Jump to content

Philae (spacecraft)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Philae (lander))

Philae
Illustration of Philae
Mission typeComet lander
OperatorEuropean Space Agency / DLR
COSPAR ID2004-006C Edit this at Wikidata
Websitewww.esa.int/rosetta
Mission durationPlanned: 1–6 weeks
Active: 12–14 November 2014
Hibernation: 15 November 2014 – 13 June 2015
Spacecraft properties
ManufacturerCNES
DLR
ASI
Launch mass100 kg (220 lb)[1]
Payload mass21 kg (46 lb)[1]
Dimensions1 × 1 × 0.8 m (3.3 × 3.3 × 2.6 ft)[1]
Power32 watts at 3 AU[2]
Start of mission
Launch date2 March 2004, 07:17 (2004-03-02UTC07:17) UTC
RocketAriane 5G+ V-158
Launch siteKourou ELA-3
ContractorArianespace
End of mission
Last contact9 July 2015, 18:07 (2015-07-09UTC18:08) UTC
67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko lander
Landing date12 November 2014, 17:32 UTC[3]
Landing siteAbydos[4]

Philae (/ˈfl/[6] or /ˈfl/[7]) was a robotic European Space Agency lander that accompanied the Rosetta spacecraft[8][9] until it separated to land on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, ten years and eight months after departing Earth.[10][11][12] On 12 November 2014, Philae touched down on the comet, but it bounced when its anchoring harpoons failed to deploy and a thruster designed to hold the probe to the surface did not fire.[13] After bouncing off the surface twice, Philae achieved the first-ever "soft" (nondestructive) landing on a comet nucleus,[14][15][16] although the lander's final, uncontrolled touchdown left it in a non-optimal location and orientation.[17]

Despite the landing problems, the probe's instruments obtained the first images from a comet's surface.[18] Several of the instruments on Philae made the first in-situ analysis of a comet nucleus, sending back data regarding the composition of the surface and outgassing from the subsurface.[19] In October 2020, scientific journal Nature published an article revealing what Philae had discovered while it was operational on the surface of 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.[20]

On 15 November 2014 Philae entered safe mode, or hibernation, after its batteries ran down due to reduced sunlight and an off-nominal spacecraft orientation at the crash site. Mission controllers hoped that additional sunlight on the solar panels might be sufficient to reboot the lander.[21] Philae communicated sporadically with Rosetta from 13 June to 9 July 2015,[22][23][24] but contact was then lost. The lander's location was known to within a few tens of metres but it could not be seen. Its location was finally identified in photographs taken by Rosetta on 2 September 2016 as the orbiter was sent on orbits closer to the comet. The now-silent Philae was lying on its side in a deep crack in the shadow of a cliff. Knowledge of its location would help in interpretation of the images it had sent.[4][25] On 30 September 2016, the Rosetta spacecraft ended its mission by crashing in the comet's Ma'at region.[26]

The lander is named after the Philae obelisk, which bears a bilingual inscription and was used along with the Rosetta Stone to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphs. Philae was monitored and operated from DLR's Lander Control Center in Cologne, Germany, supported by the CNES' SONC in Toulouse, France.[27]

Mission

[edit]
Video report by the German Aerospace Centre about Philae's landing mission. (10 min, English, in 1080p HD)

Philae's mission was to land successfully on the surface of a comet, attach itself, and transmit data about the comet's composition. The Rosetta spacecraft and Philae lander were launched on an Ariane 5G+ rocket from French Guiana on 2 March 2004, 07:17 UTC, and travelled for 3,907 days (10.7 years) to Churyumov–Gerasimenko. Unlike the Deep Impact probe, which by design struck comet Tempel 1's nucleus on 4 July 2005, Philae is not an impactor. Some of the instruments on the lander were used for the first time as autonomous systems during the Mars flyby on 25 February 2007. CIVA, one of the camera systems, returned some images while the Rosetta instruments were powered down, while ROMAP took measurements of the Martian magnetosphere. Most of the other instruments needed contact with the surface for analysis and stayed offline during the flyby. An optimistic estimate of mission length following touchdown was "four to five months".[28]

Scientific goals

[edit]

The goals of the scientific mission have been summarised as follows:

"The scientific goals of its experiments focus on elemental, isotopic, molecular and mineralogical composition of the cometary material, the characterization of physical properties of the surface and subsurface material, the large-scale structure and the magnetic and plasma environment of the nucleus. In particular, surface and sub-surface samples will be acquired and sequentially analyzed by a suite of instruments. Measurements will be performed primarily during descent and along the first five days following touch-down. "[29]

Landing and surface operations

[edit]
Depiction of Philae on Churyumov-Gerasimenko

Philae remained attached to the Rosetta spacecraft after rendezvousing with Churyumov–Gerasimenko on 6 August 2014. On 15 September 2014, ESA announced "Site J" on the smaller lobe of the comet as the lander's destination.[30] Following an ESA public contest in October 2014, Site J was renamed Agilkia in honour of Agilkia Island.[31]

A series of four go/no-go checks were performed on 11–12 November 2014. One of the final tests before detachment from Rosetta showed that the lander's cold-gas thruster was not working correctly, but the "go" was given anyway, as it could not be repaired.[32][33] Philae detached from Rosetta on 12 November 2014 at 08:35 UTC SCET.[34][35]

Landing events

[edit]
Rosetta signal received at ESOC in Darmstadt, Germany (20 January 2014)

Philae's landing signal was received by Earth communication stations at 16:03 UTC after a 28-minute delay.[1][36] Unknown to mission scientists at that time, the lander had bounced. It began performing scientific measurements while slowly moving away from the comet and coming back down, confusing the science team.[37] Further analysis showed that it bounced twice.[38][3]

