WEBVTT 00:00:00.268 --> 00:00:02.935 (ominous music) 00:00:06.610 --> 00:00:08.690 What asteroids are are really 00:00:08.690 --> 00:00:11.783 remnants from when the solar system was forming. 00:00:14.010 --> 00:00:16.710 Comets are always seen as kind of the 00:00:16.710 --> 00:00:20.480 building blocks leftover from 00:00:20.480 --> 00:00:22.380 the formation of the solar system 00:00:22.380 --> 00:00:24.243 four and a half billion years ago. 00:00:27.370 --> 00:00:30.160 Comets and asteroids retain the secrets 00:00:30.160 --> 00:00:32.153 of the formation of our solar system. 00:00:33.220 --> 00:00:34.860 And also retain the secrets 00:00:34.860 --> 00:00:36.460 of the formation of our planets. 00:00:38.170 --> 00:00:39.658 (ominous music) 00:00:39.658 --> 00:00:41.960 (dinosaur roaring) 00:00:41.960 --> 00:00:43.520 We also have to respect them 00:00:43.520 --> 00:00:45.970 as something that could actually 00:00:45.970 --> 00:00:48.877 change our way of life even today. 00:00:48.877 --> 00:00:51.627 (exciting music) 00:00:52.920 --> 00:00:55.910 We have high confidence that the dinosaurs 00:00:55.910 --> 00:00:58.760 were ended by a very large impact 00:00:58.760 --> 00:01:01.677 of an asteroid on the earth. 00:01:01.677 --> 00:01:04.427 (exciting music) 00:01:05.670 --> 00:01:08.050 If a large enough asteroid were to hit the earth, 00:01:08.050 --> 00:01:09.613 it would be quite cataclysmic. 00:01:12.664 --> 00:01:15.010 (explosion booming) 00:01:15.010 --> 00:01:17.593 (music fading) 00:01:18.690 --> 00:01:19.800 Is there an imminent threat? 00:01:19.800 --> 00:01:21.910 Is there a big one that's on the way? 00:01:21.910 --> 00:01:23.793 And the answer there is no. 00:01:24.939 --> 00:01:26.510 (sustained instrumental music) 00:01:26.510 --> 00:01:29.590 The impact frequency of a 10 kilometer asteroid 00:01:29.590 --> 00:01:30.920 which is about the size of 00:01:30.920 --> 00:01:32.650 the body that killed the dinosaurs 00:01:32.650 --> 00:01:35.060 is every hundred million years. 00:01:35.060 --> 00:01:38.623 So it's very long compared to a human lifetime. 00:01:42.400 --> 00:01:43.990 The good thing is that we are going to 00:01:43.990 --> 00:01:45.870 save the life of Bruce Willis, 00:01:45.870 --> 00:01:49.163 because we don't need him to save earth, fortunately. 00:01:50.358 --> 00:01:52.720 (slow piano music) 00:01:52.720 --> 00:01:55.370 Impacts are not necessarily just bad things. 00:01:59.488 --> 00:02:01.730 The earth was very dry when it formed. 00:02:01.730 --> 00:02:04.580 There was hardly any water, there were hardly any carbon. 00:02:05.940 --> 00:02:07.160 And we think that most of that material 00:02:07.160 --> 00:02:10.783 was actually delivered at a late stage by impact. 00:02:12.230 --> 00:02:17.136 So it's quite probable that the ingredients for life 00:02:17.136 --> 00:02:19.260 (seagulls cawing) 00:02:19.260 --> 00:02:22.293 were delivered by asteroids and comets. 00:02:24.970 --> 00:02:28.323 I want to learn in the end, how life evolved. 00:02:29.870 --> 00:02:31.730 Exploring comets and asteroids 00:02:31.730 --> 00:02:34.763 will tell us how life developed on our planet. 00:02:35.881 --> 00:02:39.713 (sustained piano music) 00:02:39.713 --> 00:02:42.546 (comet whooshing) 00:02:45.118 --> 00:02:49.720 10, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four-- 00:02:49.720 --> 00:02:52.300 So the NEAR mission was designed and conceived 00:02:52.300 --> 00:02:54.260 so that it would actually show up at an asteroid, 00:02:54.260 --> 00:02:57.360 stop, be in close proximity to it 00:02:57.360 --> 00:02:59.600 for an extended period of time. 00:02:59.600 --> 00:03:00.433 One. 00:03:00.433 --> 00:03:02.220 Just to see what an asteroid was like. 00:03:02.220 --> 00:03:03.683 Zero, and liftoff. 