Discussion
And even then the drill will, literally, only scratch the surface. The source of the gases and dust that make up the coma comes from deep within the comet - way beyond where Philae's little drill will reach.
Philae is just the start of our understanding of at least comet one out of millions.
Philae is just the start of our understanding of at least comet one out of millions.
jmorgan said:
Would a random event like this potentially change the trajectory of a comet like a thruster would? I wonder if it has any impact on calculations for the mission?Comet 67P has passed perihelion yesterday. It's now heading away from the sun with Rosetta still in orbit.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-3388...
However surface activity may continue to increase. Just as the summer solstice is not the hottest part of summer, the comet's surface temperature lags behind the proximity to the sun.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-3388...
However surface activity may continue to increase. Just as the summer solstice is not the hottest part of summer, the comet's surface temperature lags behind the proximity to the sun.
Down to 2.6 km from the surface ( distance in the link is to the comet's centre )
https://planetgate.mps.mpg.de/Image_of_the_Day/pub...
https://planetgate.mps.mpg.de/Image_of_the_Day/pub...
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