Philae's first contact with the comet occurred at 15:34:04 UTC SCET.[39] The probe rebounded off the comet's surface at 38 cm/s (15 in/s) and rose to an altitude of approximately 1 km (0.6 mi).[3] For perspective, had the lander exceeded about 44 cm/s (17 in/s), it would have escaped the comet's gravity.[40] After detecting the touchdown, Philae's reaction wheel was automatically powered off, resulting in its momentum being transferred back into the lander. This caused the vehicle to begin rotating every 13 seconds.[39] During this first bounce, at 16:20 UTC SCET, the lander is thought to have struck a surface prominence, which slowed its rotation to once every 24 seconds and sent the craft tumbling.[39][41] Philae touched down a second time at 17:25:26 UTC SCET and rebounded at 3 cm/s (1.2 in/s).[3][39] The lander came to a final stop on the surface at 17:31:17 UTC SCET.[39] It sits in rough terrain, apparently in the shadow of a nearby cliff or crater wall, and is canted at an angle of around 30 degrees, but is otherwise undamaged.[42] Its final location was determined initially by analysis of data from CONSERT in combination with the comet shape model based on images from the Rosetta orbiter,[43] and later precisely by direct imaging from Rosetta.[4]

An analysis of telemetry indicated that the initial impact was softer than expected,[44] that the harpoons had not deployed, and that the thruster had not fired.[45][13] The harpoon propulsion system contained 0.3 grams of nitrocellulose, which was shown by Copenhagen Suborbitals in 2013 to be unreliable in a vacuum.[46]

Operations and communication loss

[edit]
Philae's intended landing site Agilkia (Site J)

The primary battery was designed to power the instruments for about 60 hours.[17] ESA expected that a secondary rechargeable battery would be partially filled by the solar panels attached to the outside of the lander, but the limited sunlight (90 minutes per 12.4-hour comet day[47]) at the actual landing site was inadequate to maintain Philae's activities, at least in this phase of the comet's orbit.[48][49]

On the morning of 14 November 2014, the battery charge was estimated to be only enough for continuing operations for the remainder of the day. After first obtaining data from instruments whose operation did not require mechanical movement, comprising about 80% of the planned initial science observations, both the MUPUS soil penetrator and the SD2 drill were commanded to deploy. Subsequently, MUPUS data[50] as well as COSAC and Ptolemy data were returned. A final set of CONSERT data was also downlinked towards the end of operations. During the evening's transmission session, Philae was raised by 4 centimetres (1.6 in) and its body rotated 35 degrees to more favourably position the largest solar panel to capture the most sunlight in the future.[51][52] Shortly afterwards, electrical power dwindled rapidly and all instruments were forced to shut down. The downlink rate slowed to a trickle before coming to a stop.[47] Contact was lost on 15 November at 00:36 UTC.[53]

The German Aerospace Center's lander manager Stephan Ulamec stated:

Prior to falling silent, the lander was able to transmit all science data gathered during the First Science Sequence ... This machine performed magnificently under tough conditions, and we can be fully proud of the incredible scientific success Philae has delivered.[53]

Instrument results

[edit]

Data from the SESAME instrument determined that, rather than being "soft and fluffy" as expected, Philae's first touchdown site held a large amount of water ice under a layer of granular material about 25 cm (9.8 in) deep.[54] It found that the mechanical strength of the ice was high and that cometary activity in that region was low. At the final landing site, the MUPUS instrument was unable to hammer very far into the comet's surface, despite power being gradually increased. This area was determined to have the consistency of solid ice[55][56] or pumice.[57]

In the atmosphere of the comet, the COSAC instrument detected the presence of molecules containing carbon and hydrogen. Soil elements could not be assessed, because the lander was unable to drill into the comet surface, likely due to hard ice.[58] The SD2 drill went through the necessary steps to deliver a surface sample to the COSAC instrument,[55] but nothing entered the COSAC ovens.[59]

Upon Philae's first touchdown on the comet's surface, COSAC measured material at the bottom of the vehicle, which was disturbed by the landing, while the Ptolemy instrument measured material at the top of the vehicle. Sixteen organic compounds were detected, four of which were seen for the first time on a comet, including acetamide, acetone, methyl isocyanate and propionaldehyde.[60][61][62]

Reawakening and subsequent loss of communication

[edit]
Comet Churyumov–Gerasimenko in March 2015 as imaged by Rosetta in true colour

On 13 June 2015 at 20:28 UTC, ground controllers received an 85-second transmission from Philae, forwarded by Rosetta, indicating that the lander was in good health and had sufficiently recharged its batteries to come out of safe mode.[22][63] Philae sent historical data indicating that although it had been operating earlier than 13 June 2015, it had been unable to contact Rosetta before that date.[22] The lander reported that it was operating with 24 watts of electrical power at −35 °C (−31 °F).[63]

A new contact between Rosetta and Philae was confirmed on 19 June 2015.[64] The first signal was received on the ground from Rosetta at 13:37 UTC, while a second signal was received at 13:54 UTC. These contacts lasted about two minutes each and delivered additional status data.[64] By 26 June 2015, there had been a total of seven intermittent contacts between the lander and orbiter.[65] There were two opportunities for contact between the two spacecraft each Earth day, but their duration and quality depended on the orientation of the transmitting antenna on Philae and the location of Rosetta along its trajectory around the comet. Similarly, as the comet rotated, Philae was not always in sunlight and thus not always generating enough power via its solar panels to receive and transmit signals. ESA controllers continued to try to establish a stable contact duration of at least 50 minutes.[65]

Had Philae landed at the planned site of Agilkia in November 2014, its mission would probably have ended in March 2015 due to the higher temperatures of that location as solar heating increased.[66] As of June 2015, Philae's key remaining experiment was to drill into the comet's surface to determine its chemical composition.[67] Ground controllers sent commands to power up the CONSERT radar instrument on 5 July 2015, but received no immediate response from the lander. Confirmation was eventually received on 9 July, when the lander transmitted measurement data from the instrument.[68]

Immediately after its reawakening, housekeeping data suggested that the lander's systems were healthy, and mission control uploaded commands for Rosetta to establish a new orbit and nadir so as to optimize communications, diagnostics, and enable new science investigations with Philae.[66][69][70] However, controllers had difficulties establishing a stable communications connection with the lander. The situation was not helped by the need to keep Rosetta at a greater and safer distance from the comet as it became more active.[71] The last communication was on 9 July 2015,[24] and mission controllers were unable to instruct Philae to carry out new investigations.[72][73] Subsequently, Philae failed to respond to further commands, and by January 2016, controllers acknowledged no further communications were likely.[74]

