Yay, Rosetta is in orbit!
Here is a stunning photo, taken today, of the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
Surface of the comet taken by Rosetta on 6 August 2014.
And here is one taken three days ago, showing the whole comet:
The comet photographed on 3 August 2014 by Rosetta.
Hearty congratulations to all the project scientists and technicians. This is a terrific achievement, and there is lots more fantastic science to come!
Tomorrow the European Space Agency’s Rosetta robotic spacecraft will rendezvous with comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, some ten and a half years after the space probe was launched. In that time it has travelled 404,523,421 km (251,359,200 miles). It will be, according to the ESA’s website, ‘the first mission in history to rendezvous with a comet, escort it as it orbits the Sun, and deploy a lander to its surface.’
The whole event is being livestreamed, from 8.00 am GMT (9.00 am British Summer Time), here, as Rosetta is deployed into orbit around the comet.
I will certainly be watching this historic event. It has been so exciting watching as Rosetta approached the comet over the last month or so, from the first initial pixelated views that resolved themselves into the ‘rubber duck’. The scientists have to choose carefully where to place the lander on this slowly rotating chunk of space ice (water is a major volatile component of comets, along with carbon monoxide, methanol and ammonia.)
The comet pictured by Rosetta on 4 July 2014.
Rotating view of the comet captured by Rosetta on 14 July 2014.
The comet imaged from a distance of 1,000 km by Rosetta on 1 August 2014.
Once Rosetta is safely in orbit, it will begin to map and characterise the comet. Using the information it provides, a landing site will be selected for the lander.
According to the ESA website, the timeline is:
Comet mapping and characterisation (August 2014)
Less than 200 kilometres from the nucleus, images from Rosetta show the comet’s spin-axis orientation, angular velocity, major landmarks and other basic characteristics.
Eventually, the spacecraft is inserted into orbit around the nucleus at a distance of about 25 kilometres. Their relative speed is now down to a few centimetres per second.
The orbiter starts to map the nucleus in great detail. Eventually, five potential landing sites are selected for close observation.
Landing on the comet (November 2014)
Rosetta’s Philae lander on comet.
Once a suitable landing site is chosen, the lander is released from a height of about one kilometre. Touchdown takes place at walking speed — less than one metre per second.
Once it is anchored to the nucleus, the lander sends back high-resolution pictures and other information on the nature of the comet’s ices and organic crust.
The data are relayed to the orbiter, which stores them for transmission back to Earth at the next the period of contact with a ground station.
Rosetta and the comet.
So exciting. Can’t wait for tomorrow!
100 years ago today, the United Kingdom, and with it the Commonwealth, entered the conflict that became known as the Great War, and in time, World War I. From that point, life in this country was indelibly changed. The horrific loss of life affected every family, every community. Family members, friends, neighbours—no-one was immune from loss. The mechanisation of war, with machine guns and tanks, poison gas and bombs, meant that the killing was on a horrific scale.
Our village suffered huge losses among its young men. The large part of a generation, wiped out.
There is a wonderful project by the Royal British Legion, Every Man Remembered, to memorialise every person from the Commonwealth who died in the conflict. You can memorialise someone you know, or select someone with no commemoration and add a message of remembrance and gratitude.
Poppies, the symbol of remembrance. Photo by David Wijnants.
Lest We Forget.
I love kedgeree: quick to make and so tasty. Here’s my version of the Anglo-Indian classic. It involves a little bit of juggling to get the cooked, skinned fish, the boiled eggs and the rice ready at the same time, but it’s very easy. The spice measurements are guesstimates as I just chuck a load in that seems right. Serves 2, with some left over (it freezes well, apart from the eggs, which go rubbery—so eat all of those first time round!).
Kedgeree.
1 large fillet undyed smoked haddock with skin on (about 400 g)
4 eggs
200 g brown basmati rice
big knob of butter
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground chilli
salt and freshly ground black pepper
large bunch of flat leaf parsley
Fill a large saucepan about a half full with water, and bring to the boil.
In a small saucepan, bring some water up to the boil into which to boil the eggs.
Reduce the water in the large pan to a simmer and poach the haddock (I cut it into two or three sections for ease of handling) in the water for about 5—6 minutes or until the flesh loses its translucence.
When poached, take the fish out of the water and drain—don’t throw the water in the pan away. Bring this fishy water up to the boil, add a pinch of salt and then add the rice (the rice will taste extra yummy cooked in the fishy water, even if it looks a bit scummy). Stir the rice around to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan or clump together while cooking.
Put the eggs in to boil in the smaller saucepan.
Skin the fish and break it into rough flakes, and keep it warm. (I put it on one of the plates we’re eating off and upturn the other over it so it doesn’t dry out, and put it in an oven that has been warmed but with the heat now turned off; the cats gets the fish skin).
Strip the parsley leaves off the stalks and chop roughly.
Give the eggs 8 or so minutes to hard boil with a slightly soft centre. When cooked, shell and cut into quarters.
When the rice is cooked, which should be about the same time that the eggs are ready, drain it and quickly rinse under hot water. Leave it in the sieve to drain. Put a big knob of butter in the rice saucepan, then add the spices and cook briefly over a medium heat. Return the rice to the spicy buttery mix in the pan and stir around to mix the spices through well.
Add the flaked fish and the parsley to the rice mix and stir to combine. Add the quartered eggs and gently stir through (they’ll break up if you’re too rough). Season with salt and masses of freshly ground black pepper, and serve. I like it with a big dollop of brinjal pickle; plain yoghurt goes really well with it if you are not too keen on dry rice dishes.
This is the first time I’ve written down a recipe that I do ‘off the cuff’—I now have added respect for cookery writers, because it’s not nearly as easy as I blithely thought it would be.