Science and big steps for human civilisation

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vasco de gama

vasco de gama

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Joined
Dec 20, 2006
Big news apparently. http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-30026398

There used to be a guy on the bounce who knew a lot about space and the final frontiers. Stirling Hibby I think was his handle. So with today's comet landing comes the claim that this is a hugely important event for humanity. This is on the same day that Russian troops once again show we have crazy expansionism / incursions going on back on planet earth and no doubt loads more nonsense that has blighted humanity since creation and that we never seem able to progress beyond.

So my question to any boffins out there is why is this really such a big step for humanity if the day to day bullshit just keeps piling up so fast you need wings to stay above it?
 
I know nowt about these things, and will probably make a fool of myself in answering this, BUT.. I would have thought that it's useful for us to know that we can physically intercept items (such as meteorites or other debris) that are hurtling through space. :dunno: It may also be the case that the technological advances made in this project have wider and more mundane uses. :dunno::dunno::dunno:
 
hibs1986 said:
I know nowt about these things, and will probably make a fool of myself in answering this, BUT.. I would have thought that it's useful for us to know that we can physically intercept items (such as meteorites or other debris) that are hurtling through space. :dunno: It may also be the case that the technological advances made in this project have wider and more mundane uses. :dunno::dunno::dunno:
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They were chatting about this on the radio this morning, your first thought was among those mentioned, apparently we're (not you and me ;-) tracking items over 5 kilometres big but there's just too many smaller ones, like the one that flew over/into Russia last year that sneak in unknown. It was tiny but still had the potential to be a dull yin.

Understanding the universe and all that made up most of the other reasons I think.
 
we can land a probe on a comet traveling at 50000 mph (in itself an impressive feat) but we cant work out how to stick a banker in jail - feelin' the skewed priorities vibe on this thread to be honest
 
gun ainm said:
we can land a probe on a comet traveling at 50000 mph (in itself an impressive feat) but we cant work out how to stick a banker in jail - feelin' the skewed priorities vibe on this thread to be honest
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Indeed. 2 bn in fines, probably enough for another comet chasing probe, bankers facing jail time in other ... I'm away to start another thread :-)
 
It is an incredible achievement IMO- to send a rocket off billions of miles from earth following a hurtling object and then operate/land something on said hurtling object. Truly incredible.

That said, I'd be similarly impressed if someone built a lifesize replica of Paris out of beermats.

:dunno:
 
Jack said:
They were chatting about this on the radio this morning, your first thought was among those mentioned, apparently we're (not you and me ;-) tracking items over 5 kilometres big but there's just too many smaller ones, like the one that flew over/into Russia last year that sneak in unknown. It was tiny but still had the potential to be a dull yin.

Understanding the universe and all that made up most of the other reasons I think.
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The one that blew up over Russia was on a sneaky covert op, it snuck up directly behind a bigger fellae completely out of sight, and as the decoy spun the other way it came in with it's awesome boom!
Quite a nifty trick
 
vasco de gama said:
Big news apparently. http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-30026398

There used to be a guy on the bounce who knew a lot about space and the final frontiers. Stirling Hibby I think was his handle. So with today's comet landing comes the claim that this is a hugely important event for humanity. This is on the same day that Russian troops once again show we have crazy expansionism / incursions going on back on planet earth and no doubt loads more nonsense that has blighted humanity since creation and that we never seem able to progress beyond.

So my question to any boffins out there is why is this really such a big step for humanity if the day to day bullshit just keeps piling up so fast you need wings to stay above it?
Click to expand...

All that way and the bloody thing lands in the shadows effectively rendering it useless Would you like to know more?
 
vasco de gama said:
Big news apparently. http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-30026398

There used to be a guy on the bounce who knew a lot about space and the final frontiers. Stirling Hibby I think was his handle. So with today's comet landing comes the claim that this is a hugely important event for humanity. This is on the same day that Russian troops once again show we have crazy expansionism / incursions going on back on planet earth and no doubt loads more nonsense that has blighted humanity since creation and that we never seem able to progress beyond.

So my question to any boffins out there is why is this really such a big step for humanity if the day to day bull$#@! just keeps piling up so fast you need wings to stay above it?
Click to expand...

Should really have shared this information earlier but not really been on lately....

The primary mission was all sorts of things...the drill was a part of it but also pictures, mechanical surface property analysis, "atmosphere" analysis, radio sounding of the comet core etc. Lots of fun data!! Not sure when the drill results will come...we know it went all the way down and came all the way up and the sample delivery mechanism was successful. They'll be furiously analysing data now at Open University to see if some matter was actually delivered into PTOLEMY for analysis.