On 27 July 2016, at 09:00 UTC, ESA switched off the Electrical Support System Processor Unit (ESS) onboard Rosetta, making further communications with Philae impossible.[75][76]

Location

[edit]

The lander was located on 2 September 2016 by the narrow-angle camera aboard Rosetta as it was slowly making its descent to the comet.[4] The search for the lander had been on-going during the Rosetta mission, using telemetry data and comparison of pictures taken before and after the lander's touchdown, looking for signs of the lander's specific reflectivity.[77]

The search area was narrowed down to the most promising candidate, which was confirmed by a picture taken at a distance of 2.7 km (1.7 mi), clearly showing the lander. The lander sits on its side wedged into a dark crevice of the comet, explaining the lack of electrical power and proper communication with the probe.[4] Knowing its exact location provides information needed to put Philae's two days of science into proper context.[4]

Design

[edit]
Rosetta and Philae

The lander was designed to deploy from the main spacecraft body and descend from an orbit of 22.5 kilometres (14 mi) along a ballistic trajectory.[78] It would touch down on the comet's surface at a velocity of around 1 metre per second (3.6 km/h; 2.2 mph).[79] The legs were designed to dampen the initial impact to avoid bouncing as the comet's escape velocity is only around 1 m/s (3.6 km/h; 2.2 mph),[80] and the impact energy was intended to drive ice screws into the surface.[81] Philae was to then fire a harpoon into the surface at 70 m/s (250 km/h; 160 mph) to anchor itself.[82][83] A thruster on top of Philae was to have fired to lessen the bounce upon impact and to reduce the recoil from harpoon firing.[32] During the landing, the harpoons did not fire and the thruster failed to operate, leading to a multiple-contact landing.[45][13]

Communications with Earth used the Rosetta orbiter as a relay station to reduce the electrical power needed. The mission duration on the surface was planned to be at least one week, but an extended mission lasting months was considered possible.[citation needed]

The main structure of the lander is made from carbon fiber, shaped into a plate maintaining mechanical stability, a platform for the science instruments, and a hexagonal "sandwich" to connect all the parts. The total mass is about 100 kilograms (220 lb). Its exterior is covered with solar cells for power generation.[11]

The Rosetta mission was originally planned to rendezvous with the comet 46P/Wirtanen. A failure in a previous Ariane 5 launch vehicle closed the launch window to reach the comet with the same rocket.[84] It resulted in a change in target to the comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.[84] The larger mass of Churyumov–Gerasimenko and the resulting increased impact velocity required that the landing gear of the lander be strengthened.[85]

Spacecraft component Mass[29]: 208 
Structure 18.0 kg 39.7 lb
Thermal control system 3.9 kg 8.6 lb
Power system 12.2 kg 27 lb
Active descent system 4.1 kg 9.0 lb
Reaction wheel 2.9 kg 6.4 lb
Landing gear 10.0 kg 22 lb
Anchoring system 1.4 kg 3.1 lb
Central data management system 2.9 kg 6.4 lb
Telecommunications system 2.4 kg 5.3 lb
Common electronics box 9.8 kg 22 lb
Mechanical support system, harness, balancing mass 3.6 kg 7.9 lb
Scientific payload 26.7 kg 59 lb
Sum 97.9 kg 216 lb

Power management

[edit]

Philae's power management was planned for two phases. In the first phase, the lander operated solely on battery power. In the second phase, it was to run on backup batteries recharged by solar cells.[28]

The power subsystem comprises two batteries: a non-rechargeable primary 1000 watt-hour battery to provide power for the first 60 hours and a secondary 140 watt-hour battery recharged by the solar panels to be used after the primary is exhausted. The solar panels cover 2.2 square metres (24 sq ft) and were designed to deliver up to 32 watts at a distance of 3 AU from the Sun.[2]

Instruments

[edit]
Philae's instruments

The science payload of the lander consists of ten instruments totalling 26.7 kilograms (59 lb), making up just over one quarter of the mass of the lander.[29]

APXS
The Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer detects alpha particles and X-rays, which provide information on the elemental composition of the comet's surface.[86] The instrument is an improved version of the APXS on the Mars Pathfinder.
CIVA
The Comet Nucleus Infrared and Visible Analyser[87] (sometimes given as ÇIVA[88]) is a group of seven identical cameras used to take panoramic pictures of the surface plus a visible-light microscope and an infrared spectrometer. The panoramic cameras (CIVA-P) are arranged on the sides of the lander at 60° intervals: five mono imagers and two others making up a stereo imager. Each camera has a 1024×1024 pixel CCD detector.[89] The microscope and spectrometer (CIVA-M) are mounted on the base of the lander, and are used to analyse the composition, texture and albedo (reflectivity) of samples collected from the surface.[90]
CONSERT
The Comet Nucleus Sounding Experiment by Radiowave Transmission used electromagnetic wave propagation to determine the comet's internal structure. A radar on Rosetta transmitted a signal through the nucleus to be received by a detector on Philae.[91][92]
COSAC
The Cometary Sampling and Composition instrument is a combined gas chromatograph and time-of-flight mass spectrometer to perform analysis of soil samples and determine the content of volatile components.[93][94]
MUPUS
The Multi-Purpose Sensors for Surface and Sub-Surface Science instrument measured the density, thermal and mechanical properties of the comet's surface.[95]
Ptolemy
An instrument measuring stable isotope ratios of key volatiles on the comet's nucleus.[96][97] Parts of the instrument were manufactured by the Special Techniques Group at UKAEA.[98]
ROLIS
The Rosetta Lander Imaging System is a CCD camera used to obtain high-resolution images during descent and stereo panoramic images of areas sampled by other instruments.[99] The CCD detector consists of 1024×1024 pixels.[100]
ROMAP
The Rosetta Lander Magnetometer and Plasma Monitor is a magnetometer and plasma sensor to study the nucleus' magnetic field and its interactions with the solar wind.[101]
SD2
The Sampling, Drilling and Distribution system obtains soil samples from the comet and transfers them to the Ptolemy, COSAC, and CIVA instruments for in-situ analysis.[102] SD2 contains four primary subsystems: drill, ovens, carousel, and volume checker.[103][104] The drill system, made of steel and titanium, is capable of drilling to a depth of 230 mm (9.1 in), deploying a probe to collect samples, and delivering samples to the ovens.[105] There are a total of 26 platinum ovens to heat samples—10 medium temperature ovens at 180 °C (356 °F) and 16 high temperature ovens at 800 °C (1,470 °F)—and one oven to clear the drill bit for reuse.[106] The ovens are mounted on a rotating carousel that delivers the active oven to the appropriate instrument.[107] The electromechanical volume checker determines how much material was deposited into an oven, and may be used to evenly distribute material on CIVA's optical windows.[108] Development of SD2 was led by the Italian Space Agency with contributions by prime contractor Tecnospazio S.p.A. (now Selex ES S.p.A.) in charge of the system design and overall integration; the Italian company Tecnomare S.p.A., owned by Eni S.p.A., in charge of the design, development, and testing of the drilling/sampling tool and the volume checker; Media Lario; and Dallara.[104] The instrument's principal investigator is Amalia Ercoli-Finzi (Politecnico di Milano).[109]
SESAME
The Surface Electric Sounding and Acoustic Monitoring Experiments used three instruments to measure properties of the comet's outer layers. The Cometary Acoustic Sounding Surface Experiment (CASSE) measures the way in which sound travels through the surface. The Permittivity Probe (PP) investigates its electrical characteristics, and the Dust Impact Monitor (DIM) measures dust falling back to the surface.[110]

