Space Exploration Technologies Archives

November 24, 2014December 23, 2015 by Elizabeth Howell

Watch Three Humans Take A Flawless Ride To Space Yesterday

A Soyuz rocket carries the Expedition 42/3 crew to the International Space Station from Kazakhstan on Nov. 24, 2014. On board were Anton Shkaplerov (Roscosmos), Terry Virts (NASA) and Samantha Cristoforetti (European Space Agency). Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani

And now we have six people in space again — including the first-ever Italian woman to reach orbit. Samantha Cristoforetti has been delighting people worldwide with her behind-the-scenes training posts as she prepares for her “Futura” mission, which will see her spend 5.5 months on the International Space Station with her crewmates. We have the NASA video from the big day above, and some photos from the launch below.

Cristoforetti has been sharing Spotify playlists and amusing tweets with more than 131,000 Twitter followers, not to mention people on Flickr and Google Plus. Her sense of humor and eye for the unusual will make for a fun few months in orbit along with the rest of her crew, NASA’s Terry Virts and Russia’s Anton Shkaplerov.

Just had what was probably my longest shower ever. Good Russian wisdom to leave plenty of time for it on the schedule! #NoRushOnLaunchDay

— Sam Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) November 23, 2014

On station for their arrival last night was the second half of their crew: Barry Wilmore (NASA), Elena Serova (Russia) and Alexander Samoukutyaev (Russia). And in March 2015, a big event occurs: the first one-year mission on the International Space Station will begin with the arrival of the next crew.

The launch took place at 4:01 p.m. EDT (9:01 p.m. UTC) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan aboard a Soyuz rocket.

“How A Soyuz Launch Looks From ISS” #AstroButch pic.twitter.com/ebRHuiFxmC

— NASA Astronauts (@NASA_Astronauts) November 23, 2014

First views inside #Soyuz spacecraft @AstroSamantha @AntonAstrey can be seen getting paperwork in order #Futura42 pic.twitter.com/gcBtX42ANl

— ESA (@esa) November 23, 2014

Prior to the launch of Expedition 42 in November 2014, Samantha Cristoforetti (left, European Space Agency) speaks with a loved one through the glass at a pre-launch press conference. Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani

Prior to the launch of Expedition 42 in November 2014, Anton Shkaplerov (Roscosmos, center) visits with a family member (at right) through the glass at a pre-flight press conference. In the background are his crewmates, from left: Terry Virts (NASA) Samantha Cristoforetti (ESA). Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani

November 21, 2014December 23, 2015 by Elizabeth Howell

NASA Aims To Slash Space Shipping Costs With Shiny 3-D Printer

The Columbus module is installed on the International Space Station in 2008. Pictured is NASA astronaut Rex Walheim. Credit: NASA

Need a part on the International Space Station? You’re going to have to wait for that. That is, wait for the next spaceship to arrive with the critical tool to make a repair, or replace something that broke. You can imagine how that slows down NASA’s desire for science on the orbiting laboratory.

Enter the first orbiting “machine shop”: a 3-D printer that was just installed in the station’s Columbus laboratory this week. If the printer works as planned, astronauts will be able to make simple things based on instructions from the ground. Over time, the agency hopes this will save time and money, and reduce the need to rely on shipments from Earth. And keep an eye out in 2015: two other 3-D printers are scheduled to join it.

As NASA aims to send astronauts to an asteroid and perhaps to Mars, the need to manufacture parts on site is critical. Sending a valve to Phobos isn’t an easy proposition. Much better that future crews will make stuff on the spot, and NASA says the space station will be a good spot to test this kind of stuff out. Adding motivation is a National Research Council report from this summer urging NASA to start 3-D printing testing as soon as possible, since the station (as of yet) is only funded by all partners through 2020. Negotiations are ongoing to extend that to 2024.

