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Control looks for a flat spot to drop the
probe on. The place for the
"accometaggio", landing on a comet in
Italian, is found and the first contact
happens. It's the 12th of November. The
probe is dropped by the mother-module.
Since there is no gravity the risk is to
bounce away forever. We have some pre-
loaded harpoons that have to hook the
ground (but without knowing its
consistency). Once anchored to the
surface, the phase of the mission that
involves Dallara begins. Between the
numerous optical, electrical and magnetic
experiments, there is one that uses the
drill designed and built by Dallara. The
hollow tip penetrates the ground and
brings them to some special "micro ovens"
tied to a sort of a carrousel that enables
more experiments to be made. Last but
not least, we send the data back to Earth.
As the probe is pretty small, we have only
60 hours of autonomy to complete all the
experiments that will eventually drain our
residual energy. At that point, the
batteries will be over forever. Is like a
blossoming agave that explodes in his
maximum amount of beauty and
functionality before dying».
It's really fascinating. What kind of
speed a probe like this can reach?
What kind of engine propels it?
«In space you have to use what you got
and bring with you everything you will
use in your mission. There are no
guardian angels: “Out there, it is better to
have in your back pack whatever you need
to survive and work” (John Aldrin). The
alternative is to rebuild, using the
material you have on the spot, including
the waste, what you may need (like in
Apollo 13). It's like a group of sailors in
the middle of the ocean, too far away
from any port, that have to repair the
ship. You can't rebuild everything, because
everything deteriorates, like our life and
identity. If you have nothing to repair the
ship with, you take something out of the
empty around you... and the sun will help
you with its lively energy».
What are the most interesting
materials and technologies used?
«I can remember two of the most
interesting materials: Vespel, which is
self-lubricating. When it penetrates the
comet's surface, the tip produces attrition
but you can't simply carry with you the
grease, because it will disappear after 10
years in vacuum space. The other is Invar,
a particular material which has almost no
thermal expansion. We go back with
Rosetta for a minute. For years and years
we have been half exposed to the sun,
while the other half face the dark space.
Without Invar, or two sides will expand in
a different way so they would assume
different shapes. These expansions could
ignite thermo-structural vibrations and
hamper the precision of the antennas that
communicate with the Mission Control, or
reduce the efficiency of our solar panels
that need to collect every single "drop" of
sunlight, or even generate catastrophic
vibration ending in a collapse. This was
exactly the argument of my degree thesis
in Aerospace Engineering!»
What are the scientific, technological
and also philosophical repercussions of
the space exploration in our
everyday's life?
«See, there are basically two principles
that push us to knowledge. The first is the
pursuit of knowledge and truth for the
sake of themselves, as non-negotiable
values needed to satisfy a pure and
powerful curiosity. The other principle
pushes us to go after knowledge as an
instrumental value, in order to use it to
improve the human condition. Both
principles are substantial, and every
single man is more oriented on one side
or the other. What pushed Ulysses to
abandon his son, father and wife? "That
should have crown'd Penelope with joy /
Could overcome in me the zeal I had / T'
explore the world, and search the ways of
life / Man's evil and his virtue / Forth I
sail'd Into the deep illimitable main /
With but one bark, and the small faithful
band / That yet cleav'd to me / Our poop
we turn'd, and for the witless flight / And
over us the booming billow clos'd". What
Space