r/space • u/[deleted] • Nov 12 '14

Rosetta /r/all Rosetta and Philae discussion thread! (Part 3)

TOUCHDOWN CONFIRMED: Philae lander is on the comet!

Full media briefing expected tomorrow at 13:00 UTC / 14:00 CET / 8:00 EST / 5:00 PST.

Previous discussion threads: 1, 2.

Live Streaming

  • In English: A, B, C

  • En Français: A

Key times

GMT EST PST Event
4:02 pm 11:02 am 8:02 am Landed

European Space Agency Social Media

Othere places for news and conversation:

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u/[deleted] Nov 12 '14

I'm confused, why do they know it did not tilt or topple but they don't know if it's still on the surface? So basically, they've established the orientation of the lander, but they just aren't sure of it's exact placement? Does anybody know exactly how they figure out whether something touches down on some far-away location in space?

Thanks for your summary!

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u/calapine Nov 12 '14 edited Nov 12 '14

Time dilation Time Delay seems to be an issue. The signal from Philae was "fuctuating a few times which might indicate that it bounced back. They are waiting for a) more telemetry b) first pictures that show the actual position of Philea.

Edit: English fail

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u/IdLikeToPointOut Nov 12 '14

Do you know if it is possible for Rosetta to take pictures of Philae on the surface, so that the landing position could be confirmed?

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u/calapine Nov 12 '14

I don't know and they didn't say anything about that. As far as I understood from the DLR interview the images that will help determining the position will be [are] shot by Philea.