Analysis of comet

[edit]

On 28 October 2020, it was reported that Philae had discovered, among other things, "low-strength primitive ice inside cometary boulders."[20] This also included primitive water ice from the comet's estimated formation 4.5 billion years prior.[20] This occurred primarily at the site of Philae's second touchdown onto the 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, where the spacecraft successfully produced four distinct surface contacts on two adjoining cometary boulders.[20] Philae was also able to drill 25 centimetres (9.8 in) into the comet's boulder ice.[20]

International contributions

[edit]
Austria
The Austrian Space Research Institute developed the lander's anchor and two sensors within MUPUS, which are integrated into the anchor tips.[111]
Belgium
The Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA) cooperated with different partners to build one of the sensors (DFMS) of the Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis (ROSINA) instrument.[112][113] The Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA) and Royal Observatory of Belgium (ROB) provided information about the space weather conditions at Rosetta to support the landing of Philae. The main concern was solar proton events.[114]
Canada
Two Canadian companies played a role in the mission. SED Systems, located on the University of Saskatchewan campus in Saskatoon, built three ground stations that were used to communicate with the Rosetta spacecraft.[115] ADGA-RHEA Group of Ottawa provided MOIS (Manufacturing and Operating Information Systems) software which supported the procedures and command sequences operations software.[116]
Finland
The Finnish Meteorological Institute provided the memory of the Command, Data and Management System (CDMS) and the Permittivity Probe (PP).[117]
France
The French Space Agency, in collaboration with various French scientific institutes (IAS, SA, LPG, LISA), provided the system's overall engineering, radiocommunications, battery assembly, CONSERT, CIVA and the ground segment (overall engineering and development/operation of the Scientific Operation & Navigation Centre).[2]
Germany
The German Space Agency (DLR) has provided the structure, thermal subsystem, flywheel, the Active Descent System (procured by DLR but made in Switzerland),[118] ROLIS, downward-looking camera, SESAME, acoustic sounding and seismic instrument for Philae. It has also managed the project and did the level product assurance. The University of Münster built MUPUS (it was designed and built in Space Research Centre of Polish Academy of Sciences[119]) and the Braunschweig University of Technology the ROMAP instrument. The Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research made the payload engineering, eject mechanism, landing gear, anchoring harpoon, central computer, COSAC, APXS and other subsystems. The institute has led development and construction of COSAC and DIM, a part of SESAME, as well as contributed to the deveplopment and construction of ROMAP.[120]
Hungary
The Command and Data Management Subsystem (CDMS) designed in the Wigner Research Centre for Physics of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences jointly with the Space and Ground Facilities Ltd. (a spin-off company of the Wigner Research Centre for Physics).[121][122] The Power Subsystem (PSS) designed in the Department of Broadband Infocommunications and Electromagnetic Theory at Budapest University of Technology and Economics.[123] CDMS is the fault tolerant central computer of the lander, while PSS assures that the power coming from the batteries and solar arrays are properly handled, controls battery charging and manages the onboard power distribution.
Ireland
Captec Ltd., based in Malahide, provided the independent validation of mission critical software (independent software validation facility or SVF)[124] and developed the software for the communications interface between the orbiter and the lander. Captec also provided engineering support to the prime contractor for the launch activities at Kourou.[125][126] Space Technology Ireland Ltd. at Maynooth University has designed, constructed and tested the Electrical Support System Processor Unit (ESS) for the Rosetta mission. ESS stores, transmits and provides decoding for the command streams passing from the spacecraft to the lander and handles the data streams coming back from the scientific experiments on the lander to the spacecraft.[127]
Italy
The Italian Space Agency (ASI) developed the SD2 instrument and the photovoltaic assembly. Italian Alenia Space was involved in the assembly, integration and testing of the probe, as well as several mechanical and electrical ground support equipment. The company also built the probe's S-band and X-band digital transponder, used for communications with Earth.[128]
Netherlands
Moog Bradford (Heerle, The Netherlands) provided the Active Descent System, which guided and propelled the lander down to its landing zone. To accomplish the ADS, a strategic industrial team was formed with Bleuler-Baumer Mechanik in Switzerland.[118]
Poland
The Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences built the Multi-Purpose Sensors for Surface and Subsurface Science (MUPUS).[119]
Spain
The GMV Spanish division has been responsible for the maintenance of the calculation tools to calculate the criteria of lighting and visibility necessary to decide the point of landing on the comet, as well as the possible trajectories of decline of the Philae module. Other important Spanish companies or educational institutions that have been contributed are as follows: INTA, Airbus Defence and Space Spanish division, other small companies also participated in subcontracted packages in structural mechanics and thermal control like AASpace (former Space Contact),[129] and the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.[130]
Switzerland
The Swiss Centre for Electronics and Microtechnology developed CIVA.[131]
United Kingdom
The Open University and the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) developed PTOLEMY. RAL also constructed the blankets that kept the lander warm throughout its mission. Surrey Satellites Technology Ltd. (SSTL) constructed the momentum wheel for the lander. It stabilised the module during the descent and landing phases.[2] Manufacturer e2v supplied the CIVA and Rolis camera systems used to film the descent and take images of samples, as well as three other camera systems.[132]

