Rosetta Quote Analysis

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The Rosetta couldn’t complete the mission correctly because one foot was in space and the solar panels weren’t getting enough sunlight. The author uses the example of the lander’s foot in space to inform you of what happened that day. This quote shows that the foot in space caused an issue, “Now, instead of being entirely in open space, as planned, the lander is flanked by what looks like a cliff. ‘We are not sure how far we are from the cliff, but we are in its shadow permanently,’...The lander also is not sitting perfectly on all three legs, he noted. It is almost vertical, with two feet on the ground and one in open space.” (Yeager 12-13) These quotes prove that the foot in space was causing a major issue. The lander, Rosetta, was …show more content…

The author shows us another example, such as the solar panels in the incorrect position it should’ve been in to run the Rosetta properly. This quote shares that the solars panels not gaining the correct amount of energy was drastic for the Rosetta, “Sitting in a cliff’s shadow also means the lander’s solar panels will get less sunlight than mission scientists had expected. The early data suggest that the lander is getting just 1.5 hours of sunlight per day. That is far less than the six to seven hours it would have gotten if it had landed exactly on target.” (Yeager 14) This quote proves that the solar panels were very important for the Rosetta. This shares that the Rosetta has a set of solar panels that are powering it. The solar panels have been set in the wrong position due to the third foot of the Rosetta not functioning like it should, it is floating in space instead. This caused the Rosetta to shift and not stay in the correct position on the comet, and the solar panels were left in the shadow of the rock. The Rosetta relies on the solar panels to power it so it can send back picture and sample to the people back on Earth, and if it fails to do so, it has failed its mission as a lander of the

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