don't think there was anything "perfect" about the landing site. it was the least worst option selected, had surface consistency of ash, and the bit under that was much harder than any scientist predicted.
[url= http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Pioneering_Philae_completes_main_mission_before_hibernation ]Verdict so far here[/url]
A great reply from Business Insider in response to Taylor's sexism:
Taylor “The people I work with don’t judge me by my looks but only by the work I have done and can do. Simple.” As a post at Business Insider dryly noted “If only women could hope to someday be judged that way too.”
would questions be asked as to why drills and harpoons didnt work?
I think the answer would be "space is hard".
A better answer would be "the landing site was hard(er than expected)".
The "sexism" storm against Taylor is well OTT.
He has been a bit of a nob and an attention whore, but the claims of sexism are ridiculous.
Not often I disagree with you MSP but even he admitted the shirt was a "big mistake".
He did the whole programme a disservice. Not only was the landing short of expectations, it was presented by a bouncer from a Vegas brothel.
surprised nobody has done this either
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In related news, [url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-30102343 ]Lunar Mission One[/url] looking for crowd funding for the initial part.
Probably pop £30 towards it.
Regarding the Philae lander, reports saying "organic" molecules found.
A better answer would be "the landing site was hard(er than expected)".
No, I don't think that was the case. The harpoon (and the little rocket booster intended to "hold down" the lander) both failed to deploy. They then decided not to take the chance of deploying the drills or trying the harpoon again as they were as likely to push the lander away as to anchor it firmly.
[url= http://www.space.com/28041-rosetta-comet-lander-philae-wakeup.html?adbid=10152509264251466&adbpl=fb&adbpr=17610706465&cmpid=514630_20141217_37504837 ]An optimistic update[/url].
It's a bit of a non-story really with no new definite information. I think it's more just a press release to keep the project in the public eye.
I've not followed this to closely but knew the battery lost power at one point. Seeing it wake up again (and that twitter feed) just made me really happy for some reason.