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brooklynite

(94,683 posts) Fri Sep 30, 2016, 07:27 AM Sep 2016

Rosetta Spacecraft Ends Mission by Sinking to Its Comet Companion

Source: New York Times

Rosetta, the first spacecraft to orbit a comet, is now dead, quietly landing on the companion it has observed for the past two years.

Its final radio signals arrived at the mission operations center in Darmstadt, Germany at 7:20 a.m. Eastern time after it hit Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko at a speed of 2 miles per hour, slower than a walk.

Before it went silent, it icollected and sent back one last batch of data and images, including some very close-up shots of the comet’s surface.

Rosetta’s journey concluded quite a few firsts, and quite a few fans.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/01/science/rosetta-spacecraft-to-end-mission-by-sinking-to-its-comet-companion.html?_r=0

6 replies

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Rosetta Spacecraft Ends Mission by Sinking to Its Comet Companion (Original Post) brooklynite Sep 2016 OP

RIP, Rosetta, and thank you. GreenPartyVoter Sep 2016 #1

+1 What a great way to go Snellius Sep 2016 #3

NiCd batteries charged by solar cells. Amazing that it worked from 2004 until now. truthisfreedom Sep 2016 #2

The last image: taken from 20 metres up, and low res since it only had seconds to transmit it muriel_volestrangler Sep 2016 #4

A beautiful, rich, human adventure. FigTree Sep 2016 #5

Beautiful statement. Delphinus Sep 2016 #6

GreenPartyVoter

(72,381 posts)

1. RIP, Rosetta, and thank you.

Reply to brooklynite (Original post)

Fri Sep 30, 2016, 07:34 AM

Sep 2016

Snellius

(6,881 posts)

3. +1 What a great way to go

Reply to GreenPartyVoter (Reply #1)

Fri Sep 30, 2016, 12:43 PM

Sep 2016

Like Mark Twain. Come in with a comet and go out when Halley comes again.

truthisfreedom

(23,152 posts)

2. NiCd batteries charged by solar cells. Amazing that it worked from 2004 until now.

Reply to brooklynite (Original post)

Fri Sep 30, 2016, 07:38 AM

Sep 2016

My cordless phones have brand new NiMH batteries and they barely keep a charge.

muriel_volestrangler

(101,348 posts)

4. The last image: taken from 20 metres up, and low res since it only had seconds to transmit it

Reply to brooklynite (Original post)

Fri Sep 30, 2016, 01:22 PM

Sep 2016

http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2016/09/Rosetta_s_last_image

FigTree

(347 posts)

5. A beautiful, rich, human adventure.

Reply to brooklynite (Original post)

Fri Sep 30, 2016, 02:37 PM

Sep 2016

A brief and narrow window into what our lives could be like in a world where human intelligence and creativity would rule.
Conversely, a depressive reminder of the boring, repetitive stupidity in which we exist.

Delphinus

(11,840 posts)

6. Beautiful statement.

Reply to FigTree (Reply #5)

Fri Sep 30, 2016, 03:23 PM

Sep 2016

So glad I read what you wrote - thank you. And belated welcome to DU.

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