Media coverage

[edit]

The landing was featured heavily in social media, with the lander having an official Twitter account portraying a personification of the spacecraft. The hashtag "#CometLanding" gained widespread traction. A Livestream of the control centres was set up, as were multiple official and unofficial events around the world to follow Philae's landing on Churyumov–Gerasimenko.[133][134] Various instruments on Philae were given their own Twitter accounts to announce news and science results.[135]

[edit]

Vangelis composed the music for the trio of music videos released by ESA to celebrate the first-ever attempted soft landing on a comet by ESA's Rosetta mission.[136][137][138]

On 12 November 2014, the search engine Google featured a Google Doodle of Philae on its home page.[139] On 31 December 2014, Google featured Philae again as part of its New Year's Eve 2014 Doodle.[140]

Online comic author Randall Munroe wrote a live updating strip on his website xkcd on the day of the landing.[141][142]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d "Philae". National Space Science Data Center. 2004-006C. Archived from the original on 5 December 2023. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d "Philae lander fact sheets" (PDF). German Aerospace Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 November 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d "Three Touchdowns For Rosetta's Lander" (Press release). European Space Agency. 14 November 2014. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Philae found!" (Press release). European Space Agency. 5 September 2016. Archived from the original on 16 January 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  5. ^ "Lander Instruments". European Space Agency. Archived from the original on 25 December 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  6. ^ "philae". Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  7. ^ Gilbert, Dave (12 November 2014). "Space probe scores a 310-million-mile bull's-eye with comet landing". CNN. Archived from the original on 4 January 2024. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  8. ^ Chang, Kenneth (5 August 2014). "Rosetta Spacecraft Set for Unprecedented Close Study of a Comet". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 7 August 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  9. ^ "Opinion: In Pursuit of an Oddly Shaped Comet". The New York Times. 23 November 2014. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  10. ^ Ulamec, S.; Espinasse, S.; Feuerbacher, B.; Hilchenbach, M.; Moura, D.; et al. (April 2006). "Rosetta Lander—Philae: Implications of an alternative mission". Acta Astronautica. 58 (8): 435–441. Bibcode:2006AcAau..58..435U. doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2005.12.009.
  11. ^ a b Biele, Jens (June 2002). "The Experiments Onboard the ROSETTA Lander". Earth, Moon, and Planets. 90 (1–4): 445–458. Bibcode:2002EM&P...90..445B. doi:10.1023/A:1021523227314. S2CID 189900125.
  12. ^ Agle, D. C.; Cook, Jia-Rui; Brown, Dwayne; Bauer, Markus (17 January 2014). "Rosetta: To Chase a Comet" (Press release). NASA. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  13. ^ a b c Aron, Jacob (13 November 2014). "Problems hit Philae after historic first comet landing". New Scientist. Archived from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  14. ^ Agle, D. C.; Webster, Guy; Brown, Dwayne; Bauer, Markus (12 November 2014). "Rosetta's 'Philae' Makes Historic First Landing on a Comet" (Press release). NASA. Archived from the original on 16 December 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  15. ^ Chang, Kenneth (12 November 2014). "European Space Agency's Spacecraft Lands on Comet's Surface". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  16. ^ Withnall, Adam (13 November 2014). "Philae lander 'bounced twice' on comet but is now stable, Rosetta mission scientists confirm". The Independent. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  17. ^ a b Amos, Jonathan (13 November 2014). "Rosetta: Battery will limit life of Philae comet lander". BBC News. Archived from the original on 11 February 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  18. ^ "Europe's comet chaser". European Space Agency. 16 January 2014. Archived from the original on 18 December 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  19. ^ "Pioneering Philae completes main mission before hibernation" (Press release). European Space Agency. 15 November 2014. Archived from the original on 9 January 2024. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  20. ^ a b c d e O'Rourke, Laurence; Heinisch, Philip; Sierks, Holger (28 October 2020). "The Philae lander reveals low-strength primitive ice inside cometary boulders" (PDF). Nature. 586 (7831): 697–701. Bibcode:2020Natur.586..697O. doi:10.1038/s41586-020-2834-3. PMID 33116289. S2CID 226044338. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 December 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  21. ^ Brumfield, Ben; Carter, Chelsea J. (18 November 2014). "On a comet 10 years away, Philae conks out, maybe for good". CNN. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  22. ^ a b c Biever, Celeste; Gibney, Elizabeth (14 June 2015). "Philae comet lander wakes up and phones home" (PDF). Nature. doi:10.1038/nature.2015.17756. S2CID 182262028. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 February 2024.
  23. ^ "Comet lander Philae awakes from hibernation". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. 14 June 2015. Archived from the original on 22 February 2024. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  24. ^ a b Baldwin, Emily (20 July 2015). "Rosetta and Philae status update". European Space Agency. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  25. ^ Victor, Daniel (5 September 2016). "No Longer Missing: Rosetta's Philae Spacecraft Located on Comet". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  26. ^ Gannon, Megan (30 September 2016). "Goodbye, Rosetta! Spacecraft Crash-Lands on Comet in Epic Mission Finale". Space.com. Archived from the original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  27. ^ "Rosetta Lander Control Center". German Aerospace Center. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
  28. ^ a b Gilpin, Lyndsey (14 August 2014). "The tech behind the Rosetta comet chaser: From 3D printing to solar power to complex mapping". TechRepublic. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014.
  29. ^ a b c Bibring, J.-P.; Rosenbauer, H.; Boehnhardt, H.; Ulamec, S.; Biele, J.; et al. (February 2007). "The Rosetta Lander ("Philae") Investigations". Space Science Reviews. 128 (1–4): 205–220. Bibcode:2007SSRv..128..205B. doi:10.1007/s11214-006-9138-2. S2CID 51857150.
  30. ^ Bauer, Markus (15 September 2014). "'J' Marks the Spot for Rosetta's Lander" (Press release). European Space Agency. Archived from the original on 15 June 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  31. ^ Kramer, Miriam (5 November 2014). "Historic Comet Landing Site Has a New Name: Agilkia". Space.com. Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  32. ^ a b Spotts, Pete (12 November 2014). "Will Philae successfully land on comet? Thruster trouble heightens drama". The Christian Science Monitor. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023.