In November 2014, NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore installed a 3-D printer made by Made in Space in the Columbus laboratory's Microgravity Science Glovebox on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA TV — In November 2014, NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore installed a 3-D printer made by Made in Space in the Columbus laboratory’s Microgravity Science Glovebox on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA TV

“Additive manufacturing with 3-D printers will allow space crews to be less reliant on supply missions from Earth and lead to sustainable, self-reliant exploration missions where resupply is difficult and costly,” stated Jason Crusan, director of NASA’s advanced explorations systems division at NASA headquarters in Washington. “The space station provides the optimal place to perfect this technology in microgravity.”

But don’t get too excited yet; astronauts aren’t going to make screwdrivers right away. The first step will be calibrating the printer. Then, the first files (mainly test coupons) will be printed and sent back to Earth to make sure they meet up to standards compared to identical samples printed on the ground with the same printer.

Made In Space Inc. manufactured this printer (which arrived on station in September) with the aim of sending up a more advanced version in 2015. In a statement, the company said it is “gratified” that the printer is ready to go in space. Any science collected on it will inform the design of the new printer, “which will enable a fast and cost-effective way for people to get hardware to space,” the company added.

And guess what: there is yet another printer that will be launched to the space station next year. Called the POP3D Portable On-Board Printer, the European Space Agency promises that the tiny machine — less than half the diameter of a basketball — will be able to print a plastic part in about half an hour.

The prime contractor for this printer is Italian company Altran. POP3D will reach the station in the first half of next year, ideally while Italy’s Samantha Cristoforetti is still doing her Futura mission in space (which starts this Sunday, if the launch schedule holds.)

November 20, 2014December 23, 2015 by Elizabeth Howell

With Philae Delivered, Rosetta Will Play ‘Comet Escort’ Through 2015

The Rosetta spacecraft takes a selfie Oct. 7 with its target, 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, from an altitude of about 9.9 miles (16 kilometers). Credit: ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA

With the Philae mission down on the comet and preliminary science results coming from its brief science surge on the surface, little has been said about the delivery vehicle. But while Philae is in hibernation, the Rosetta spacecraft remains quietly in orbit around Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko for what will prove to be a dramatic 2015.

Should the orbiter remain healthy, it will be the first to be a “comet escort” — to watch a comet changing from up close as the celestial body draws closer to the Sun. And to stay out of the debris field, Rosetta will have some fancy footwork to perform in the next few months, says the European Space Agency (ESA).

“Burns” with the comet are planned on Saturday (Nov. 22) and Wednesday (Nov. 26) to bring it up about 30 kilometers (19 miles) above, and then it will scoot down closer to about 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) on Dec. 3. Rosetta will remain in this orbit for a while to look at the comet’s nucleus, as well as to measure plasma, dust and gas that is expected to increase as the comet gets closer to the Sun.

Rosetta will stay as close to 67P as possible, but if activity heats up to an unacceptable risk, it will jump to a “high-activity” trajectory that will keep it away from the worst of the debris. And it’s also going to keep an ear out for Philae, just in case more sunlight on the comet ends up recharging the hibernating lander’s battery. “Early next year, Rosetta will be switched into a mode that allows it to listen periodically for beacon signals from the surface.,” ESA wrote.

There has been some discussion about the magnitude of Philae’s success given that it did land on the comet as planned, but the harpoons (which had travelled a decade in space at that point) did not fire on to the surface as planned. This meant that the lander drifted for about two hours before settling far from its prime landing spot, mostly outside of the sunlight it needs to recharge its batteries.

But in a science marathon, researchers got as much as they could out of the instruments and have already released preliminary results, such as how the sound of Philae’s landing revealed the comet’s interior structure, and the discovery of organic materials on the surface.

Source: European Space Agency

November 20, 2014December 23, 2015 by Elizabeth Howell

First Orion Flight Will Assess Radiation Risk As NASA Thinks About Human Mars Missions

The Mars Society prototype habitat in Utah conducts studies on what it would be like to live on Mars. Credit: Mars Society MRDS

If you wanna get humans to Mars, there are so many technical hurdles in the way that it will take a lot of hard work. How to help people survive for months on a hostile surface, especially one that is bathed on radiation? And how will we keep those people safe on the long journey there and back?

