Re: Interesting

Interesting (Score: 1)

by axsdenied@pipedot.org on 2014-11-13 12:55 (#2V1E)

UPDATE: A magnetic sensor aboard Philae apparently recorded three separate landings, one each at 15:33, 17:26, and 17:33 UTC. That suggests the first bounce was nearly two hours long.

Re: Interesting (Score: 1)

by zafiro17@pipedot.org on 2014-11-13 13:23 (#2V1J)

Given the lag in radio communications, I think that means that at the time the scientists were hugging and giving high-fives, Philae was actually airborn again - kind of neat to think about. Seems the comet has a very weak gravitational field and it's a non-negligible risk Philae could just drift off the surface again.

This is the coolest thing ever, and I'm stunned how little coverage it's getting in mainstream American media. This is for me like the moon landing for our generation.

Re: Interesting (Score: 2, Insightful)

by evilviper@pipedot.org on 2014-11-14 06:16 (#2V29)

This is the coolest thing ever, and I'm stunned how little coverage it's getting in mainstream American media. This is for me like the moon landing for our generation.

I think you're overstating it. Voyager I leaving the solar system is far more interesting.

It's much harder to cover than typical NASA stories, since the ESA is doing this one, and not many news agencies have foreign reporters on the payroll who can head over and send-back footage, while all networks have local stations across the US to pull from.

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