  33. ^ Baldwin, Emily (12 November 2014). "Rosetta and Philae Go for separation". European Space Agency. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  34. ^ "Rosetta to Deploy Lander on 12 November" (Press release). European Space Agency. 26 September 2014. Archived from the original on 1 May 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  35. ^ Platt, Jane (6 November 2014). "Rosetta Races Toward Comet Touchdown" (Press release). NASA. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  36. ^ "Probe makes historic comet landing". BBC News. 12 November 2014. Archived from the original on 14 February 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  37. ^ Lakdawalla, Emily (12 November 2014). "Philae Has Landed! [Updated]". The Planetary Society. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  38. ^ Agle, D. C.; Brown, Dwayne; Bauer, Markus (13 November 2014). "Rosetta's Comet Lander Landed Three Times" (Press release). NASA. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  39. ^ a b c d e Baldwin, Emily (28 November 2014). "Did Philae graze a crater rim during its first bounce?". European Space Agency. Archived from the original on 25 April 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  40. ^ Wall, Mike (14 November 2014). "European Probe Survived Comet Landing with Luck and Great Design". Space.com. Archived from the original on 1 December 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  41. ^ Howell, Elizabeth (2 December 2014). "Philae's Wild Comet Landing: Crater Grazing, Spinning And Landing In Parts Unknown". Universe Today. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  42. ^ Beatty, J. Kelly (15 November 2014). "Philae Wins Race to Return Comet Findings". Sky & Telescope. Archived from the original on 22 February 2024. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  43. ^ Baldwin, Emily (21 November 2014). "Homing in on Philae's final landing site". European Space Agency. Archived from the original on 22 February 2024. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
  44. ^ Connor, Steve (12 November 2014). "Rosetta space mission: Philae probe lands on Comet 67P". The Independent. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  45. ^ a b Gilbert, Dave (12 November 2014). "Philae touches down on the surface of a comet". CNN. Archived from the original on 24 December 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  46. ^ Djursing, Thomas (13 November 2014). "ESA skrev til danske raketbyggere om eksplosiv-problem på Philae" [ESA wrote to Danish rocket builders about explosive problem on Philae]. Ingeniøren (in Danish). Archived from the original on 26 April 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  47. ^ a b Harwood, William (15 November 2014). "Loss of contact with Philae". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on 4 June 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  48. ^ Lakdawalla, Emily (13 November 2014). "Philae status, a day later". The Planetary Society. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  49. ^ Djursing, Thomas (13 November 2014). "Kometsonden Philae står skævt under en klippe og får for lidt sollys" [The comet probe Philae is tilted under a rock and receives too little sunlight]. Ingeniøren (in Danish). Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  50. ^ Lakdawalla, Emily (14 November 2014). "Philae update: My last day in Darmstadt, possibly Philae's last day of operations". The Planetary Society. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  51. ^ Amos, Jonathan (15 November 2014). "Philae comet lander sends more data before losing power". BBC News. Archived from the original on 20 November 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  52. ^ Lakdawalla, Emily (15 November 2014). "Now Philae down to sleep". The Planetary Society. Archived from the original on 3 December 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  53. ^ a b Scuka, Daniel (15 November 2014). "Our Lander's Asleep". European Space Agency. Archived from the original on 22 December 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  54. ^ Wall, Mike (30 July 2015). "Surprising Comet Discoveries by Rosetta's Philae Lander Unveiled". Space.com. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  55. ^ a b "Churyumov-Gerasimenko – hard ice and organic molecules" (PDF). German Aerospace Center. 17 November 2014. Archived from the original on 22 February 2024. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  56. ^ Sinha, Kounteya (18 November 2014). "Philae reveals presence of large amount of water ice on the comet". The Times of India. Times News Network. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  57. ^ Wendel, JoAnna (31 July 2015). "Comet Lander Makes a Hard Discovery". Eos. Vol. 96. American Geophysical Union. doi:10.1029/2015EO033623. Archived from the original on 27 October 2023.
  58. ^ Gray, Richard (19 November 2014). "Rosetta mission lander detects organic molecules on surface of comet". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
  59. ^ Hand, Eric [@erichand] (17 November 2014). "COSAC PI: Drill tried to deliver sample. Ovens heated up. But data show no actual delivery. "There's nothing in it." #CometLanding" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 12 June 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2014 – via Twitter.
  60. ^ Jordans, Frank (30 July 2015). "Philae probe finds evidence that comets can be cosmic labs". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 22 February 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  61. ^ Altobelli, Nicolas; Bibring, Jean-Pierre; Ulamec, Stephan, eds. (30 July 2015). "Science on the Surface of a Comet" (Press release). European Space Agency. Archived from the original on 12 January 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  62. ^ Bibring, J.-P.; Taylor, M. G. G. T.; Alexander, C.; Auster, U.; Biele, J.; et al. (31 July 2015). "Philae's First Days on the Comet" (PDF). Science. 349 (6247): 493. Bibcode:2015Sci...349..493B. doi:10.1126/science.aac5116. PMID 26228139. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 January 2024.
