Comet Tchouri: Robot Philae sniffs out organic molecules .

Posted on November 18, 2014 by bill

Philae a “reniflé” des molécules organiques sur la comète Tchouri

par Rédaction de France Info mardi 18 novembre 2014 11:04

Les différents points de chute de Philae © ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA. (Different points for touchdowns.)

C’est l’Agence spatiale allemande, le DLR, qui communique sur cette découverte dans un rapport d’étape sans être encore en mesure de préciser la nature des molécules organiques ainsi détectées. It was the German space agency (DLR) that communicated this discovery in a staged report without yet having the measure precisely the nature of the organic molecules detected. 

 “Nous avons actuellement aucune information sur la quantité et le poids de l’échantillon de sol” explique Fred Goesmann de l’Institut Max Planck cité dans le communique du DLR. Mais il assure que le petit module COSAC conçu par une équipe de l’Institut de Chimie de Nice et embarqué à bord du petit robot a été en mesure de “renifler” l’atmosphère et détecter les premières molécules organiques après l’atterrissage. L’analyse des spectres et l’identification des molécules sont en cours.

“We do not actually have any information about the quantity and weight of the sample of the ground” explained Fred Goesman of the Max Planck Institute in a communiqué from DLR. But he assured that the little module COSAC, conceived by the Chimie Institute of Nice and on board the small robot Philae was busy with “sniffing” the atmosphere and detecting the first organic molecules after landing. Spectral analysis and identification is continuing.  

 

Un nouveau contact avec Philae au printemps ? (New contact again in Spring?)

“Je suis très confiant que Philae reprendra contact avec nous et que nous serons en mesure de faire fonctionner à nouveau les instruments” a affirmé le directeur du projet DLR Lander Stephan Ulamec. Le soleil pourrait ainsi commencer à recharger la batterie secondaire du petit robot au printemps. “Au premier site d’atterrissage, nous aurions, bien sûr, eu de meilleures conditions d’éclairage solaires” a-t-il regretté.

“I am very confident that Philae will remake contact with us and that we will regain again the functionality of the measuring instruments” confirmed the director of DLR Lander project, Stephen Ulamec. The Sun can start to recharge the secondary battery of the little robot in Spring. “The first landing site, we would have known, without doubt, had the best conditions for bright sunshine” he regretted. (Opinion: Philae needed a rest after her 511 million kms journey so she went into hibernation….fait tu beaux reves!)

About bill

Worked in the technical / engineering area as a Science Laboratory Technician and as an Aeronautics Engineer. The artistic side involves writing under the nom de plume of Billy Olsenn, his recently written play 'A Case of Wine' was staged by the players group Straight Make-Up at the 2012 Birr one act drama festival. It's next staging was in the one act circuit is in Cavan, at Maudebawn on Sat 10 Nov 2012. Then it was performed in the Bray, Co.Wicklow at the very popular one act festival in January 2013. Next play is FEAR. A dark tale about revenge on the cruel death of two pensioners by young thugs. Neighbours hatch a devious and dangerous plan to exact old-style revenge. Bill is a member of the Drama League of Ireland and his plays have been critically vetted and certified as original pieces of work by the DLI. Another literary project is that of commemoration of an aircraft crash on Djouce mountain in Wicklow in 1946. Bill wrote articles for the 50th, 60th and most recently the 70th anniversary, (12 Aug 2016) all were published in the Wicklow Times and ensured the survivors of the crash, all French Girl Guides, were not forgotten. Articles reproduced on this website. But mostly this site gives a more general European and specific French slant on popular and not so popular articles of French news, translated to English by the author. Each article is translated on a paragraph by paragraph basis so easy to read in either language and even possible to improve either language by comparison of the short English and French paragraphs. Amusez vous bien. The author is currently writing an easy to read technical aviation book centered around the Fokker 50. Another interest is that dealt with in another of Bill's websites www.realnamara.net, a Statue of the mother of God, Mary. It was erected in 1972 in Dublin, at the end of the Bull Wall near Clontarf, and my grandfather William Nelson, was the main instigator of that project. I give talks on the history of the statue and my grandfather's adventurous and dangerous life at sea. Technical assistance with each website is by J O'N.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.