Last week , the European Space Agency announced a terminal day of the month — November 11 — for when it will release its Rosetta lander , a bantam pod called Philae , down to the airfoil of the comet . Like a cosmic hobo hold a stick and bindle , it will travel laden with only the essentials . Thanks toUniverse Today , ESA , andNASA , we know what it ’s delivery .
The puppet and instruments that will companion Philae down to the surface of comet 67P / Churyumov – Gerasimenko are all important . It ’s our first prospect to in truth analyse a comet , and these mechanisms will be responsible for for it . Universe Today’sTim Reyes point outthat Philae weighs only 220 pounds , so all of the musical instrument it ’s delivery are utterly essential , and have been whittled down to be as light and tiny as possible .
Again , Philae is light — and it does n’t have a whole lot of battery power to knead with . So it will make for with it a series of photovoltaic panels,21 square feet in all , to power all of its busy days drop fag , listening , and analyzing the comet .
As part of a bundle that includes sensors to appraise things like permittivity , Philae will also send acoustical waves across the comet using a transmitter ! Then , with receivers embed in its leg , it will measure how they bounce off and through the comet . allot to Reyes , they ’ll also record audio recording of the “ creaking ” and “ groans ” on the surface .
paradigm : Institute for Planetary Science .
ESA ’s squad is interested in what ’s inside the comet , so they ’ll use a simple method to get some canonic measuring : tuner . While Rosetta revolve around the side of the comet opposite of the lander , it will put out radio waves which Philae will receive and return . fundamentally , they ’re performing imaging — project the interior of the comet by sending Wave through it and listening to how they distort and move .
Here ’s a gripping one : Amechanical armwill “ mallet ” up to a foot into the comet ’s open with an accelerometer and a thermometer at its tip — measuring not only the thermic makeup , but how late the hammer can perforate before it ’s hold on . Other sensors will valuate the temperature of the comet as it acquire closer to the blaze hot sun .
Rosetta and Philae are on a mission to canvas — or “ taste,”as the ESA says , the junk and ice on the comet . So Philae will use a recitation to pull together and then transport surface samples to a serial publication of oven where they ’ll be studied by the other gadget on the lander . Since the little lander does n’t have much power to work with , the ESA say the recitation consumes only a hundredth of the power your medium drill does . Here ’s where it ’s located , show on a replica of Philae :
A system called CIVA - P ( which weighs less than 100 grams ! ) will pip color and infrared paradigm of the landing web site , while another imaging organisation called ROLIS will shoot images of the process of landing place , along with unaired - ups of the comet ’s aerofoil .
This equipment can assess the chemical makeup of samples on comet 67P / Churyumov – Gerasimenko ’s open — how much atomic number 1 or He exists up ( down ? ) there , for good example — by exposing sample to radiation . That radiation make energy by interacting with the samples , which the spectrometer can measure .
gibe out the rest of the listhere . And yes , you’re able to follow the lilliputian guy ’s advance on Twitter by following Philaehere .
Lead image : Wikimedia .
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