Philae landed then bounced over a KM after the initial impact (quite amazing in itself) it bounced just low enough to stop it from drifting off into space somehow.... the flight dynamics team can take great credit in knowing they landed it right where they were aiming it at again this is no easy task.

It landed on its side stopping the harpoons from getting right into the ground but as I said above it managed to get all the scientific data sent don during its period of telemetry.

the little lander is now asleep under the stars in the spot where it made history, its batteries are finally depleted. It'll be a long sleep now, if it ever wakes again. Philae was an absolute star (pun intended) until the very end and with the very last of its power managed to complete transmission of all of its primary science data objectives. Even if it is now asleep for eternity, this mission had been an incredible success and will have revolutionised our understanding of comets...and that's not even considering the amazing work that the Rosetta mothership has yet to do. For now though, thank you to Philae and more than that thank you to my amazing colleagues who made it happen, I'm so proud of our Agency and the chance to work alongside you!




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Dub said:
All that way and the bloody thing lands in the shadows effectively rendering it useless Would you like to know more?
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It is in sunlight..ish. The main hope is that as the comet approaches the sun and the intensity increases that the panels will generate enough for it to wake up. As for what it did...we know that almost with its last watt it completed and downlinked pretty much 100% of the prime science objectives
 
Wannabehibee said:
@Perthhibee

Wondered where you'd been. Are you a little busy just now? :thumbgrin
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Yeh its been non stop at the agency ha

Ill be back in december where I am hoping to go to the Falkirk game... amongst my 2 week break ha

deffo need it

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hibs1986 said:
I know nowt about these things, and will probably make a fool of myself in answering this, BUT.. I would have thought that it's useful for us to know that we can physically intercept items (such as meteorites or other debris) that are hurtling through space. :dunno: It may also be the case that the technological advances made in this project have wider and more mundane uses. :dunno::dunno::dunno:
Click to expand...

It took twelve years of being looped around the solar system to build up the speed it needed to catch up with the comet so we would have to catch the comets movements pretty quickly for an armageddon mission lol
 
For those interested....

philae-landing-rosetta-photos.jpg


"From left to right, the images show Philae descending towards and across the comet before touchdown," ESA officials wrote in an image description today . "The image taken after touchdown, at 1543 GMT, confirms that the lander was moving east, as first suggested by the data returned by the CONSERT experiment, and at a speed of about 0.5 m/s [1.1 mph]."
CONSERT is Philae's Comet Nucleus Sounding Experiment by Radiowave Transmission instrument, which is designed to probe the structure of 67P's core using radio waves.
Philae's second bounce was much less extreme, lasting just 7 minutes. Mission officials still aren't sure where the probe ended up, but they're confident images and data collected by both Philae and the Rosetta mothership will allow them to find the lander eventually.
While Philae's touchdown didn't go entirely as planned, ESA officials are still declaring the probe's mission a success. Philae managed to complete its "first science sequence," gathering a great deal of data about 67P using 10 different instruments, they said.
Philae operated for about 57 hours on the comet's surface before its primary batteries run out. The original plan calls for the lander to continue working over the next few months or so using batteries that are recharged by onboard solar panels. Philae's heavily shaded final resting place on 67P will make that difficult, mission officials have said, though they've expressed hope that communication with the lander could be re-established in the future, when 67P gets closer to the sun.

philae-bouncy-comet-landing-141113b-02.jpg
 
and a lighter look at proceedings.....

[video=youtube;m5nLIShyO8E]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5nLIShyO8E&list=UUnLxFpGiCi-u3RLx9uF8bOg[/video]
 
Perthhibee said:
and a lighter look at proceedings.....

[video=youtube;m5nLIShyO8E]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5nLIShyO8E&list=UUnLxFpGiCi-u3RLx9uF8bOg[/video]
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Like :-)

I think someone needs a word with your PR team. I know the guy that wore the shirt got pelters, some folk need something more to worry about ... and allowing that lady to filmed to the point of orgasim, not once but twice, was probably a step too far ... so that will be 4 billion miles, no yards, two feet, six inches!

I suspect there will be others who, if they comment at all, it will be to say they canny stand Russell Howard!
 
Johnny Five is alive!

The lander powered itself back up and made the 1st contact this year today B-)
 
gun ainm said:
we can land a probe on a comet traveling at 50000 mph (in itself an impressive feat) but we cant work out how to stick a banker in jail - feelin' the skewed priorities vibe on this thread to be honest
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I really don't understand the point and am not sure who we is? Should we stop exploring space while we still have financial crime? What else? Should we stop looking for a cure for cancer while North Korea continues as it is? Should we stop exploring the sea while there is a drug war in Mexico? Should Hibs stop trying to win the scottish cup while iPhone battery life is frustratingly poor?
 
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