  63. ^ a b Baldwin, Emily (14 June 2015). "Rosetta's lander Philae wakes up from hibernation". European Space Agency. Archived from the original on 9 February 2024. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  64. ^ a b Mignone, Claudia (19 June 2015). "Rosetta and Philae in contact again". European Space Agency. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  65. ^ a b Baldwin, Emily (26 June 2015). "Rosetta and Philae: Searching for a good signal". European Space Agency. Archived from the original on 20 November 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  66. ^ a b "Philae wake-up triggers intense planning" (Press release). European Space Agency. 15 June 2015. Archived from the original on 12 January 2024. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  67. ^ Amos, Jonathan (19 June 2015). "Comet lander Philae renews contact". BBC News. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  68. ^ "New communication with Philae – commands executed successfully" (Press release). German Aerospace Center. 10 July 2015. Archived from the original on 22 February 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  69. ^ Moulson, Geir (15 June 2015). "Europe's comet lander makes 2nd contact after waking up". Miami Herald. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 22 February 2024. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  70. ^ Amos, Jonathan (17 June 2015). "Controllers wait on Philae link". BBC News. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  71. ^ "Rosetta team struggles with Philae link". Earthsky. 29 June 2015. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  72. ^ Sutherland, Paul (14 August 2015). "Comet's fizzing all over during closest approach to the Sun". Space Exploration Network. Archived from the original on 22 August 2015.
  73. ^ Sutherland, Paul (20 July 2015). "Rosetta sends software patch to fix Philae". Space Exploration Network. Archived from the original on 22 August 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  74. ^ Aron, Jacob (11 January 2016). "Philae lander fails to respond to last-ditch efforts to wake it". New Scientist. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  75. ^ Mignone, Claudia (26 July 2016). "Farewell, silent Philae". European Space Agency. Archived from the original on 27 December 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
  76. ^ Gibney, Elizabeth (26 July 2016). "Philae comet lander goes quiet for good" (PDF). Nature. doi:10.1038/nature.2016.20338. ISSN 1476-4687. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 October 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  77. ^ Baldwin, Emily (11 June 2015). "The quest to find Philae". European Space Agency. Archived from the original on 12 February 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  78. ^ Amos, Jonathan (26 September 2014). "Rosetta: Date fixed for historic comet landing attempt". BBC News. Archived from the original on 20 January 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  79. ^ Amos, Jonathan (25 August 2014). "Rosetta mission: Potential comet landing sites chosen". BBC News. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  80. ^ Dambeck, Thorsten (20 January 2014). "Expedition to primeval matter" (Press release). Max Planck Society. Archived from the original on 4 June 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  81. ^ Böhnhardt, Hermann (10 November 2014). "About the Upcoming Philae Separation, Descent and Landing". Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research. Archived from the original on 6 December 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  82. ^ Biele, J.; Ulamec, S.; Richter, L.; Kührt, E.; Knollenberg, J.; Möhlmann, D. (2009). "The Strength of Cometary Surface Material: Relevance of Deep Impact Results for Philae Landing on a Comet". In Käufl, Hans Ulrich; Sterken, Christiaan (eds.). Deep Impact as a World Observatory Event: Synergies in Space, Time, and Wavelength. ESO Astrophysics Symposia. Springer. p. 297. Bibcode:2009diwo.conf..285B. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-76959-0_38. ISBN 978-3-540-76958-3.
  83. ^ Biele, Jens; Ulamec, Stephan (March 2013). Preparing for Landing on a Comet – The Rosetta Lander Philae (PDF). 44th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. The Woodlands, Texas: Lunar and Planetary Institute. Bibcode:2013LPI....44.1392B. LPI Contribution No. 1719. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 December 2023.
  84. ^ a b "Why was 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko selected as the target comet instead of Wirtanen?". Rosetta's Frequently Asked Questions. European Space Agency. Archived from the original on 17 February 2024. Retrieved 24 November 2014. The other options, including a launch to Wirtanen in 2004, would have required a more powerful launch vehicle, either an Ariane 5 ECA or a Proton.
  85. ^ "Highlights from the Rosetta mission thus far". European Space Agency. 14 November 2014. Archived from the original on 22 December 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  86. ^ "APXS". European Space Agency. Archived from the original on 11 August 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  87. ^ Bibring, Jean-Pierre; Lamy, P; Langevin, Y; Souufflot, A; Berthé, J; Borg, J; Poulet, F; Mottola, S (2007). "CIVA". Space Science Reviews. 138 (1–4): 397–412. Bibcode:2007SSRv..128..397B. doi:10.1007/s11214-006-9135-5.
  88. ^ Biele, J.; Ulamec, S. (July 2008). "Capabilities of Philae, the Rosetta Lander". Space Science Reviews. 138 (1–4): 275–289. Bibcode:2008SSRv..138..275B. doi:10.1007/s11214-007-9278-z. S2CID 120594802.
  89. ^ "Comet nucleus Infrared and Visible Analyser (CIVA)". National Space Science Data Center. 2004-006C-01. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  90. ^ "ÇIVA". European Space Agency. Archived from the original on 23 October 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  91. ^ Kofman, W.; Herique, A.; Goutail, J.-P.; Hagfors, T.; Williams, I. P.; et al. (February 2007). "The Comet Nucleus Sounding Experiment by Radiowave Transmission (CONSERT): A Short Description of the Instrument and of the Commissioning Stages". Space Science Reviews. 128 (1–4): 413–432. Bibcode:2007SSRv..128..413K. doi:10.1007/s11214-006-9034-9. S2CID 122123636.
  92. ^ "CONSERT". European Space Agency. Archived from the original on 13 January 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  93. ^ Goesmann, Fred; Rosenbauer, Helmut; Roll, Reinhard; Böhnhardt, Hermann (October 2005). "COSAC Onboard Rosetta: A Bioastronomy Experiment for the Short-Period Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko". Astrobiology. 5 (5): 622–631. Bibcode:2005AsBio...5..622G. doi:10.1089/ast.2005.5.622. PMID 16225435.
  94. ^ "COSAC". European Space Agency. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  95. ^ "MUPUS". European Space Agency. Archived from the original on 18 August 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  96. ^ Wright, I. P.; Barber, S. J.; Morgan, G. H.; Morse, A. D.; Sheridan, S.; et al. (February 2007). "Ptolemy: An Instrument to Measure Stable Isotopic Ratios of Key Volatiles on a Cometary Nucleus". Space Science Reviews. 128 (1–4): 363–381. Bibcode:2007SSRv..128..363W. doi:10.1007/s11214-006-9001-5. S2CID 120458462.
  97. ^ Andrews, D. J.; Barber, S. J.; Morse, A. D.; Sheridan, S.; Wright, I. P.; et al. (March 2006). Ptolemy: An Instrument aboard the Rosetta Lander Philae, to Unlock the Secrets of the Solar System (PDF). 37th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. League City, Texas: Lunar and Planetary Institute. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 November 2023.
