Imagine chasing a cosmic duck across the solar system.
A cosmic duck?
Yeah, not like some intergalactic race or anything.
It's the European Space Agency's Rosetta mission.
On the hunt for Comet, 67 Petriumov-Gerasimenko.
They spent a decade in pursuit.
A decade.
Bought up to it and then tried to land
on this tumbling, oddly shaped, icy body.
Talk about ambition.
That's incredible.
Welcome to Cosmos in a Pod, Space and Astronomy series.
Glad to be here.
We're diving deep into this incredible journey
of Rosetta and its lander Philae.
Okay.
Exploring some surprising discoveries
about this ancient relic from the early solar system.
Sounds fascinating.
So we're not just talking about a quick flyby here.
No.
What was the European Space Agency really hoping to achieve
with such a daring mission?
Well, the Rosetta mission was all about
deciphering the secrets held within these icy wanderers.
Okay.
Imagine a cosmic Rosetta stone.
Ah, I take it.
But instead of unlocking ancient languages,
it's giving us clues about the very building blocks
of our solar system.
And maybe even life itself.
They wanted to study the comet's composition,
understand its potential connection to the water
and organic molecules we find on Earth.
And basically get a glimpse
into the solar system's baby pictures.
The solar system's baby pictures.
I love that analogy.
Yeah.
Okay, that's a pretty awesome goal.
It is.
But let's back up a bit.
Sure.
You mentioned Rosetta chasing this comet for 10 years.
Yeah.
What did that journey actually look like?
Well.
Was it just a straight shot across the solar system?
Not quite.
Oh.
Rosetta's journey was more like a cosmic pinball game.
Pinball.
Using the gravity of Earth and Mars
to slingshot itself toward its target.
Wow.
It launched in 2004.
Oh, okay.
And took a whopping 10 years to reach the comet in 2014.
10 years.
To put that in perspective,
think about all the things that happened here on Earth.
Yep, that's a long time.
In that timeframe.
10 years in space.
Aw.
I can't even imagine.
Did Rosetta just keep flying that whole time?
Actually, there's a fascinating detail
you pointed out in your research.
Oh.
To save energy,
Rosetta went into a deep space slumber.
A slumber?
For nearly three years.
Whoa.
This wasn't some unclanned nap.
Okay.
They intentionally put the spacecraft into hibernation.
Wow.
To conserve power during the long,
quiet stretches of the journey.
So it was like a space age power nap.
Exactly.
That's incredible.
Then in January 2014,
like a cosmic alarm clock going off,
Rosetta woke up.
It woke up.
And prepared for its rendezvous with the comet.
Okay, so after this incredible journey,
Rosetta finally reaches comet 67P.
Yes.
But now comes the truly daunting task.
Landing on it.
Landing on it. Yeah.
And you're not talking about
some smooth spherical asteroid here.
Right.
You mentioned an oddly shaped icy body.
Comet 67P is a bit of a cosmic oddball.
Okay.
It has this very distinctive,
almost duck shaped structure.
Shaped like a duck.
Imagine trying to land on a giant rotating duck.
Huh huh.
Made of ice, dust, and who knows what else.
It has cliffs, craters, boulders.
A real challenge for any lander.
Yeah.
Not exactly a welcoming landing strip.
Definitely not.
But it's not just the shape
that makes this landing tricky, right?
You're absolutely correct.
Okay.
Remember those physics classes
you may or may not have slept through?
I think I remember a few things.
Gravity plays a huge role here.
Comets have incredibly weak gravitational pull
compared to planets.
Okay.
Landing on 67P is like trying to stick a magnet
to a bar of soap.
To a bar of soap.
It just doesn't wanna stay put.
I see.
Then you factor in the extreme temperatures.
Oh yeah.
A surface covered in dust and ice.
Uh huh.
And the general harshness of the space environment.
Talk about a cosmic obstacle course.
It sounds incredibly difficult.
It was.
So how did the European Space Agency
even approach a landing under those conditions?
Yeah, good question.
What was their game plan?
That's where Philae comes in.
Philae.
This wasn't just some passive lander.
Okay.
They eclipped it with harpoons and ice screws.
Harpoons?
Designed to anchor it to the comet's surface.
Seriously?
The idea was to fire these harpoons into the comet.
Wow.
To secure Philae.
Okay.
Accounting for that incredibly weak gravity.
Harpoons.
That seems a bit out there.
It does, doesn't it?
Even for space exploration.
