This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/science/live/2015/jun/17/philae-probe-european-space-agencys-briefing-live-updates
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Philae probe: European Space Agency's briefing – live updates | Philae probe: European Space Agency's briefing – live updates |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 9.10am BST09:10 | |
| We don’t necessarily lead daily links with the comet, Cozzoni says. Information can be downloaded for several days at a time. More complex and “power demanding” science will depend on how Philae performs and this secondary battery. | |
| “That’s it Philae is back and we are all very happy,” Cozzoni concludes on a cheery note. | |
| 9.07am BST09:07 | |
| She says they need more contact with Rosetta to plan activity. She says they are drawing up an “operation strategy for long term science”. But they need support of a secondary battery. “We need to wait a bit longer to start our science,” she says. | |
| 9.04am BST09:04 | |
| “We only got good news” from Philae says Cozzoni with a big smile. The solar panels are collecting energy and performing as expected. | |
| But there’s a but ... | |
| 9.02am BST09:02 | |
| Barbara Cozzoni, lander control centre engineer, begins her briefing. | |
| 9.00am BST09:00 | |
| “The key here is to maximise the communication with Philae”, Montagnon says. She explains that Rosetta had to fly through dust generated by the comet to get close. She likens it to driving through a snow storm. She shows dusty photos of the comet taken just a few kilometres away. | |
| If Rosetta gets too close the dust will force it into safety only mode, she says. | |
| 8.54am BST08:54 | |
| Montagnon gives details of “close fly bys” of the comet conducted in February and March. She also confirms that Rosetta trajectory is being adjusted to get it closer to the comet. This will be reviewed for safety, she says. | |
| 8.50am BST08:50 | |
| Elsa Montagnon, the agency’s deputy Rosetta flight director, begins her part of the briefing. She underlines the “amazing achievement” of landing the probe on the comet on 12 November. | |
| .@ESA_Rosetta media briefing underway at Le Bourget - latest on the mission incl @Philae2014 http://t.co/KLaB2hBAKt pic.twitter.com/RBwVV0v9lJ | |
| 8.46am BST08:46 | |
| McCaughrean plays the sound of the probe touching down and shows images of three imprints were it touched down. The mission is not yet over, McCaughrean. “Today the lander is alive,” he said. He says the ESA has funding until the end of this year but it proposing to extend it for another year. The journey “is to be continued,” he says. | |
| 8.43am BST08:43 | |
| 'You can hear the comet' | |
| McCaughrean says “bizarre pits” have been photographs on comet 67P, from Rosetta. Heat is coming off the comet even during the dark he says. “You can even hear the comet,” he says. A tapping croaking sound is played. | |
| Updated at 8.43am BST | |
| 8.38am BST08:38 | 8.38am BST08:38 |
| The briefing is underway with some opening words from Mark McCaughrean, senior scientist at the ESA. He describes comets as “treasure troves” for science. | The briefing is underway with some opening words from Mark McCaughrean, senior scientist at the ESA. He describes comets as “treasure troves” for science. |
| You can follow the briefing here. | You can follow the briefing here. |
| Updated at 8.39am BST | Updated at 8.39am BST |
| 8.32am BST08:32 | 8.32am BST08:32 |
| Welcome to live coverage of a press conference by the European Space Agency on the Philae probe after it surprised scientists by sending messages to the Rosetta orbiter. | Welcome to live coverage of a press conference by the European Space Agency on the Philae probe after it surprised scientists by sending messages to the Rosetta orbiter. |
| Ahead of the briefing the agency said there had been no contact with the probe since the weekend. | Ahead of the briefing the agency said there had been no contact with the probe since the weekend. |
| Elsa Montagnon, the agency’s deputy Rosetta flight director, confirmed that there was contact for 85 seconds on Saturday night. The comet then made one revolution in which there was no contact, but then a further three ten second bursts were received on Sunday evening | Elsa Montagnon, the agency’s deputy Rosetta flight director, confirmed that there was contact for 85 seconds on Saturday night. The comet then made one revolution in which there was no contact, but then a further three ten second bursts were received on Sunday evening |
| Since then there has been nothing, Montagnon said. | Since then there has been nothing, Montagnon said. |
| “At the moment we are excited rather than disappointed,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “We need to understand and find a way to characterise the contact patterns to continue working,” she said. | “At the moment we are excited rather than disappointed,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “We need to understand and find a way to characterise the contact patterns to continue working,” she said. |