  98. ^ "Eurofusion Ptolemy acknowledgement". EUROfusion. Archived from the original on 8 June 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  99. ^ "ROLIS". European Space Agency. Archived from the original on 25 October 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  100. ^ "Rosetta Lander Imaging System (ROLIS)". National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 21 September 2008. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  101. ^ "ROMAP". European Space Agency. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  102. ^ Di Lizia, Pierluigi (9 April 2014). "Introducing SD2: Philae's Sampling, Drilling and Distribution instrument". European Space Agency. Archived from the original on 25 April 2023. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  103. ^ "Philae SD2". Politecnico di Milano. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  104. ^ a b Marchesi, M.; Campaci, R.; Magnani, P.; Mugnuolo, R.; Nista, A.; et al. (September 2001). Comet sample acquisition for ROSETTA lander mission (PDF). 9th European Space Mechanisms and Tribology Symposium. Liège, Belgium: European Space Agency. Bibcode:2001ESASP.480...91M. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 February 2024.
  105. ^ "Drill Box". Politecnico di Milano. Archived from the original on 13 August 2014. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  106. ^ "Ovens". Politecnico di Milano. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  107. ^ "Volume Checker". Politecnico di Milano. Archived from the original on 13 August 2014. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  108. ^ "Rosetta, anche l'Italia sbarca sulla cometa". La Repubblica (in Italian). 12 November 2014. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  109. ^ Seidensticker, K. J.; Möhlmann, D.; Apathy, I.; Schmidt, W.; Thiel, K.; et al. (February 2007). "Sesame – An Experiment of the Rosetta Lander Philae: Objectives and General Design". Space Science Reviews. 128 (1–4): 301–337. Bibcode:2007SSRv..128..301S. doi:10.1007/s11214-006-9118-6. S2CID 119567565.
  110. ^ "Rosetta" (in German). Institut für Weltraumforschung. 8 June 2014. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  111. ^ Christiaens, Kris (6 November 2014). "België mee aan boord van Rosetta kometenjager". Belgium in Space (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 30 November 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  112. ^ Christiaens, Kris (19 July 2009). "Rosetta". Belgium in Space (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  113. ^ Scuka, Daniel (12 November 2014). "Space weather report for Rosetta". European Space Agency. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  114. ^ "Two Canadian Firms Play Small but Key Roles in Comet Landing". Maclean's. The Canadian Press. 13 November 2014. Archived from the original on 1 December 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  115. ^ "Rosetta "The Comet Chaser" – The Canadian Connection" (Press release). ADGA Group. 13 November 2014. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  116. ^ "Lander successfully touches down on the comet surface" (Press release). Finnish Meteorological Institute. 12 November 2014. Archived from the original on 23 November 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  117. ^ a b "Active Descent System" (PDF). Moog Inc. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 November 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  118. ^ a b "The MUPUS Instrument for Rosetta mission to comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko". Laboratorium Mechatroniki i Robotyki Satelitarnej. 2014. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014.
  119. ^ "MPS-Beteiligungen" (in German). Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023.
  120. ^ "12 November, 2014 A Space Probe landed on the Surface of a Comet for the first time in Space Research". Wigner Research Centre for Physics. 14 November 2014. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.
  121. ^ "CDMS". SGF Ltd. Archived from the original on 28 December 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  122. ^ "References". Space Research Group. 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  123. ^ "Industrial Involvement in the Rosetta Mission". European Space Agency. 24 June 2014. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  124. ^ "Comet chaser 'Rosetta' has technology from 2 Irish companies on board". Enterprise Ireland. 17 January 2014. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  125. ^ "CAPTEC's Fred Kennedy explains its role in the Rosetta Project". RTE News. 20 January 2014. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  126. ^ "Maynooth University scientists play key role in historic Rosetta mission" (Press release). Maynooth University. 12 November 2014. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  127. ^ "Rosetta Mission: Italy's decisive technological contribution" (Press release). Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. 13 November 2014. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  128. ^ "Presentación de PowerPoint – Space Activities". AASpace.
  129. ^ "Tecnología española para aterrizar sobre un cometa". Cinco Días (in Italian). 13 November 2014. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  130. ^ "CIVA Project". 2014. Archived from the original on 7 November 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  131. ^ Tovey, Alan (11 November 2014). "UK space industry behind Rosetta comet mission". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 December 2023.
  132. ^ "Live updates: Rosetta mission comet landing" (Press release). European Space Agency. 12 November 2014. Archived from the original on 1 June 2023.
  133. ^ "Call for Media Opportunities to follow Rosetta mission's historic comet landing" (Press release). European Space Agency. 16 October 2014. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023.
  134. ^ Jackson, Patrick (13 November 2014). "Rosetta comet: One giant leap for Europe (not Nasa)". BBC News. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  135. ^ "Arrival" by Vangelis on YouTube
  136. ^ "Philae's journey" by Vangelis on YouTube
  137. ^ "Rosetta's waltz" by Vangelis on YouTube
  138. ^ Solon, Olivia (12 November 2014). "Philae: Google Doodle marks Rosetta's historic comet landing". Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  139. ^ Mukherjee, Trisha (31 December 2014). "Google doodle wraps up year in animated '2014 trending topics'". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  140. ^ Randall, Munroe (12 November 2014). "Landing". xkcd. 1446. Archived from the original on 11 February 2024. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  141. ^ Davis, Lauren (12 November 2014). "xkcd Animates The Philae Comet Landing—And It's Adorable". gizmodo. Archived from the original on 24 December 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2015.

Further reading

[edit]
[edit]
Media