The surface ice of comet 67P and its outgassing activities follow a cycle based on the sun’s illumination on the object. #rosettaspaceprobe #comet67P #comets - http://clapway.com/2015/09/25/comet-67p-has-nights-and-days123/

The Rosetta space probe has made a new discovery regarding the water-ice cycle of comet 67P/Churmov-Gerasimenko. As it turns out, the surface ice of the comet and its outgassing activities follow a cycle based on the sun’s illumination on the object, and it is theorized that this very cycle may be used by other comets.

Maria Cristina de Sanctis, part of INAF-IAPS (Institute of Astrophysiology and Spacial Planetology at the National Institute of Astrophysics in Rome), reveals that the probe, owned by the European Space Agency, observed a process that replenishes the surface of the comet with fresh ice with every new rotation. This helps to keep the comet alive in a sense. Comets (for those who don’t know) are formations of the solar system made up of dust, rocks, and ice; they are scattered around the sun and move in their own orbits.

THE “DAY AND NIGHT” CYCLE OF COMET 67P

Using Rosetta’s Visible Infrared and Thermal Imaging Spectrometer (VIRTIS), researchers have found a one square km region of Comet 67P’s neck where this process occurs, in which the water-ice on its surface dissipates and reappears in relation to its rotational position.

How does this happen? Well, when a comet nears the sun, the heat of the giant star vaporizes its icy surface into gas in a process known as outgassing. As the ice starts to sublimate, dust and rock in the comet is released and floats away from the comet’s surface, giving the celestial body its signature halo and tail.

By contrast, when the same area is not under sunlight, the surface cools until it re-freezes and the comet is re-covered with a very thin layer of ice. The process, driven by the day/night cycle, restarts when sunlight once again glides over the comet.

“We saw the tell-tale signature of water ice in the spectra of the study region but only when certain portions were cast in shadow,” states Maria Cristina. “Conversely, when the Sun was shining on these regions, the ice was gone. This indicates a cyclical behaviour of water ice during each comet rotation.”

The findings of this study are now published in the journal Nature.

---

WE MARVEL IN ALL THE WONDERS OF SPACE:

Comet 67P Has A Night And Day Cycle Too

Philae Lander Post-Perihelion To Awaken - http://clapway.com/2015/08/13/philae-lander-post-perihelion-101/

Scientists of European persuasion have made an important change of plans for the Philae lander , a detached component of the Rosetta spacecraft with a spotty service record. The Europeans are now hopeful of retrieving new imagery and data on drill samples as soon as communications are restored.

WHY DOES PHILAE PERFORM BADLY?

This may be a misrepresentation of the facts; Philae was impeccably designed, and is fully capable of performing its duties, but upon beginning its final descent last November, the lander had a few issues, bounced on the surface several times, and came to rest in a small valley. Since the lander is solar powered, the absence of sunlight precludes its operating at full capacity, causing it to go into hibernation mode periodically.

SUMMER’S DELIVERY

But in June, the tenacious lander reawoke, much to scientists at the European Space Agency’s surprise, and caused the ESA to rush plans for Philae to perform as many experiments as possible before they risked the more dangerous drilling experiment.

However, as mentioned above, because of Philae’s position, periodic black outs are to be expected. “The problem is not power, but communications,” Aurelie Moussi from space agency CNES said in a webcast on Thursday. “We have to find something to do in a shorter duration.”

PHILAE EXPECTED TO UNVEIL MYSTERIES OF LIFE

Scientists are hopeful that new samples from comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko’s surface will yield more insight into the fundamentals of planet formation, and how such a frigid and hostile environment can be host to the complex organic compounds capable of seeding life.

The Rosetta spacecraft has spent the past two weeks studying a part of the comet inaccessible to Philae, but as of August 11th the mother probe has returned to its position above Philae, and is awaiting its signal.

PHILAE IS DAMAGED

So far, no more contact between the two machines has been documented, but Barbara Cozzoni, Philae operations engineer laments that this may be because one of the lander’s transmitters is broken, along with two receivers that refuse to function properly.

THE BEST IS YET TO COME

Since the comet passed through its perihelion phase at 185 million kilometers (roughly 115 million miles) from the sun, activity on the comet has picked up drastically. Just as the hottest day of the year occurs after the summer solstice, so too will comet 67P’s most active day follow its perihelion. As of now, the comet is ejecting nearly 1,000 kg of dust and a volume of water sufficient to fill two bathtubs per second. Comparatively, upon Rosetta’s original rendezvous, comet 67P was losing only two small glasses of water per second.

