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SUMMARY:Landing on a Comet - Professor Monica Grady CBE\, Professor of Pla
 netary and Space Science\, The Open University
DTSTART:20160606T183000Z
DTEND:20160606T200000Z
UID:TALK61557@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Dr Nigel Bennee
DESCRIPTION:The International Rosetta Mission was launched on 2nd March 20
 04 on its 10year journey to rendezvous with comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko. \
 n\nRosetta finally reached its target comet in August 2014. \n\nFrom an op
 erations engineering point of view the challenges of this mission were eno
 rmous. Flying in the proximity of the nucleus required the development of 
 an accurate model of the comet and the forces acting on the spacecraft tha
 t it generates. This had to be done while the spacecraft was already flyin
 g in this unknown environment\, a highly risky and unconventional way of f
 lying in space. \n\nOn 12th November 2014 it delivered a small lander\, Ph
 ilae\, onto the surface of the comet. Philae survived the landing and oper
 ated for about 2.5 days on the surface\, before running out of battery pow
 er\, but significant science was captured during this period. \nRosetta ha
 d very little time from the moment of arrival in the proximity of the come
 t\, in early August\, to the moment of Philae’s landing on 12th November
 \, to observe the nucleus\, identify potential landing sites\, develop a l
 anding strategy and select the final candidate. \n\nThe Rosetta orbiter mi
 ssion continued and is still on-going\, observing and measuring the comet 
 nucleus during its journey around the Sun. \nThe mission will be terminate
 d in September 2016\, after more than two years of science operations\, wi
 th a planned touch down of the spacecraft onto the surface of the comet.\n
 \nThe landing operations\, at a distance of 511 million kilometers from Ea
 rth\, had to\nbe fully automated and programmed on the basis of prediction
 s from several hours before the event.\n\nThis lecture will summarize the 
 objectives of the mission\, some of the challenges in its planning and exe
 cution\, and the scientific information that it has provided. \n\nLike man
 y missions\, this has brought some remarkable new perspectives regarding c
 omets\, and\, indeed\, their place in the evolution of the solar system.\n
LOCATION:Churchill College\, Wolfson Lecture Theatre\, Storeys Way\, CB3 0
 DS 
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