It might sound a bit crazy.
Yeah.
But remember, we're dealing with uncharted territory here.
True.
They needed a creative solution
to overcome these unique challenges.
I think.
And the harpoon system was their best bet.
Hmm.
It was a high stakes gamble.
It sounds like it.
But one they were willing to take to make history.
So did this audacious harpoon strategy work?
Whoa.
Did Philae actually manage to land
on this spinning cosmic duck?
It did.
On November 12th, 2014,
Philae became the first spacecraft
to touch down on a comet.
A truly historic moment.
That's incredible.
Landing on a comet with harpoons, no less,
has to be one of the most
daring feats in space exploration history.
But I have a feeling it wasn't exactly
a smooth landing, was it?
You're right to suspect that while Philae did touch down,
things didn't go quite according to plan.
The harpoons didn't fire as expected.
I don't know.
And instead of a graceful landing,
Philae ended up bouncing across the comet's surface.
Bouncing.
Like a rubber ball.
A cosmic bounce house that must have been
a nerve-racking experience for the mission team.
Absolutely.
But even though Philae ended up in a less than ideal spot,
tucked away in a shaded area,
it still managed to accomplish some incredible science
in the roughly 60 hours.
60 hours.
How much battery lasted?
We only 60 hours.
That doesn't seem like much time
after that epic 10-year journey.
I know it sounds like a cosmic tease.
Yeah.
But remember Philae was relying on a battery
that was meant to be recharged by solar panels,
unfortunately being stuck in a shadowed area.
I see.
Limited its power supply still in those precious few hours,
Philae managed to analyze the comet's surface composition
and sent back some fascinating data.
Okay, so even with the landing hiccups
and limited battery life,
Philae still managed to do some science.
It did.
What did it actually find out in that short time?
You noted in your research that you were really interested
in the possibility of comets being a source
of organic molecules essential for life.
Well, this is where things get really exciting.
Philae detected a variety of organic molecules,
including some amino acids.
Amino acids.
The very building blocks of proteins,
which are essential for life as we know it.
Amino acids on a comet, that seems like
a pretty significant discovery.
It is.
This finding supports the idea that comets
might have played a role in delivering
these crucial ingredients to early Earth.
Wow.
Potentially contributing to the rise of life on our planet.
Philae also detected a mix of ice dust
and complex hydrocarbons.
Okay.
Giving us a snapshot of the comet's diverse makeup.
So despite the drama of the landing,
Philae delivered on its promise of revealing
some of the secrets hidden within this comet.
What about Rosetta? Was it just watching from a distance
while Philae did its thing on the surface?
Not at all.
While Philae was busy on the surface,
Rosetta was hard at work orbiting the comet,
creating detailed maps of its surface,
studying its activity, and observing how it changed
as it got closer to the sun.
That makes sense.
Comets are known for those spectacular tails
they develop as they approach the sun.
So what did Rosetta observe about Comet 67P's activity?
Was it like a cosmic fireworks show?
In a way, yes, Rosetta witnessed 67P becoming more active
as it neared the sun with jets of gas and dust
erupting from its surface.
Okay.
But one of the most intriguing findings
was about the water on 67P.
The water.
What was so special about it?
Well, it turned out to have a different flavor
than the water we find on Earth.
Flavor? I'm not sure I follow.
Think of it like this.
Water molecules can have slightly different flavors
based on the types of hydrogen atoms they contain.
I see.
Scientists call this isotopic composition.
The water on 67P had a different flavor than Earth's water,
suggesting they came from different sources.
So does this mean comets like 67P
weren't the primary source of Earth's water
like scientists initially thought?
That's a big question that Rosetta's findings have raised.
It suggests that the story of how Earth got its water
is more complex than we previously assumed
there are other possible sources like asteroids
or even processes that happened during Earth's formation.
It's a fascinating puzzle
that scientists are still trying to piece together.
It's amazing how studying a single comet
can open up so many questions about our own planet's history.
Yeah.
But Rosetta's mission wasn't over yet, was it?
You're right.
Rosetta had one final poignant chapter
to add to its incredible story.
What happened?
In 2016, it ended its mission with a controlled descent
onto the comet's surface,
joining Philae in a final cosmic embrace.
What a dramatic finale.
A fitting end for a spacecraft that had spent over two years
dancing around this fascinating comet.
But as we transition into the final part of our deep dive,
curious, what do you think is the most enduring legacy
of the Rosetta mission?
