Rosetta is back! Acquisition of signal was confirmed by Rosetta Spacecraft Operations Manager Andrea Accomazzo to the delight of the audience at ESOC and cheers and applause from those involved in the mission worldwide.
Andrea Accomazzo (centre) celebrates with Paolo Ferri (left), Manfred Warhaut, Mark McCaughrean and ESA staff in the Main Control Room at ESOC (image (c) ESA/J.Mai)
Former mission manager Gerhard Schwehm said “We have waited. It’s the signal! We really have to work now to get all the return on all the hopes that the mission would succeed. After 31 months in hibernation, what is half an hour to wait?”
Rosetta Project Scientist Matt Taylor admitted to some stressful moments waiting for the signal but was ready to get to work: “Now it’s up to us to do everything we’ve promised to do. The work begins now. I think we’re going to have a fun-filled two years, so let’s get on with it”.
Greeted by loud applause in the ESOC conference centre Andrea Accomazzo, said of the wait: “I think it has been the longest hour of my life, but the most rewarding so far. I think we have done our job for the past years. Now we are commanding the spacecraft to get data back. We have it back – this is what we wanted for today.”
The signal everyone was waiting for
Discussion: one comment
Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Rosetta-Team!
Ich bin immer wieder erstaunt, was die Wissenschaft heute zu leisten vermag. Eine Sonde über eine Distanz von mehr als 800 Mio. km anzupeilen und ihr Funksignal zu empfangen, das ist schon was.
Viele Grüße,
Ralf Gorholt (DL5EU)