organization:german aerospace centre

The sound of #Philae conducting #Science
▻http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/11/12/the-sound-of-philae-conducting-science

Philae’s SESAME-CASSE ‘listened’ to the #lander’s MUPUS instrument hammer the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko last November. Martin Knapmeyer from the German Aerospace Centre, DLR, tells us more. SESAME-CASSE is the Cometary Acoustic Surface Sounding Experiment located in the lander’s feet. It takes the form of three accelerometers, each of which records acceleration in three directions (one vertical and two horizontal). MUPUS comprises the Multi-Purpose Sensors for Surface and Subsurface #science – including the MUPUS penetrator that was activated towards the end of #philae’s first science sequence on 14 November 2014. It was recognized early in the preparation of both experiments that the hammering mechanism of MUPUS, which drives a thermal probe into the comet’s surface, would (...)

#Comets #Instruments #Operations ##CometLanding #instruments #landing_day

Next listening opportunities for #Philae
▻http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/04/10/next-listening-opportunities-for-philae

Based on the latest report published by the German Aerospace Centre. Despite #Rosetta’s new trajectory scheme, the orbiter is still able to listen out for its #lander #philae, in case it has woken up from hibernation. Thus a new listening window opens on Sunday, 12 April. “The communication unit on the orbiter will be turned on around the clock,” says Dr Stephan Ulamec, lander manager at DLR. “Most likely, Philae will wake up in May or June, but we don’t want to miss the moment if it should have enough energy and a sufficiently high operating temperature to wake up earlier.” To wake up and listen for signals from Rosetta, Philae must have at least 5.5 watts and an operating temperature above –45 degrees Celsius. With a bit more energy, around 19 watts, Philae would be able to return the ‘call’. (...)

#Landing #Operations ##CometLanding #wake-up