In addition to this increased loss of matter and H20, magnificently powerful gas jets were also observed shooting from the comet’s surface. But this spectacle is sideshow to what Philae may reveal to us, soon.

---

DON’T WANT YOUR PHONE TO BOUNCE LIKE PHILAE? TRY URBAN ARMOR GEAR.

 

Philae Lander Post-Perihelion To Awaken

Building Blocks of Life Discovered on #Comet67p - http://clapway.com/2015/07/31/building-blocks-of-life-discovered-on-comet-67p123/

As much as most space enthusiasts are reluctant to do so, it may be time for us to look not to the extrasolar planets, not to dwarf planets, not to black holes or quasar punches or solar storms–but to comets. Comet 67P, specifically, which the European Space Agency’s Philae lander has been investigating since November of last year, has just identified compounds that are also the necessary building blocks of life.

A SIGNIFICANT FIND ON COMET 67P

This was thought to be the case for quite some time, as there was simply no other way to explain how life on Earth got started. For years, scientists have thought that comets acted as seeds to an early Earth, bringing in basic materials with which Earth was later able to furnish life, and a thriving ecosystem.

HOLES IN THE THEORY

However, precisely how life originated on Earth is a mystery still annoying scientists to this day. So far, the general consensus is that we understand the few essential ingredients involved. Water and a few chemical building blocks had to be present, but they certainly weren’t always. Perhaps these things were delivered to the Earth over three billion years ago.

HOW DO COMETS GET HERE?

Most comets persist in places like the Kuiper Belt, far beyond the reach of most studying probes (save, perhaps for New Horizons), but every once in a while, a stray comet is moved out of its wide orbit. Comets’ trademark tails are formed by the increased heat they experience as they approach the sun, as has been observed for several centuries. The cool thing this tells us about comets today is that they carry large quantities of water.

But before the European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft left for comet 67p in 2004, no one really knew if there was anything in the realm of necessary building blocks in comets. Was it just water and rocks?

BUILDING BLOCKS OF LIFE ON COMET 67P

The answer is a resounding yes. Published in the journal Science, Philae found 16 organic compounds, and four of them–methyl isocyanate, acetone, propionaldehyde, and acetamide–were not known to even exist on comets. Of more interesting note, it also found benzene, which is a cyclic hydrocarbon, and plenty of C02.

---

FOR TECHNOLOGY NEWS AND REVIEWS, CHECK OUT CLAPWAY TRENDS:

Building Blocks of Life Discovered on Comet 67p

Rise and shine for #Philae again - http://clapway.com/2015/07/11/comet-probe-philae-calls-earth-335/

After seven months of being unresponsive, the comet probe Philae that landed on a comet November 12th of 2014 woke up and began transmitting data again. Now, with 15 days of silence since its last communication, the probe started up once more and transmitted for an entire 20 minutes.

Why has comet probe Philae been quiet?

The comet 67P was the final destination for Philae’s 10 year journey with Rosetta, its transport ship. As it landed, Philae bounced around on the rocky, unsteady surface before coming to a halt. Unfortunately, however, the comet probe ended up in a very shady area. Being solar powered, this was very disadvantageous for the craft.

The probe was able to transmit data for roughly 60 hours before it went offline due to power constraints. Had it landed in a more beneficial spot, there would not be an issue, however, because of its location, the comet probe can only charge so often due to there being little sunlight.

What is Philae transmitting?

To put it simply, the comet probe Philae is transmitting tests that it’s doing. Philae is, in essence, a portable lab. It is able to take surface samples, analyze the trajectory of the comet, and gather other useful information. It takes the data at face value where it then transmits that information back to Earth where scientists can analyze it. As it gets closer to the sun, scientists are hoping to record how the comet as well as the probe change.

Will the comet probe ever get enough light?

CNES, a French space agency, said that this most recent communication with the probe has been the best one yet. They believe it is promising and have high hopes that they will have a stronger connection so scientists can take control of the probe and possibly move it into more sun. Assuming this happens, the probe will be able to be manually controlled, allowing for many more intricate and thorough tests.

Many people thought that Philae was a failure after it went into stand-by mode due to a lack of power, however, the researchers at the CNES believe that there is still hope for the mission and that there will be plenty of useful data to come.

---

 

The Lepow Poki External Battery Charger will keep you connected:

Comet Probe Philae Calls Earth