Category Archives: Technology
Technology, gadgets, the ubiquitous cloud and the like – also scientific computing, and various “How To”s
Good vibrations, bad vibrations – engineering an AFM for space
An atomic force microscope (AFM) is a very sensitive instrument, often mounted in the lab on a special table which dampens vibrations. Now think of a rocket launch – about as far from “vibration free” as you can get! So … Continue reading
Scanning the deep space hibernation target
Throughout the 957 hibernation period of Rosetta, MIDAS has been in its “exposure” mode, with a clean target positioned at the funnel and the shutter open – see the diagram below to get an idea of the gemoetry. Although the … Continue reading
Software upgrade at 655 million kilometres
Please note: this article first appeared on the ESA Rosetta Blog here Software upgrades are something we are all too familiar with – almost every day small fixes, or patches, are ready to download to our computers, phones and tablets. … Continue reading
Waking MIDAS
Please note: this article appeared first, in abridged form, on the ESA Rosetta Blog here After nearly 1000 days in hibernation, Rosetta was successfully woken up and recommissioned; the spacecraft is healthy and ready to get down to science at … Continue reading