Rosetta's legacy goes beyond its specific discoveries.
It showed us that daring missions
to these distant enigmatic objects are achievable.
It changed our view of comets,
revealing their complexity and beauty,
but perhaps most importantly,
it reminded us of the power of human curiosity,
our relentless drive to explore the unknown
and the endless possibilities
that lie waiting for us among the stars.
Beautifully put.
So as we prepare for the final leg of our deep dive
into the Rosetta mission,
I'm left wondering what other stories be comets have to tell,
what other secrets are hidden within these icy wanderers,
and what new questions will we uncover
as we continue to explore the vast expanse
of our solar system and beyond?
Those are the questions that keep us looking up
at the night sky filled with wonder
and a thirst for discovery.
Join us in the final part of this episode
as we explore the broader implications of Rosetta's findings
and what they might tell us about the universe as a whole.
Welcome back to Cosmos in a Pod.
We've spent this episode exploring the incredible story
of the Rosetta mission,
from its 10-year chase across the solar system
to its groundbreaking discoveries on Comet 67P.
We've delved into the comet's strange shape,
its composition, the drama of Philae's landing,
and the intriguing findings
about organic molecules and water.
It's been quite the journey,
but as we reach the end of our deep dive,
I want to take a step back and consider the bigger picture.
What does Rosetta's story tell us
about our place in the universe?
How does this one mission to a single comet
impact our understanding of the cosmos as a whole?
You know, you highlighted something really interesting
in your research,
the idea that Rosetta represents a shift in perspective.
It's moved us from seeing comets as simply icy leftovers
from the solar system's formation
to recognizing them as complex worlds
with their own stories to tell.
I like that, comets with stories.
What kind of stories are we talking about?
Well, think about it.
Comets are some of the oldest objects in our solar system
they formed billions of years ago
during the very dawn of our planetary neighborhood.
By studying them, we're essentially unlocking
a time capsule, gaining insights into the conditions
that existed when planets were forming
and the solar system was taking shape.
So Rosetta is helping us understand our own cosmic origins,
our place in the grand scheme of things.
Exactly, it's giving us clues about the processes
that led to the formation of earth and the other planets,
the ingredients that were present in the early solar system
and the events that shaped our cosmic neighborhood.
And we can't forget those intriguing organic molecules.
Filet found those building blocks of life.
Does Rosetta's discovery change how we think
about the possibility of life beyond earth?
Absolutely, if comets, which are relatively common objects
in the universe can carry these crucial ingredients
for life, it really makes you wonder
if life itself might be more widespread
than we once thought.
Perhaps the seeds of life are scattered
throughout the cosmos carried by these icy wanderers.
It's a mind blowing concept to consider,
but Rosetta didn't just provide answers, did it?
It also raised new questions like the mystery of earth's water
and the diversity of comets themselves.
That's the beauty of science.
Every discovery opens up new avenues of inquiry
leading to more questions, more research
and a deeper understanding of the universe.
Rosetta's findings have spurred a new wave of exploration
with missions being planned to rendezvous
with pristine comets, analyze their composition
and even bring samples back to earth.
It's like Rosetta has sparked a cosmic treasure hunt
inspiring us to seek out these ancient objects
and unlock the secrets they hold.
And that sense of wonder that drive to explore
is at the heart of what makes us human.
Rosetta's legacy goes far beyond
its specific scientific findings.
It has reminded us of the power of human ingenuity,
our ability to overcome incredible challenges
and the profound impact that a single mission can have
on our understanding of the universe
and our place within it.
It's clear that Rosetta's story is far from over
its discoveries will continue to fuel research,
inspire new missions and shape our understanding
of the cosmos for years to come.
It's left us with a sense of wonder
and a thirst for more knowledge,
a desire to keep exploring and asking the big questions.
And those questions, where did we come from?
Are we alone?
What else is out there?
What drive us forward?
Pushing us to reach further into the depths of space,
seeking answers and uncovering new mysteries.
Well, on that note, I think we've reached the end
of our deep dive into the Rosetta mission.
We've journeyed across billions of kilometers,
landed on a comet and explored some of the most
profound questions about our place in the universe.
It's been a privilege to share this journey with you.
We hope you've enjoyed the ride.
Don't forget to follow and subscribe to Cosmos in a Pod
for more fascinating space adventures
and check out our YouTube channel for stunning visuals
from the Rosetta mission.
Until next time, keep looking up and keep exploring.