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11-13-2014, 07:53 AM
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#1
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Lehigh Valley, PA.
Posts: 7,464
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Landing on moving comet
Is it just me or is this story not getting enough attention? They landed a washing-machine sized spacecraft on a comet traveling 83,000 mph almost 3.7 billion miles away. Seems so unlikely, it's amazing. And most cars still get less than 25 mpg in local driving.
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11-13-2014, 08:11 AM
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#2
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Racing Form Detective
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Lincoln, Ne but my heart is at Santa Anita
Posts: 16,316
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We have become bored with "rocket science". We much more concerned about what the First Lady is or isn't doing. Maybe it is just as well. It keeps the bean counters away.
__________________
Some day in the not too distant future, horse players will betting on computer generated races over the net. Race tracks will become casinos and shopping centers. And some crooner will be belting out "there used to be a race track here".
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11-13-2014, 08:28 AM
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#3
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Just Deplorable
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Lebanon, Ohio
Posts: 8,068
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Are comets big enough to have their own gravity, or did the trusty Maytag have to attach itself somehow?
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11-13-2014, 08:29 AM
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#4
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 10,172
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You're right and all, but is it really a big deal? Bigger than the Pioneer probes having left the solar system? Bigger than Viking? Bigger than the vehicles on Mars? Bigger than man in space? This is nice and all, but it's a probe that landed on a comet for research purposes. Where's the sex appeal? Where's the connection to our everyday lives? Not so much.
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11-13-2014, 08:35 AM
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#5
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Lehigh Valley, PA.
Posts: 7,464
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by rastajenk
Are comets big enough to have their own gravity, or did the trusty Maytag have to attach itself somehow?
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It has legs that are powered and thrust out into the surface to attach. At first they didn't grab because it landed on a bolder, but it went up and came back down and attached. All while moving at 83,000 mph.
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11-13-2014, 08:39 AM
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#6
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Lehigh Valley, PA.
Posts: 7,464
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by tucker6
You're right and all, but is it really a big deal? Bigger than the Pioneer probes having left the solar system? Bigger than Viking? Bigger than the vehicles on Mars? Bigger than man in space? This is nice and all, but it's a probe that landed on a comet for research purposes. Where's the sex appeal? Where's the connection to our everyday lives? Not so much.
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They claim it can help us understand how we got here. And, if one of these comets is going to crash into the earth some day, this technology could come in handy. I found this more amazing than most of these space explorations. I still don't understand how it tracked this thing for 10 years (where does the fuel come from?) and how it could find it and land on it while moving at 83,000 mph so far away. The whole thing sounds impossible.
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11-13-2014, 09:05 AM
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#7
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Traded By Cubs
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: 2 miles north of Wrigley Field
Posts: 5,339
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It is amazing, I had no idea that this was even being attempted until I read that it had just been done.
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11-13-2014, 09:05 AM
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#8
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Racing Form Detective
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Lincoln, Ne but my heart is at Santa Anita
Posts: 16,316
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by tucker6
You're right and all, but is it really a big deal? Bigger than the Pioneer probes having left the solar system? Bigger than Viking? Bigger than the vehicles on Mars? Bigger than man in space? This is nice and all, but it's a probe that landed on a comet for research purposes. Where's the sex appeal? Where's the connection to our everyday lives? Not so much.
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See what I mean about keeping the bean counters away! 
__________________
Some day in the not too distant future, horse players will betting on computer generated races over the net. Race tracks will become casinos and shopping centers. And some crooner will be belting out "there used to be a race track here".
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11-13-2014, 09:11 AM
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#9
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Screw PC
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 15,728
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by rastajenk
Are comets big enough to have their own gravity, or did the trusty Maytag have to attach itself somehow?
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Yes, and this one has enough mass to have a sufficiently strong enough field which is how the landing craft actually landed. The mother ship let it go with just the right amount of nudge and in the right direction then the rest of it was the comet pulling it down to the two bounce landing.
__________________
Truth sounds like hate to those who hate truth.
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11-13-2014, 09:16 AM
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#10
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Screw PC
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 15,728
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by tucker6
You're right and all, but is it really a big deal? Bigger than the Pioneer probes having left the solar system? Bigger than Viking? Bigger than the vehicles on Mars? Bigger than man in space? This is nice and all, but it's a probe that landed on a comet for research purposes. Where's the sex appeal? Where's the connection to our everyday lives? Not so much.
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This is huge but just because it's not a manned mission or has some kind of sex appeal that makes it attractive the the unwashed masses does not lessen the importance. How many people thought Christopher Columbus had a good idea?
This is a first, albeit tiny but important step to solving lots of problems. Any Ringworld Engineers out there?
__________________
Truth sounds like hate to those who hate truth.
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11-13-2014, 09:18 AM
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#11
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 14,569
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I believe that the project was initiated in Europe, which may account
for some of the lag in breaking this story. I did notice that it was the
lead story on last night's NBC Evening News, though.
So, it has sparked interest.
Amazing feat. The craft took off 10 years ago.
The odds of pulling this off had to be pretty high.
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11-13-2014, 09:23 AM
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#12
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Screw PC
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 15,728
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More about the landing
__________________
Truth sounds like hate to those who hate truth.
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11-13-2014, 09:24 AM
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#13
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intus habes, quem poscis
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Brooklyn NY
Posts: 9,776
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by pandy
They claim it can help us understand how we got here. And, if one of these comets is going to crash into the earth some day, this technology could come in handy. I found this more amazing than most of these space explorations. I still don't understand how it tracked this thing for 10 years (where does the fuel come from?) and how it could find it and land on it while moving at 83,000 mph so far away. The whole thing sounds impossible.
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Don't need a lot of fuel. No resistance. Point it in one direction and it doesn't loose momentum. Fuel only needed for course adjustment and landing. The rest is all mathematics.
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11-13-2014, 09:27 AM
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#14
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The Voice of Reason!
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Canandaigua, New york
Posts: 112,871
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When I saw the commercials on TV about it, I thought it was a movie coming out for the holidays. 
__________________
Who does the Racing Form Detective like in this one?
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11-13-2014, 12:05 PM
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#15
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Screw PC
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 15,728
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67P - how big is it?
__________________
Truth sounds like hate to those who hate truth.
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