James Burke just one more time striding around the studio in comedy spectacles with an aerial sticking out of his backside. Particularly as Chit Chat has recently gone to the trouble of discovering he's still alive.

If Brian Cox is there I'm turning over and watching Colombo.

great stuff. Thanks for the link

BBC : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/science-environment-29985988

new time

340pm

I've got to go out...will miss it

William Shatner ‏@WilliamShatner  · 2m2 minutes ago 
So the away team Philea is on it's way down to the comet's surface. Fingers crossed

Astonishing, detailed photos of the comet surface:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/europeanspaceagency/sets/72157638315605535/

Sky should've sent Kay Burley onto the comet.

[   This image is no longer available.   ]

Is this more difficult than landing on the moon due to the surface of the comet?

I wonder if this mission control centre we're seeing now looks like the BF ChitChat mods office?

You'd think they'd be able to afford more seats.

Definitely imo, injera. The Lunar Module had two people inside steering it and looking with their eyes for a safe place to land. This has no visual contact, and just look at that surface in those pictures.

probe lands shergar's london bus on elvis

Proof needed!

We need a photo with one of today's newspapers.

Thanks Screaming..

Allah u Akbar

how much has it cost?

1.3 billion Euros

What a fantastic achievment.  News that is actually significant in human history.

I have no time for these expensive space jaunts dressed up as being significant for this, that or the other reason, it's a complete waste of money which should be spent on building schools, hospitals or finding cures for diseases, it's literally burning money.

I actually pity you if you can't see the significance of this.

1.3 billion Euro over 20 years, shared by about 20 countries, isn't that much in the big scheme of things

Scandanavian_haven.....In the year 1000 BC,  "Why do people need round wheels? What's wrong with the square ones anyway?"

I understand why they've done it, but what I mean is justification, is landing on this comet going to affect anyone's life now or in the future? what practical benefits will it have? not quite as pointless as spending 10% of a countries GDP on a moon landing but still a load of excitable nerds thirst for knowledge is all it is, have pity for those sleeping on the streets crispy, I'm sitting in a very comfy desk chair with a hot cup of tea

Agree with SH, to an extent. That money could have been used to start a war with someone.

At what point would you restrict Research and Development?

Well he's convinced me.... we could have bailed out 1/20 of a bank with the money they've wasted on this.

I missed this, thought it was 7pm tonight

One of these comets/ asteroids has our name on it so understanding how they are composed and behave is of utmost importance. Something this size would be a planet wide event on a scale of the death of the dinosaurs. Remember Chelnabynsk last year? That piece of rock injured hundreds and caused millions worth of damage. To say this mission is a waste of money is ignorance at best.

AFIAK Space returns a lot more than is spent on it, estimates vary between 3x and 10x. Who knows what science will come out of this.

Look forward to seeing the results of the lander in the coming weeks.

If it wasn't for the tech that came from spending on defence and space you'd be typing your input to this conversation on a typewriter then posting it to the The Gentlemans Betting Forum, Chapel Lane, London and waiting until Monday for the reply.

have a look at the last (5th) episode of the Human Universe on iplayer. Coxy with a great presentation on looking beyond our own planet

I agree it's a relatively low amount of money compared to trillions frittered away on wars etc but still could have spent the billion on increasing the low housing stock, build new schools, transport, infrastructure, more public gyms, more hospitals, better equipment, TAKE YOUR PICK, nothing worse than wasting money, unless someone can tell me this mission is actually useful other than to expand our knowledge on the earth's origins which personally bores me, I find it funny the science geeks are upset, some things are more important, they're not going to find a cure for cancer on a comet.

Just Checking is spot on.

Would've been funnier if you'd waited 'til the 17th imo.

Didn`t realise that there was still a Comet we could go to. Long way to go for a bargain though

scandanavian - One day the people of this Planet will need to go to another Planet for the human race to survive and this is the first steps to doing so. It`s ok sitting in a nice chair drinking coffee knowing that such an event won`t directly effect you but we have to think long term for future generations. The Sun won`t be there forever. Hope this helps.

no it doesn't if you really think that's their aim, how does tracking and landing on a comet enable us to travel to and survive on another planet? explain that one in detail

N.A.S.A will be p^ssed off they have been outdone

waiting for announcement haileys comet

C4 news says there is a crisis meeting. Maybe it's gone a bit Moyes.

I think the understanding of the electron was the product of theoretical science...once somebody asked "what can electrons do for us?"

Tracking and landing on a comet is the primary step proposed for plausible ways of directing a comet away from a collision course with earth.

could of bounced off comet as harpoons didn't work

no gravity

Scandanavia - The prime objective of Rosetta is to determine the origin of Comets and the Universe itself. It`s called Science and to progress we need to know these things.

It will also determine that we can achieve deep space travel and secure pathways through our Solar System before taking the big step out our own environment on expeditions to new worlds in different Star systems. Nowadays, we can travel from the UK to Vladivostock by train but we would never have been able to do it if Stephenson`s Rocket hadn`t made that short trip from Stockton to Darlington in 1825.

