# Landing on a Comet



## Ray McCarthy (Nov 12, 2014)

"One small step for a Machine ..."

Even though a thruster failed
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-30026398
Success for ESA / Europe
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/11/12/philae_lander_comet_rosetta_esa/

Also http://xkcd.com/1446/






And for a slide show of events with humourus commentary
http://xkcd1446.org/


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## Lenny (Nov 12, 2014)

Ray McCarthy said:


> Even though a thruster failed



The harpoons failed, too! As if they couldn't make it any harder to land on a comet.


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## thaddeus6th (Nov 12, 2014)

Very good to see this has worked. Hopefully the harpoons can work after, er, being rebooted (or somesuch).


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## Ray McCarthy (Nov 12, 2014)

It *IS* rocket science 

They seem to be experiencing difficulty with the radio link...


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## Ray McCarthy (Nov 12, 2014)

More about harpoons and how it clings on *anyway* 
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/11/12/philae_comet_landing_harpoon_failure/


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## Gramm838 (Nov 12, 2014)

Every now and again we as a species do something pretty fantastic


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## Ray McCarthy (Nov 12, 2014)

One giant leap for mankind, two baby steps for a Machine?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/11/12/philae_comet_landing_bounce_speculation/


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## cyprus7 (Nov 13, 2014)

Check out this SF short, AMBITION.
It was made in collaboration with the European Space Agency. 
Very cool.


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## Nick B (Nov 13, 2014)

It is a shame about the problems with the thruster and harpoons. Not sure if they will risk firing the harpoons now since it may risk throwing the lander off the comet again, however if they don't they may not be able to drill for the same reasons... Very exciting times though and even with the problems the achievement is a milestone for science.


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## Ray McCarthy (Nov 13, 2014)

More
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/11/13/philae_landing_three_bounce_surface_pic/




Click for ESA  article

Bounced twice, so three small steps for a Machine
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/11/13/boing_boing_philae_bounced_twice_on_p67/


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## mosaix (Nov 13, 2014)

Solar panels not producing power - probably in shade. 60 hours before batteries run down if solar panels don't produce power. The lander will hibernate if batteries run down and awaken in the future if orientation of comet brings panels into sunlight. 

One foot may be off the surface.

No re-firing of harpoons or drilling in the near future for fear of unpredictable movement of lander.

I forecast a lot of head scratching in the next few days.


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## psikeyhackr (Nov 13, 2014)

Spending 10 years in space is bad for the paint job.  We need more maintenance depots out there.


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## Brian G Turner (Nov 13, 2014)

mosaix said:


> Solar panels not producing power - probably in shade. 60 hours before batteries run down if solar panels don't produce power. The lander will hibernate if batteries run down and awaken in the future if orientation of comet brings panels into sunlight.
> 
> One foot may be off the surface.
> 
> ...



More on that here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-30034060


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## BAYLOR (Nov 14, 2014)

A historic achievement .


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## Ray McCarthy (Nov 14, 2014)

Amazing Boffinry
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/11/14/philae_lander_drill_battery_uncertain_comet/


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## SloppyJoe (Nov 15, 2014)

The images are just amazing


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## Ray McCarthy (Nov 19, 2014)

organics hidden on comet
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/11/18/philae_lander_sniffs_out_organics_hidden_on_comet_67p/



> If so it adds more weight to the theory of panspermia – that life on Earth was kickstarted by organic material from comets and meteorites.



I've never understood the desire to prove that life didn't start here on its own.

This is the Turtles all the way down syndrome.


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## Ursa major (Nov 19, 2014)

Ray McCarthy said:


> I've never understood the desire to prove that life didn't start here on its own.


The less unique the start of life, the more likely it is that the universe is full of life, which means that it's more likely that intelligent life is out there somewhere now**.


** - Much more importantly, it means that my space opera, which contains many different intelligent species, is not _too_ fantastical.


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## Stephen Palmer (Nov 19, 2014)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-30097648


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## Ray McCarthy (Nov 19, 2014)

Ursa major said:


> The less unique the start of life, the more likely it is that the universe is full of life, which means that it's more likely that intelligent life is out there somewhere now


*I agree with that.*
But Hawkings and others seem to want to believe that life didn't evolve here in Parallel, but that for some reason Comets or Meteors etc are needed. Which simply moves any perceived problem.
"What holds up the Earth?"
   -- "A Turtle."
"What holds up the Turtle?"
  -- "Another Turtle."
"So it's Turtles all the way down?"
  --"I suppose so."