00:03:04.730 --> 00:03:08.200 (rocket engines blasting) 00:03:08.200 --> 00:03:10.250 NEAR launched in 1996. 00:03:10.250 --> 00:03:11.636 Temp and pressure rising 00:03:11.636 --> 00:03:12.930 in all six powered motors. 00:03:12.930 --> 00:03:14.510 And like all planetary missions, 00:03:14.510 --> 00:03:17.206 it takes a long time to reach the target. 00:03:17.206 --> 00:03:19.390 We'll trim the pressure on the management. 00:03:19.390 --> 00:03:20.940 So it didn't arrive at Eros 00:03:20.940 --> 00:03:23.490 until the 20th of December in 1998. 00:03:23.490 --> 00:03:25.160 We have a good engine control 00:03:25.160 --> 00:03:27.954 in the main engine, good engine control in the rears-- 00:03:27.954 --> 00:03:29.624 (anticipatory music building) 00:03:29.624 --> 00:03:34.340 (music halting to a single note) 00:03:34.340 --> 00:03:36.410 As you fly into the body, 00:03:36.410 --> 00:03:38.060 you've never seen it before, 00:03:38.060 --> 00:03:41.054 and you start to see the images. 00:03:41.054 --> 00:03:44.387 (slow orchestral music) 00:03:46.810 --> 00:03:48.880 At first they're very fuzzy, 00:03:48.880 --> 00:03:51.503 but then they come more and more into focus. 00:03:53.690 --> 00:03:56.903 And at every stage you're seeing new things. 00:04:00.820 --> 00:04:04.193 When you see these pictures, it's just awe. 00:04:07.540 --> 00:04:10.590 It looks like it's two asteroids 00:04:10.590 --> 00:04:12.750 that are just sort of resting on each other. 00:04:12.750 --> 00:04:15.870 And it's got this beautiful saddle regions 00:04:15.870 --> 00:04:17.760 where they sort of touch each other. 00:04:17.760 --> 00:04:20.483 To me it's a very beautiful asteroid. 00:04:23.220 --> 00:04:27.866 It's got this beautiful shape and smooth curves. 00:04:27.866 --> 00:04:32.190 (sustained orchestral music) 00:04:32.190 --> 00:04:35.482 It's a very, almost sensual experience. 00:04:35.482 --> 00:04:38.690 (music building) 00:04:38.690 --> 00:04:40.220 That phase of the mission 00:04:40.220 --> 00:04:42.760 lasted from December 1998 00:04:42.760 --> 00:04:44.803 all the way to February, 2001. 00:04:48.050 --> 00:04:51.050 The spacecraft was nearing the end of it's life, 00:04:51.050 --> 00:04:52.550 it couldn't fly back to earth. 00:04:54.640 --> 00:04:57.240 The mission manager had people start studying, 00:04:57.240 --> 00:04:58.660 well what would it take to actually 00:04:58.660 --> 00:05:01.260 bring the spacecraft down to the surface, 00:05:01.260 --> 00:05:03.720 to have a soft landing so that maybe 00:05:03.720 --> 00:05:05.420 the spacecraft could even survive? 00:05:07.130 --> 00:05:09.370 When it was launched it was never designed 00:05:09.370 --> 00:05:11.123 to actually land on the surface. 00:05:12.170 --> 00:05:13.837 I remember thinking that, "There's no way 00:05:13.837 --> 00:05:15.570 "this is gonna work." 00:05:15.570 --> 00:05:18.870 We have successfully de-orbited around Eros, 00:05:18.870 --> 00:05:20.750 and we're on our way down. 00:05:20.750 --> 00:05:22.406 There's no turning back now. 00:05:22.406 --> 00:05:25.656 (piano music building) 00:05:30.493 --> 00:05:33.576 It was a complete success. 00:05:37.110 --> 00:05:41.050 I'm happy to report that the NEAR spacecraft 00:05:41.050 --> 00:05:44.590 has touched down on the surface of Eros. 00:05:44.590 --> 00:05:47.190 It landed, perched itself on the surface. 