Was new technology developed for Rosetta and can it be reused for other ESA missions?
The solar cells in Rosetta's solar panels are based on a completely new technology, so-called Low-intensity Low Temperature Cells. Thanks to them, Rosetta is the first space mission to journey beyond the main asteroid belt relying solely on solar cells for power generation. Previous deep-space missions used nuclear RTGs (Radio isotope thermal generators). The new solar cells allow Rosetta to operate over 800 million kilometres from the Sun, where levels of sunlight are only 4% those on Earth. The technology will be available for future deep-space flights, such as ESA’s upcoming Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer.

Systems that control the temperature inside the spacecraft are another example of technological spinoffs from the Rosetta mission. When a spacecraft is near the Sun, overheating is a problem, and can be prevented by using radiators. But in the outer Solar System, the problem is keeping the spacecraft and its subsystems warm. The system devised for Rosetta employs several new techniques, including the installation of louvres over the radiators, to keep spacecraft hardware at proper operating temperatures.

Rosetta also includes a number of highly innovative subsystems, some of which have been reused in other ESA missions, including Mars and Venus Express.

Why spend such a huge amount on public money on studying remote stones in space?
ESA’s task is to explore the unknown. In the case of Rosetta, scientists will be learning about comets, objects that have fascinated mankind for millennia. Comets are thought to be the most primitive objects in the Solar System, the building blocks from which the planets were made. So Rosetta will provide exciting new insights into how the planets (including Earth) were born and how life began.

It is important to consider that what may seem pure science ends up contributing to the store of human knowledge, and the advancement of knowledge always has relevance to everyday life, in the practical as well as the philosophical sense. Many technologies developed for space eventually lead to advances in other areas, though it is very difficult to predict when and how basic knowledge will result in practical benefits. If there had not been a need for particle physicists to share data, there would be no World Wide Web.

There are also direct spin-offs, like Rosetta’s advanced solar cell technology.

ESA is very careful to optimise the financial resources available in order to get the maximum profit, in terms of scientific results, technology and – last but not least – advances for European industry.

The educational fallout from major science endeavours should also not be underestimated. Missions like Rosetta are inspiring and fascinating, and help to get more young people interested in science, including many who may eventually choose a scientific career.

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Frequently_asked_questions

I hope to god that if/when we travel outside our solar system that whatever awaits blows us to smithereens before we can fu ck their planet up too!

It will all be ok until they build another Canary Wharf..

comet sound

@AndreaSJames: Congrats @esa & @philae2014 for landing on comet #67P after 10-yr-flight! WOW! Listen to comet hum: https://t.co/IwVy6QPHBI #cometlanding



popcorn track original


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NjxNnqTcHhg

Thank you very much for the rosetta.esa.int/ link, xmon.

I was down the hospital as it landed and was happy to see it did so.

Saw the 1910 live link - will be tuning in tomorrow @ 1300 for the live report.

Nice one and thanks again for the link.

Rosetta: Waiting game after comet lander glitch  -   http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-30026398

? £$d!

heres an excellent video of difficulty of mission

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5iyZTXiX78&feature=youtu.be


trilby--yeah its great when its live on-line

on-line viewing was much better than TV pics,with a reporter commenting on whats happening

brilliant live blog guardian



http://www.theguardian.com/science/across-the-universe/live/2014/nov/13/rosetta-mission-philae-lander-live-coverage-comet-esa

Hello! An update on life on #67P - Yesterday was exhausting! I actually performed 3 landings,15:33, 17:26 & 17:33 UTC. Stay tuned for more
9:36 AM - 13 Nov 2014

3rd Bounce it seems to landed in a crater

good news--stable on ground
bad news--solar panels can't get recharged as sun is blocked

60 hours of power left

.@pbdes reporting things not ideal with Philae: on side; broken solar panels; incredibly dark resting place anyway...#CometLanding

starting now news update

http://new.livestream.com/esa/cometlanding

Do we get a refund ?

One thing they have learnt, is comets are slippery

Unfortunately Philae has settled in the shadow of a cliff, so still concerns, this probe is incredibly important

Thin and Crispy  • November 12, 2014 5:21 PM GMT 


I actually pity you if you can't see the significance of this.

I agree....I do not think scandinavian ..has a lot of vision

methinks if we all listened to people like scandinavian, we would still be living in caves

like muslims?

apologies if I burst your space bubbles, I hope something good comes from it, but having read into this mission I gauged very little confidence in it having practical benefits, maybe I'm wrong, I'm a caveman remember, my brain is not as developed as yours

Fair play to you for admitting that.. it's the nature and will of man to continually push at boundaries, acquire new knowledge and use it to our advantage and the common good.
Had **** Spaiens not already been doing that for thousands of years we WOULD still be huner/gatherers and living as cavemen.

