The Rosetta Story
summary
Rosetta flies a 10‑year cruise then spends years mapping a comet that turns out to be oddly shaped and active, forcing unplanned trajectory and software changes; the probe runs on a late‑80s–era onboard computer with 1 MB RAM and hibernates for 3 years when too far from the Sun. A Philae lander touches down but its harpoons fail, bounces into a crack and nonetheless samples 4.7‑billion‑year‑old material. Mission cost ~€1 billion over 20 years; mass at launch ~3 tonnes, current spacecraft ~1.5 t.
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chapters (16)
- 0:00Introduction to the mission
- 1:22Decade long journey
- 3:14Preparing for the unknown
- 4:34Landing on the comet
- 5:35Human passion drives success
- 6:45Technical challenges
- 8:28Adapting to unexpected events
- 9:22Spacecraft specs and questions
- 10:23Philae's status and future
- 11:11Measuring the comet
- 12:28Value of exploration
- 13:53International partnerships
- 14:50Future space exploration
- 16:17Long term planning importance
- 17:31Private space industry
- 19:43Future applications