00:05:48.210 --> 00:05:49.200 It was quite exciting. 00:05:49.200 --> 00:05:51.670 This is the first time that any spacecraft 00:05:51.670 --> 00:05:54.290 has landed on a small body. 00:05:54.290 --> 00:05:57.207 (group applauding) 00:05:58.630 --> 00:06:02.390 NEAR-Shoemaker was a forerunner of the later missions. 00:06:02.390 --> 00:06:04.340 It showed that it's possible 00:06:04.340 --> 00:06:06.423 to touch down on an asteroid. 00:06:08.410 --> 00:06:11.500 The next big target is to bring a piece 00:06:11.500 --> 00:06:12.563 back to earth. 00:06:14.440 --> 00:06:15.273 Got it. 00:06:15.273 --> 00:06:16.950 Nope, it dropped. 00:06:16.950 --> 00:06:18.260 See if you can pick it up again. 00:06:18.260 --> 00:06:19.860 I think it'll fit in a bag, Jim. 00:06:21.710 --> 00:06:24.150 We went to the moon, we got lunar rocks, 00:06:24.150 --> 00:06:25.530 then brought them back to the earth, 00:06:25.530 --> 00:06:27.993 and have been analyzing them ever since. 00:06:30.280 --> 00:06:31.200 It allows us to understand 00:06:31.200 --> 00:06:33.230 our own earth so much better. 00:06:33.230 --> 00:06:35.680 It's sort of like archeology of the solar system. 00:06:36.807 --> 00:06:38.880 (speaking in a foreign language) 00:06:38.880 --> 00:06:41.420 So, Hayabusa set the stage 00:06:41.420 --> 00:06:43.673 to answer that next question. 00:06:43.673 --> 00:06:45.165 And ignition. 00:06:45.165 --> 00:06:46.445 (speaking in a foreign language) 00:06:46.445 --> 00:06:48.821 There shall be ignition and liftoff! 00:06:48.821 --> 00:06:49.740 (speaking in a foreign language) 00:06:49.740 --> 00:06:53.660 The Hayabusa mission was incredibly ambitious. 00:06:53.660 --> 00:06:55.520 JAXA, the Japanese space agency 00:06:55.520 --> 00:06:59.340 wanted to send spacecraft to an asteroid, 00:06:59.340 --> 00:07:01.620 grab a piece, and bring it back to earth. 00:07:01.620 --> 00:07:04.023 The very first sample-return mission. 00:07:06.136 --> 00:07:08.060 (group applauding) 00:07:08.060 --> 00:07:09.190 That was really the first time 00:07:09.190 --> 00:07:11.810 that you had the (speaker mumbling) to try something. 00:07:11.810 --> 00:07:14.373 So you really have many, many, many unknown. 00:07:17.626 --> 00:07:18.833 Oh geez, it's crazy. 00:07:20.790 --> 00:07:22.490 It was a very ambitious mission. 00:07:24.670 --> 00:07:27.693 From the start it was also sort of a cursed mission. 00:07:30.339 --> 00:07:32.993 There was very big solar flare. 00:07:34.830 --> 00:07:37.860 It kick the solar panel over Hyabusa. 00:07:39.671 --> 00:07:43.100 The solar flare compromised their solar arrays 00:07:43.100 --> 00:07:44.940 so they had less power to push 00:07:44.940 --> 00:07:46.933 themselves on towards the asteroid. 00:07:48.460 --> 00:07:52.053 Furthermore, they were carrying some reaction wheels. 00:07:53.190 --> 00:07:54.727 Reaction wheels are used to 00:07:54.727 --> 00:07:58.333 stabilize a satellite, and one of them was damaged. 00:07:59.430 --> 00:08:01.800 That was also a very large complication 00:08:01.800 --> 00:08:03.770 because it changed the whole way 00:08:03.770 --> 00:08:05.570 that they controlled the spacecraft. 00:08:07.470 --> 00:08:09.095 Space is harder. 00:08:09.095 --> 00:08:11.793 It's not a friendly environment. 00:08:12.800 --> 00:08:15.980 When everything goes well, it's a miracle. 00:08:15.980 --> 00:08:17.880 Especially when you go to a new world. 