

Comet lander falls silent, scientists fear it has moved - anigbrowl
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/20/us-space-comet-idUSKCN0PU17920150720

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LesZedCB
Slightly OT, but I just finished reading The Martian [1] by Andy Weir. I have
always been fascinated by space and space travel, but I never really had a
good grasp on the technical complexity of it all until I read that book. Now
that I understand that, I have a whole new appreciation for how awesome the
Rosetta/Philae and the New Horizons missions are, and exactly why it is so
incredibly exciting what we have done in only the past 60 or so years of space
travel.

[1] [http://www.amazon.com/The-Martian-Novel-Andy-Weir-
ebook/dp/B...](http://www.amazon.com/The-Martian-Novel-Andy-Weir-
ebook/dp/B00EMXBDMA)

~~~
HaseebR7
Can't wait for the movie.

BTW this short story by Andy Weir is also a great read.

[http://www.galactanet.com/oneoff/theegg_mod.html](http://www.galactanet.com/oneoff/theegg_mod.html)

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wcoenen
Original source: [http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/07/20/rosetta-and-
philae-s...](http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/07/20/rosetta-and-philae-
status-update/)

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personjerry
This is incredibly interesting but sad. Philae was launched 11(!) years ago
and has had an incredible journey, and to see it not be able to finish its
mission properly must be brutal on the scientists. You can get a sense of how
long and intricate its journey has been in this video of its path among the
planets:
[http://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Videos/2013/10/Rosetta_s_tw...](http://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Videos/2013/10/Rosetta_s_twelve-
year_journey_in_space)

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kitd
A bit confusing. At the start the article says that Philae last made contact
on July 9, and won't respond to commands. But at the end it says Philae is
still sending data, albeit sporadically. Does that qualify as 'falls silent'?

Maybe someone with more knowledge than me can explain.