*Panspermia*


> Panspermia is a hypothesis proposing that microscopic life forms that can survive the effects of space, such as extremophiles, become trapped in debris that is ejected into space after collisions between planets and small Solar System bodies that harbor life. Some organisms may travel dormant for an extended amount of time before colliding randomly with other planets or intermingling with protoplanetary disks. If met with ideal conditions on a new planet's surfaces, the organisms become active and the process of evolution begins. Panspermia is not meant to address how life began, just the method that may cause its distribution in the Universe.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panspermia

But most use it as a theory that life didn't originate here.

*Occam's Razor*
It's essentially a pointless theory, because if life can evolve on a suitable planet it's likely going to evolve on all suitable Planets. What need is there for a complex "transport of life throughout the Galaxy" theory unless we have Interstellar travel and discover related DNA on other Planets? Which seems less likely than separate Evolution. Of course if IDENTICAL DNA was to turn up 100 light years away then both the Special Creationists and the  Panspermia supporters and Intelligent Aliens seeding Life camps would all have a fun time!

At the minute  the concept of Panspermia fails the Occam test.

*Turtles all the way down*
https://cosmology.carnegiescience.edu/timeline/1610/turtles-all-the-way-down
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtles_all_the_way_down

Unless identical DNA is found on a another Planet, I regard Panspermia as no better than Erik Von Danken's "_Chariot of the Gods_"

I think whether or not Panspermia is true says nothing at all about Literal Creationism or belief in God or even the Theory of Evolution (as it's proposed today). Current Evolutionary theory only conflicts with a childish simplistic interpretation of God or Genesis.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_of_the_gaps


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## Mirannan (Nov 19, 2014)

Well, the presence of simple organic molecules in space (and therefore in comets) makes for less steps between inanimate matter and life because some of the early steps have already been carried out. It's worth noting, I think, that some remarkably large molecules have bound floating in giant molecular clouds - the record is about twenty atoms, I think.

DNA being found on extrasolar planets is going to prove that one of two situations is the case - not necessarily both. The first is that the DNA was created by someone or something and deliberately seeded. The other is that it's the only possible information-carrying molecule for biology. Which is rather unlikely; for one thing, there are many other possible bases (the AGTC quartet) than those in terrestrial DNA.

What would be evidence of an independent formation of life would be life with a different genetic code, possibly using different amino acids of which there are hundreds - most not used in Earth life. Or of course, life molecules of the opposite chirality from ours.

Finding Earth-type DNA anywhere in the Solar System would not be good enough evidence of independent development. There is too much material transfer from one planet to another, particularly between Earth and Mars.


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## Ray McCarthy (Nov 19, 2014)

I was using DNA in a general sense of any organic system carrying information to replicate the next generation. I wasn't assuming it needs to work the way any DNA here works. Though it may do. 


> makes for less steps between inanimate matter and life because some of the early steps have already been carried out


My argument is that that process, if it exists at all, isn't needed at all. Much easier on a Planet, the whole idea of needing a stage off planet is needless complication.


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## Mirannan (Nov 19, 2014)

Ray McCarthy said:


> I was using DNA in a general sense of any organic system carrying information to replicate the next generation. I wasn't assuming it needs to work the way any DNA here works. Though it may do.
> 
> My argument is that that process, if it exists at all, isn't needed at all. Much easier on a Planet, the whole idea of needing a stage off planet is needless complication.



Well: ET life using either a non-DNA coding molecule, DNA with different bases or a different genetic code (perhaps using different amino acids) would be evidence of independent biogenesis. And although the biomolecules might not actually be needed initially - it seems they are there whether needed or not, so they would get used.


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## mosaix (Sep 5, 2016)

The lost Philae lander has finally been located.

Lost Philae lander found as Rosetta mission draws to a close

Looks very forlorn. Upside down and wedged in a crack. It's going to be there for an awfully long time...


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## Vertigo (Sep 6, 2016)

It was so unlucky after they'd done so well. Sad, sad, sad.

But as you say it will be there for a long time as a testament to what they did achieve.


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## Stephen Palmer (Sep 6, 2016)

It was one of the great interplanetary achievements of all time, I reckon.


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