NASA is greatly concerned about the radiation risk, and is asking the public for help in a new challenge as the agency measures radiation with the forthcoming uncrewed Orion test flight in December. There’s $12,000 up for grabs across at least a few awards, providing you get your ideas into the agency by Dec. 12.

“One of the major human health issues facing future space travelers venturing beyond low-Earth orbit is the hazardous effects of galactic cosmic rays (GCRs),” NASA wrote in a press release.

“Exposure to GCRs, immensely high-energy radiation that mainly originates outside the solar system, now limits mission duration to about 150 days while a mission to Mars would take approximately 500 days. These charged particles permeate the universe, and exposure to them is inevitable during space exploration.”

Orion in orbit in this artists concept. Credit: NASA

Here’s an interesting twist, too — more data will come through the Orion test flight as the next-generation spacecraft aims for a flight 3,600 miles (5,800 kilometers) above Earth’s surface. That’s so high that the vehicle will go inside a high-radiation environment called the Van Allen Belts, which only the Apollo astronauts passed through in the 1960s and 1970s en route to the Moon.

While a flight to Mars will also just graze this area briefly, scientists say the high-radiation environment will give them a sense of how Orion (and future spacecraft) perform in this kind of a zone. So the spacecraft will carry sensors on board to measure overall radiation levels as well as “hot spots” within the vehicle.

You can find out more information about the challenge, and participation details, at this link.

Source: NASA

November 19, 2014December 23, 2015 by Elizabeth Howell

Lunar Mission One Wants To Crowdfund A Robotic Moon Lander

Artist's conception of Lunar Mission One's robotic lander touching down on the surface. Credit: Lunar Missions Ltd.

Just hours after announcing that it plans to put a robotic lander on the moon in the next decade, the British-led group Lunar Mission One is already a sixth of a way to its £600,000 (US$940,000) initial crowdfunding goal.

The money is intended to jumpstart the project and move it into more concrete stages after seven years of quiet, weekend work, the group said on its Kickstarter page.

“We’ve reached the limit of what we can do part-time. The next three years are going to be hard, full-time work to set the project up. We need to confirm and agree the lunar science and develop the instrument package,” the page read.

“We need to plan and research the online public archive. We need to get commercial partners on board to design and develop the lunar landing module and the drilling mechanism. We need to pilot the education programme. We need to prepare the sales and marketing campaign for our memory boxes. And we need to do all of this globally.”

Among the rewards is something called a “digital memory box”, where you can upload your favorite sounds to be placed on the spacecraft. The group also plans to offer a little bit of physical space to put a strand of your hair along with the small digital archive.

And what does the group want to do there? Drill. It would place the lander at the Moon’s south pole and push down at least 20 meters (65 feet), potentially as far as 100 meters (328 feet), to learn more about the Moon’s history.

Artist's conception of a moon drill that could potentially be used by Lunar Mission One's lunar lander. Credit: Lunar Missions Ltd. — Artist’s conception of a moon drill that could potentially be used by Lunar Mission One’s lunar lander. Credit: Lunar Missions Ltd.

“By doing this, we will access lunar rock dating back up to 4.5 billion years to discover the geological composition of the Moon, the ancient relationship it shares with our planet and the effects of asteroid bombardment,” the group wrote. “Ultimately, the project will improve scientific understanding of the early Solar System, the formation of our planet and the Moon, and the conditions that initiated life on Earth.”

Private ideas for bold missions is something we’ve heard about repeatedly in the last few years, with initiatives ranging from the Mars One mission to send people on a one-way mission to the Red Planet, to the potential asteroid-mining ventures Planetary Resources and Deep Space Initiatives. As with these other ventures, the nitty gritty in terms of costs, systems and mission plans is still being worked out. This coupled with the long timelines to get these ventures off the ground means that success is not necessarily a guarantee.

Lunar Mission One, however, does have an experienced space hand helping it out: RAL Space, who the Kickstarter campaign page says has helped out with 200 missions. That’s including the high-profile Philae lander that just landed on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko last week and did a brief surge of science before going into hibernation.

