Rosetta establishes orbit

[PsychoSarah]

Comet mining?

Probably will retrieve some samples. They can contain rare materials, the things aren't balls of useless space rock equivalent to gravel.

 

[freezerman2000]

Probably will retrieve some samples. They can contain rare materials, the things aren't balls of useless space rock equivalent to gravel.

I think we should mine the asteroids..many more of them and much more stable than comets..no outgassing.Most are in a stable orbit,too,instead of zipping around the solar system.
Logistically,it makes more sense.

 

[PsychoSarah]

I think we should mine the asteroids..many more of them and much more stable than comets..no outgassing.Most are in a stable orbit,too,instead of zipping around the solar system.
Logistically,it makes more sense.

Fair enough, this is primarily a scientific endeavor, not an economic one

 

[freezerman2000]

Through scientific endeavors,come financial ones.

 

[Oafman]

Yeah comets are mostly water, so there's little to be gained from mining them, but a lot to be gained from studying them.

Asteroids, on the other hand, can be made up of a variety of often very rare and valuable minerals, and will be the next gold rush. Seriously, if you don't mind investing long term, find a company with serious plans to do this and get some stock. NASA's next big manned mission is likely to be to an asteroid, and will move this industry forward by years when it takes place (maybe around 2025).

 

[Oafman]

Also, on the point about discovery for the sake of science rather than any practical application, someone mentioned this quote to me today, made by Ernest Rutherford, the father of nulcear physics, in around 1920:

“Anyone who expects a source of power from the transformation of the atom is talking moonshine”


We don't know where knowledge will take us. So not having a tangible commercial applicatiom for something is not a reason for arguing against studying it.

 

[Doveaman]

Comet landing: Where next for Philae mission?

*We also know that the MUPUS instrument attempted to hammer into the surface to use its sensors to gauge the comet's temperature. But underneath some "fluffy" material, was some very hard stuff indeed…the exercise suggests the surface of the comet may have a tensile strength approaching that of sandstone.

That in itself may be a significant scientific discovery, because it's a far cry from the softer consistency some have envisaged for these "dirty snowballs"…While we had thought asteroids were largely rocky or metallic and comets predominantly icy, recent research suggests the division is fuzzier than first thought.*


It's looking more like rock, split rock.

 

[Standing_Ultraviolet]

It's looking more like rock, split rock.

At those temperatures, ice pretty much is a slightly soft rock.

 

[Doveaman]

Comet lander: Camera sees Philae's hairy landing

*This sensor package from the German space agency's Institute for Planetary Research deployed a thermometer on the end of a hammer. It retrieved a number of temperature profiles but broke as it tried to burrow its way into the comet's subsurface.

Scientists say this shows the icy material underlying 67P's dust covering to be far harder than anyone anticipated - having the tensile strength of some rocks. It also helps explain why Philae bounced so high on that first touchdown.*


Scientists might have just blown a billion dollars in anticipation of a "snow-ball" landing.

If it looks like rock and acts like rock, chances are it is rock, split rock.

 

[florida2]

Well, this is a complete waste of money.

Why? Is knowledge a bad thing?

 

[justlookinla]

Why? Is knowledge a bad thing?

Who said knowledge is a bad thing? Almost 2 billion spent on a nothing quest is a bad thing.

 

[florida2]

Who said knowledge is a bad thing? Almost 2 billion spent on a nothing quest is a bad thing.

How is it a 'nothing quest' when it has returned large amounts of data and the orbiter will continue to do so for another year or so?

 

[justlookinla]

How is it a 'nothing quest' when it has returned large amounts of data and the orbiter will continue to do so for another year or so?

What value is the data? What difference does it make to humanity? And the batteries are dead, 2 billion wasted.

 

[SapphiraMM96]

It has solar panels; it will recharge when it swings back around the sun. And understanding our universe and what it's made of helps us better understand our world and ourselves. As humans God gave us an inquisitive spirit, to seek after Him in all ways we can; and as Christians we ought to be excited to discover new things about Creation.

 

[justlookinla]

It has solar panels; it will recharge when it swings back around the sun. And understanding our universe and what it's made of helps us better understand our world and ourselves. As humans God gave us an inquisitive spirit, to seek after Him in all ways we can; and as Christians we ought to be excited to discover new things about Creation.

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" is enough.

 

[SapphiraMM96]

I'm glad that's enough for you.

 

[Davian]

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" is enough.

What century would you have had us stop at in terms of scientific understanding of the world around us?

 

[SkyWriting]

What century would you have had us stop at in terms of scientific understanding of the world around us?

You can use science to your benefit, or use it to create science-fiction.
One of those can be tested and observed by people not yet convinced.
It's called scientific confirmation.

 

[Davian]

You can use science to your benefit, or use it to create science-fiction.
One of those can be tested and observed by people not yet convinced.
It's called scientific confirmation.

“And methodically knocking people's hats off – then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can.” - Herman Melville's Moby-Dick

 

[Oafman]

I think some people are scared that we might find things which do not support their beliefs.