(yes I can see the speeling error two)

Cost about £2.80 per EU citizen, have we got our money's worth in your opinion?

yeah

£2.85

I'm loving how technology was 10 years ago,imagine what new missions can do

I was in the first school year to do Computer Science 'A'-level.
We wrote programs in 'Basic', and learnt Algol and Fortran. We submitted our attempts to secretaries for them to punch out 5 or 8-hole paper-tape.
We waited until the computer operators ran our tapes through the machine in air-conditioned rooms and then report back if they had errors - in which case we'd do it all again. The hard disks were the size of car wheels.
That was just four decades ago... worth every penny of £2:80 imho.

look at American cop tv series,70smobile phones were like the size of bricks

comet much larger than I thought





https://mobile.twitter.com/Amazing_Maps/status/533016318895980545/photos

USA flag & can o coke in background plus Aldi bag
fake

Shows why we'd prefer they don't collide with us

They are desperately getting it to drill into the surface before the battery fades

A lot of money for little, but we must try these things, we do not know yet if and how comets have affected the earth,

including life, we need to have a close look at a comet some time, sadly not too much this time

I have always thought knowledge is good, ignorance is bad, although I have to admit sometimes our knowledge gets horribly misused

Still at least we found it...I don't think anyone has yet found our own
Beagle II lander on Mars...and wont now, battery would have gone

bagel 3

They should wait until the battery is almost flat then do the little risky jump they were considering doing to try and land in a better place, it's the logical thing to do.

My local fish and chip shop opens on Sundays, it has won loads of awards but is quite expensive.

http://www.olleys.info/

Wrong Fred? Only thing comet's sell is overpriced white goods

My bad, woops

A lot of money for little, but we must try these things, we do not know yet if and how comets have affected the earth,

The main mission is Rosetta which will follow the comet over the coming months as it heats up and forms a tail. The lander was only a secondary mission and only expected for 60 hours data. A lot of info will be gleaned from it (the comet was a lot softer than expected for starters). It wasn't money wasted, it was money well spent.

good to hear ovalman

would have been nice to have a dig in, see what it is made of

It has drilled into the surface. Analyse sample in the inboard lab.

* onboard

Update (Nov. 14, 2014 at 23:00 UTC): Contact with Philae has been re-established! Data taken from the surface (including drill samples) have been sent back to Earth. Not only that, a command was sent to rotate the lander, and that worked as well! It rotated by 35°, enough to point a bigger solar panel up to the Sun. Reports indicate power is flowing, so the life of the mission has at the very least been extended somewhat. This is incredible work by the ESA team!

http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2014/11/14/philae_rosetta_sees_spot_where_lander_bounced.html

Sounds promising.

After the above optimism it seems the lander is now "dead". They are just hoping the Solar cells power it up enough to upload it's data, which by the sounds of it is quite a lot. Even though it only lasted 60 hours and landed upside down, it will still give scientists a lot of data to work through.

latest picture from the surface
.

Bumpy terrain !

BBC4 9pm Tonight

Or I'm a Celebrity ITV 9pm

Cheers Greg, knew it was on but forgot about it.

Cosmos was on last week but no sign of episode 2 tonight Lets hope it's resumed next week.

Not 100% sure Ovalman, but I think the Cosmos episode was a one off for the Brian Cox night.

That picture above from HH Sultan is clearly a fake by the way. there are no stars in the sky.

That picture above from HH Sultan is clearly a fake by the way. there are no stars in the sky.


that was the giveaway for me too

I know Degs but I found this http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04l60q8/episodes/guide so hopeful all 13 will be shown some time in the future. I'm especially hoping the original UK version will be shown as it was for the first episode.

that looks hopeful Ovalman. I'm sure I saw Cosmos when it was originally on, but really don't remember it that well, but I do remember Sagan from the Royal Institute Christmas Lectures he did, he was a revelation, one of the great 20th Century scientists.

I missed the Royal Institute Lecture although they are available on Youtube. Sagan is one of my heroes and Cosmos is a great part of why I love Astronomy. I own the boxset but I'd love to see the UK version again.

Can't believe the fuss being made by feminists on twitter etc about some silly shirt one of the scientists wore.
Did you see that? He shouldn't have apologised, instead he should have told them to feck off grow up and get lives.

While wearing the shirt and matching trousers.

I'm totally sick of the full time sanctimonious fools on "social media" in a state of near permanent outrage at something, it seems like twitter only exists for kn*bs to make kn*bs of themselves

astrology gave astronomy a bad name

Pocock annoys me....why not chill out ?

Then again....she is likable.

I just listened to the Star Talk Podcast and Bill Nye said that for every $1 spent on Space, $3.60 is returned. I think that's a good return.

Even though Rosetta is a pure science mission, I'm sure some good will have already come from it.

At Philae’s final landing spot, probe recorded a temperature of –153°C

Wakey Wakey Rise and shine.

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/06/14/rosettas-lander-philae-wakes-up-from-hibernation/