For more information on the mission, check out their leading team here and the official website here.

November 18, 2014December 23, 2015 by Elizabeth Howell

No ‘Rubber Duckie’! Rosetta’s Comet Looks Weird In Decade-Old Hubble Model

A 3-D reconstruction of the Rosetta comet (67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko) in a 2003 model from the Hubble Space Telescope. Credit: NASA, ESA and Philippe Lamy (Laboratoire d'Astronomie Spatiale)

Okay, let’s take a deep breath about Rosetta and remember just how far we’ve come since the mission arrived at its target comet in August. Lately we’ve been focused on reporting on the Philae landing, but remember how we barely knew how the comet looked until this summer? How much of a surprise the rubber duckie shape was to us?

This Hubble Space Telescope model from 2003 shows us why. From afar, Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is a tiny object to image, even for the NASA probe’s powerful lens. Back then, the telescope was tasked with examining the comet to look at its size and shape to better design the Philae lander spacecraft. And the model reveals no duckie; it looks more like a sombrero from some angles.

The main concern of scientists back then was redirecting Rosetta to a new target when its original comet (46P/Wirtanen) fell out of reach due to a launch delay. 67P was bigger and had a higher gravity, requiring scientists to make adjustments to Philae before landing, according to the release. So Hubble sprung into action to look at 67P. Below are the release images from that time.

A 2003 illustration of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko based on Hubble Space Telescope observations. Credit: NASA, ESA and Philippe Lamy (Laboratoire d'Astronomie Spatiale) — A 2003 illustration of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko based on Hubble Space Telescope observations. Credit: NASA, ESA and Philippe Lamy (Laboratoire d’Astronomie Spatiale)

And here’s a fun quote from 2003 that finally came last Wednesday, when Philae touched down for its (sadly brief, so far) mission on the comet: “Although 67P/C-G is roughly three times larger than the original Rosetta target, its elongated shape should make landing on its nucleus feasible, now that measures are in place to adapt the lander package to the new configuration before next year’s launch,” stated Philippe Lamy of the Space Astronomy Laboratory (Laboratoire d’Astronomie Spatiale) in France.

We’ve sure come a long way since then. Below are some of the pictures Rosetta caught of 67P as it made its approach to its target this year, after a decade flying through space. While Philae is in what could be permanent hibernation, Rosetta is orbiting, working well and expected to keep up observations when the comet draws closer to the sun in 2015.

(h/t Reddit)

Animation of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko as seen by Rosetta on June 27-28, 2014

Comet 67P/C-G photographed on July 14, 2014 from a distance of approximately 12 000 km. Credits: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA — Comet 67P/C-G photographed on July 14, 2014 from a distance of approximately 12 000 km.
Credits: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA

Raw pixelated image of the comet (left) and after smoothing. Credit: ESA

Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko at 621 miles (1,000 km) on August 1. Wow! Look at that richly-textured surface. This photo has higher resolution than previous images because it was taken with Rosetta's narrow angle camera. The black spot is an artifact. Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA — Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko at 621 miles (1,000 km) on August 1. Wow! Look at that richly-textured surface. This photo has higher resolution than previous images because it was taken with Rosetta’s narrow angle camera. The black spot is an artifact. Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA

Photo of Comet 67P/C-G taken by Rosetta on August 6, 2014. Credit: ESA

November 18, 2014December 23, 2015 by Elizabeth Howell

OSIRIS-REx: The Audacious Plan To Scoop An Asteroid And Fly Back To Earth

Artist's conception of asteroid Bennu from the NASA film "Bennu's Journey." Credit: NASA/YouTube (screenshot)

We’ve been super-excited about the Philae landing recently, the first soft landing on a comet. But imagine if the spacecraft was equipped to bring a sample of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko back to Earth. What sort of secrets could we learn from examining the materials of the comet up close?

That dream will remain a dream for 67P, but guess what — if all goes to plan, that idea will execute for asteroid Bennu. Check out the new video above for more details on the audacious mission; below the jump is a brief mission description.