00:08:24.260 --> 00:08:27.150 Took two years for Hayabusa One to reach Itokawa. 00:08:31.460 --> 00:08:33.163 The first images started to come. 00:08:37.640 --> 00:08:40.870 When we saw the images of Itokawa, 00:08:42.640 --> 00:08:45.060 we discovered 00:08:45.910 --> 00:08:48.502 really a new world. 00:08:48.502 --> 00:08:52.169 (orchestral music building) 00:08:57.670 --> 00:08:59.300 It's a new thing, it's a new image, 00:08:59.300 --> 00:09:01.567 a discovery, it's fantastic. 00:09:01.567 --> 00:09:03.383 It's really fantastic. 00:09:03.383 --> 00:09:06.716 (soft orchestral music) 00:09:13.123 --> 00:09:15.810 Hayabusa One is there to collect 00:09:15.810 --> 00:09:17.550 pieces of the asteroid. 00:09:17.550 --> 00:09:21.663 And that all begins on November the 5th, 2005. 00:09:25.200 --> 00:09:28.413 The spacecraft went down to the surface. 00:09:33.850 --> 00:09:36.380 Spacecraft's gonna slowly come down to the surface, 00:09:36.380 --> 00:09:37.960 and then they have a funnel, 00:09:37.960 --> 00:09:40.563 and that funnel touches down on the surface. 00:09:43.440 --> 00:09:47.260 It would fire a projectile into the surface, 00:09:47.260 --> 00:09:49.240 and the debris comes up the funnel, 00:09:49.240 --> 00:09:52.570 and it's then collected into the container. 00:09:52.570 --> 00:09:53.610 And then away it would go. 00:09:53.610 --> 00:09:54.860 So it was a touch and go. 00:09:57.350 --> 00:09:58.713 All this in one second. 00:10:01.608 --> 00:10:03.779 One second. 00:10:03.779 --> 00:10:07.090 So stroomp, one second, poomp, and then you're going. 00:10:07.090 --> 00:10:09.793 Well, actually it stayed 40 minutes on the surface. 00:10:13.197 --> 00:10:15.310 The dangerous thing is the 00:10:15.310 --> 00:10:19.023 surface temperature can destroy the spacecraft. 00:10:20.660 --> 00:10:22.010 That was really a panic, 00:10:22.010 --> 00:10:22.910 a source of panic. 00:10:24.610 --> 00:10:25.443 There was every danger. 00:10:25.443 --> 00:10:27.313 The projectile was not fired. 00:10:28.770 --> 00:10:32.040 So there was nothing to make that plume of dust 00:10:32.040 --> 00:10:33.743 go up into the sample container. 00:10:36.780 --> 00:10:39.070 Eventually the spacecraft leaves the surface, 00:10:39.070 --> 00:10:39.980 and unfortunately there is 00:10:39.980 --> 00:10:42.143 now a leak in one of the fuel lines. 00:10:44.940 --> 00:10:47.830 There was a leak, we're generating the torque, 00:10:47.830 --> 00:10:50.724 so the space travel is really bad. 00:10:50.724 --> 00:10:54.420 (ominous rock music) 00:10:54.420 --> 00:10:56.263 When you're leaking material into space, 00:10:56.263 --> 00:10:58.080 it's like having another engine. 00:10:58.080 --> 00:10:59.013 It's like a jet. 00:10:59.950 --> 00:11:03.000 We had a very serious problems. 00:11:03.000 --> 00:11:05.353 We couldn't control the spacecraft. 00:11:08.350 --> 00:11:09.633 What can we do? 00:11:11.360 --> 00:11:13.640 Never run faster than when you have 00:11:13.640 --> 00:11:15.513 a bull running after you. 00:11:16.628 --> 00:11:18.090 You have to find a solution, 00:11:18.090 --> 00:11:19.600 and when you are in an emergency 00:11:19.600 --> 00:11:22.037 you find it in a much clever way. 00:11:24.040 --> 00:11:25.653 We never gave up. 00:11:27.860 --> 00:11:30.770 Every time were able to find some solution 00:11:30.770 --> 00:11:32.623 to overcome our troubles. 00:11:34.910 --> 00:11:38.120 They were able to tell that in a few months 00:11:38.120 --> 00:11:40.390 they would actually be able to get 00:11:40.390 --> 00:11:42.763 small commands into one of the antennas. 