| Asked whether she was certain further contact would be made, she said: “We are working in that direction. On Monday morning there was a meeting of the operation team to optimise the Rosetta trajectory to try to repeat the contacts again.” | Asked whether she was certain further contact would be made, she said: “We are working in that direction. On Monday morning there was a meeting of the operation team to optimise the Rosetta trajectory to try to repeat the contacts again.” |
| In a blog post the agency said the lack of contact since the weekend was “expected”. | In a blog post the agency said the lack of contact since the weekend was “expected”. |
| It also gave details of how the orbiter’s trajectory has been changed to “optimise the opportunities for lander-to-orbiter communication”. | It also gave details of how the orbiter’s trajectory has been changed to “optimise the opportunities for lander-to-orbiter communication”. |
| This includes a change to nadir pointing (that is, pointing directly at the comet nucleus) during the daily communication slots, which will come into effect Wednesday morning, in line with the new trajectory change. | This includes a change to nadir pointing (that is, pointing directly at the comet nucleus) during the daily communication slots, which will come into effect Wednesday morning, in line with the new trajectory change. |
| Rosetta’s science investigations will also be adjusted to adapt to the new trajectory. | Rosetta’s science investigations will also be adjusted to adapt to the new trajectory. |
| Commands to adjust the trajectory were successfully uploaded Monday evening; further commands will be uplinked on Thursday evening. The spacecraft will perform two manoeuvres, one on Wednesday morning and the second on Saturday morning. The effect of the two ‘dog-leg’ burns will be to bring the orbiter to a distance of 180 km from the comet and to reproduce the orbiter-comet geometry of the first contact. | Commands to adjust the trajectory were successfully uploaded Monday evening; further commands will be uplinked on Thursday evening. The spacecraft will perform two manoeuvres, one on Wednesday morning and the second on Saturday morning. The effect of the two ‘dog-leg’ burns will be to bring the orbiter to a distance of 180 km from the comet and to reproduce the orbiter-comet geometry of the first contact. |
| This orbit lowering had been planned previously with the objective of flying as low as safely possible, since no star tracker problems have been detected while flying in the terminator plane at 200 km altitude. But now it also has the advantage of improving communication possibilities with Philae. | This orbit lowering had been planned previously with the objective of flying as low as safely possible, since no star tracker problems have been detected while flying in the terminator plane at 200 km altitude. But now it also has the advantage of improving communication possibilities with Philae. |
| This morning, 16 June, the spacecraft was at about 224 km and moving out to about 235 km from the comet on its pre-planned trajectory. When Philae’s signal was first received on 13 June the spacecraft-comet separation was 200 km; by 14 June this was 206 km and the signal was weaker. | This morning, 16 June, the spacecraft was at about 224 km and moving out to about 235 km from the comet on its pre-planned trajectory. When Philae’s signal was first received on 13 June the spacecraft-comet separation was 200 km; by 14 June this was 206 km and the signal was weaker. |
| It is only once the orbiter is on the new trajectory, flying closer to the comet with nadir pointing in the latitudes of the lander that the communication possibilities will be improved. | It is only once the orbiter is on the new trajectory, flying closer to the comet with nadir pointing in the latitudes of the lander that the communication possibilities will be improved. |
| The probe made contact with agency for the first time in seven months on Saturday which the agency announced in a series of whimsical messages on Philae lander and Rosetta mission’s Twitter accounts. | The probe made contact with agency for the first time in seven months on Saturday which the agency announced in a series of whimsical messages on Philae lander and Rosetta mission’s Twitter accounts. |
| Hello @ESA_Rosetta! I'm awake! How long have I been asleep? #Lifeonacomet | Hello @ESA_Rosetta! I'm awake! How long have I been asleep? #Lifeonacomet |
| The agency said on Sunday that it had received signals from the lander when it began “speaking” with its team on the ground for the first time since it went into emergency hibernation following a botched landing on the comet in November. It is thought that more power became available to the probe from its solar panels when the comet got closer to the Sun. | The agency said on Sunday that it had received signals from the lander when it began “speaking” with its team on the ground for the first time since it went into emergency hibernation following a botched landing on the comet in November. It is thought that more power became available to the probe from its solar panels when the comet got closer to the Sun. |
| On Sunday’ Philae’s project manager Dr Stephan Ulamec confidently announced: “The lander is ready for operations”. | On Sunday’ Philae’s project manager Dr Stephan Ulamec confidently announced: “The lander is ready for operations”. |
| Updated at 8.38am BST | Updated at 8.38am BST |