There is a mission expected to launch in 2016 called OSIRIS-REx that will spend two years flying to the asteroid to nab a sample, then will come back to Earth in 2023 to deliver it to scientists. This is exciting because asteroids are a sort of time capsule showing how the Solar System used to be in the early days, before gravity pulled rocks and ice together to gradually form the planets and moons that we have today.

“Scientists tell us that asteroid Bennu has been a silent witness to titanic events in the solar system’s 4.6 billion year history,” NASA wrote on a website commemorating the new video. “When it returns in 2023 with its precious cargo, OSIRIS-REx will help to break that silence and retrace Bennu’s journey.”

For more information on OSIRIS-REx, check out the mission’s website.

November 18, 2014December 23, 2015 by Elizabeth Howell

Smart Robots Could Build ‘Snow Forts’ On The Moon One Day

Artist's conception of a future lunar rover gathering regolith to construct a moon base using 3-D printing. Credit: Foster+Partners/European Space Agency/YouTube (screenshot)

The Moon is so close to us, and yet so far. Just last year the Chang’e-3 spacecraft and Yutu rover made the first soft landing on the surface in more than a generation. Humans haven’t walked in the regolith since 1972. But that hasn’t decreased the desire of some to bring people back there — with an armful of new technologies to make life easier.

Take the European Space Agency’s desire to do 3-D printing on the lunar surface. Rovers with big scoopers would pick up the moon dust and use that as raw materials to make a habitat that humans would then enjoy. Far out? Perhaps, but it is something the agency is seriously examining in consultation with Foster+Partners. See the video above.

Universe Today recently explored the value of being on the Moon or a nearby asteroid. In a nutshell, the lower gravity would make it easier to loft things from the base, making it potentially cheaper to explore the Solar System. That said, there are considerable startup costs. One thing that could be considered is the value of investing in smart robots that could build simple structures on the moon or even (gasp) build other prototypes to replace or supplement them.

As ESA explained in a 2013 blog post, the agency envisions using robots to use more “local” resources on the moon and to reduce the need to ship stuff in from planet Earth. “As a practice, we are used to designing for extreme climates on Earth and exploiting the environmental benefits of using local, sustainable materials,” stated Xavier De Kestelier of Foster + Partners specialist modelling group. “Our lunar habitation follows a similar logic.”

The new video takes that concept a bit further and specifies a location: Shackleton Crater, which receives near-constant sunlight in certain areas, next to spots that are in permanent shadow. As ESA explains, being in this crater allows the best of two scenarios: constant energy available for solar panels, but areas to build structures that would be more sensitive to extreme heat.

ESA plans to push forward its research from 2013 to look at “harnessing concentrated sunlight to melt regolith rather than using a binding liquid,” as the agency explains on its YouTube page. Moon dust structures glued together with more moon dust? Sounds like the ultimate snow fort.

November 17, 2014December 23, 2015 by Elizabeth Howell

Philae’s Incredible Comet-Landing Sequence Shows Up In Fresh Rosetta Images

Images from the Rosetta spacecraft show Philae drifting across the surface of its target comet during landing Nov. 12, 2014. Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA

Wow! New images released from the Rosetta spacecraft orbiting Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko show the spacecraft coming in for its (first) landing on Wednesday (Nov. 12). “The mosaic comprises a series of images captured by Rosetta’s OSIRIS camera over a 30 minute period spanning the first touchdown,” wrote the European Space Agency in a blog post today (Monday).

This is just the latest in a series of images coming from the orbiting Rosetta spacecraft showing the Philae lander coming in for its rendezvous with 67P. A major next step for the mission will be figuring out where the lander actually came for a rest, but there’s plenty of data from both Rosetta and Philae to comb through for this information, ESA said.

What’s known for sure is Philae made three touchdowns on the comet — making history as humanity’s first soft-lander on such an object — stopping in a shady area that will make recharging its solar panels difficult. The spacecraft is in hibernation as of Friday (Nov. 14) and scientists are really, really hoping it’s able to charge up for another science session soon. Rosetta, meanwhile, is hard at work above and will continue to follow the comet in 2015.

In case you missed it, below are some of the pictures over the last few days that could be used to help pinpoint the landing location.

Source: European Space Agency

A still of the Philae spacecraft bouncing off Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko in an animation of Rosetta spacecraft images. The image was taken Nov. 12, 2014 at 10:35 a.m. EDT (3:35 p.m. UTC). Credit: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM; pre-processed by Mikel Canania — A still of the Philae spacecraft bouncing off Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko in an animation of Rosetta spacecraft images. The image was taken Nov. 12, 2014, at 10:35 a.m. EDT (3:35 p.m. UTC). Credit: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM; pre-processed by Mikel Canania

Our last panorama from Philae? This image was taken with the CIVA camera; at center Philae has been added to show its orientation on the surface. Credit: ESA

The animated image below provides strong evidence that Philae touched down for the first time almost precisely where intended. The animation comprises images recorded by Rosetta's navigation camera as the orbiter flew over the (intended) Philae landing site on November 12th. The dark area is probably dust raised by the craft on touchdown. The boulder to the right of the circle is seen in detail in the photo below. Credit: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM – CC BY-SA IGO 3.0 — The animated image below provides strong evidence that Philae touched down for the first time almost precisely where intended. The animation comprises images recorded by Rosetta’s navigation camera as the orbiter flew over the (intended) Philae landing site on November 12th. The dark area is probably dust raised by the craft on touchdown. Credit: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM – CC BY-SA IGO 3.0

November 17, 2014December 23, 2015 by Elizabeth Howell

Infographic: The Rosetta Comet-Probing Mission Cost As Much As Four Jetliners

Artist's impression (not to scale) of the Rosetta orbiter deploying the Philae lander to comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. Credit: ESA–C. Carreau/ATG medialab.

What price do you put on scientific discovery? From the way Twitter lit up last week when the Philae spacecraft touched down on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko — it was a top-trending topic for a while — it appears there’s a lot of discussion going on about the Rosetta mission and its value to humanity.

A recent infographic (which you can see below) points out that the Rosetta mission, which included the now-hibernating Philae lander, cost as much as about four Airbus 380 jetliners. Is US$1.75 billion (€1.4 billion) a bargain for letting us explore further into the universe, or could the money have been better-served elsewhere?

This is a question often brought up about the value of space exploration, or what is called “blue-sky” research in general. The first developers of lasers, for example, could not have predicted how consumers would use them millions of times over to watch DVDs and Blu-Rays. Or in a more practical use, how medical lasers are used today for surgeries.

An infographic of Rosetta spacecraft spending. Credit: Scienceogram.org (infographic), ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM (comet image), ESA (Rosetta graphic), ESA/Airbus (data), Scienceogram.org (other data).

“Like a lot of blue-skies science, it’s very hard to put a value on the mission,” wrote Scienceogram.org, the organization that produced the infographic. “First, there are the immediate spin-offs like engineering know-how; then, the knowledge accrued, which could inform our understanding of our cosmic origins, amongst other things; and finally, the inspirational value of this audacious feat in which we can all share, including the next generation of scientists.”

To put the value of the Rosetta mission in more everyday terms, Scienceogram points out that the comet landing cost (per European citizen and per year between 1996 and 2015) was less than half the ticket price for Interstellar. That said, it appears that figure does not take into account inflation, so the actual cost per year may be higher.

The Rosetta spacecraft is still working well and is expected to observe its target comet through 2015. The Philae lander did perform the incredible feat of landing on 67P on Wednesday, but it ended up in a shadowy spot that prevented it from gathering sunlight to stay awake. The lander is now in hibernation, perhaps permanently, but scientists have reams of data from the lander mission to pore over.

It’s been said that Rosetta, in following 67P as it gets closer to the Sun, will teach us more about cometary behavior and the origins of our Solar System. Is the mission and its social-media-sensation pictures worth the price? Let us know in the comments. More information on the infographic (and the spreadsheet of data) are available here.