00:11:45.428 --> 00:11:49.330 Finally, we found how to operate the spacecraft. 00:11:50.540 --> 00:11:52.203 At that time, we are very happy. 00:11:59.950 --> 00:12:02.470 For Hayabusa, the struggles were not over. 00:12:02.470 --> 00:12:04.020 So it had to get back to earth. 00:12:08.810 --> 00:12:11.240 Here is this crippled spacecraft, 00:12:11.240 --> 00:12:13.103 you know, literally limping home. 00:12:16.860 --> 00:12:17.693 It's like you have, 00:12:17.693 --> 00:12:20.420 you know, you have to guide somebody 00:12:20.420 --> 00:12:23.533 with just one leg, one eye, 00:12:24.927 --> 00:12:27.140 and then try to make him go straight. 00:12:27.140 --> 00:12:29.013 It's very crazy. 00:12:32.240 --> 00:12:34.200 People are worried that the mission 00:12:34.200 --> 00:12:35.500 is going to fail at this stage. 00:12:35.500 --> 00:12:37.770 That we potentially may or may not 00:12:37.770 --> 00:12:38.750 have collected samples, 00:12:38.750 --> 00:12:41.973 and that it might not actually make it back to earth. 00:12:43.120 --> 00:12:45.363 So they're hanging on by a thread. 00:12:46.481 --> 00:12:50.314 (anticipatory music building) 00:12:53.757 --> 00:12:56.340 But, they were able to hang on. 00:12:58.260 --> 00:13:00.153 We (speaker mumbling) that looks like lower right. 00:13:00.153 --> 00:13:02.980 They were able to successfully navigate 00:13:02.980 --> 00:13:04.280 all the way back to earth. 00:13:07.640 --> 00:13:08.830 Nice flashes. 00:13:08.830 --> 00:13:09.663 Oh, wow. 00:13:10.580 --> 00:13:13.413 (inspiring music) 00:13:14.444 --> 00:13:15.630 40 kilometers. 00:13:15.630 --> 00:13:20.630 The capsule landed, but may be empty, nobody knew. 00:13:23.840 --> 00:13:25.320 All these efforts 00:13:27.220 --> 00:13:28.493 maybe was for nothing. 00:13:34.970 --> 00:13:37.570 Everything else then went to (speaker mumbling) 00:13:37.570 --> 00:13:39.680 and they could open and then see 00:13:39.680 --> 00:13:43.353 where they discovered that there were samples. 00:13:44.374 --> 00:13:47.457 (instrumental music) 00:13:49.990 --> 00:13:51.243 They did it. 00:13:52.440 --> 00:13:54.293 The thing was quite emotional. 00:13:55.800 --> 00:13:58.623 I was very moved to see the sample. 00:14:01.400 --> 00:14:03.420 They have indeed collected 00:14:03.420 --> 00:14:06.313 maybe 1,500 dust particles. 00:14:12.169 --> 00:14:15.919 Hayabusa One brought back a lot of science. 00:14:16.900 --> 00:14:19.100 Hayabusa came back in 2010. 00:14:19.100 --> 00:14:21.293 Nine years later, we still do find out more 00:14:21.293 --> 00:14:24.143 discoveries with these teeny samples. 00:14:25.720 --> 00:14:28.100 One of the things we're interested with asteroids 00:14:28.100 --> 00:14:32.343 is whether they delivered the oceans to earth. 00:14:33.500 --> 00:14:36.270 So a few weeks ago, there was a measurement 00:14:36.270 --> 00:14:38.183 of the water properties of the sample. 00:14:39.930 --> 00:14:41.330 They measured the properties, 00:14:41.330 --> 00:14:42.163 and they're the same as the property 00:14:42.163 --> 00:14:43.613 of the oceans on earth. 00:14:45.290 --> 00:14:46.740 It is the same kind of water. 00:14:49.870 --> 00:14:51.103 They are a match. 00:14:53.060 --> 00:14:55.500 So it's the first clue that maybe 00:14:55.500 --> 00:14:59.200 all this wonderful water on the surface of the earth 00:14:59.200 --> 00:15:01.793 actually comes from asteroids. 00:15:03.590 --> 00:15:06.173 (music fading) 00:15:07.487 --> 00:15:10.500 (gentle piano music) 00:15:10.500 --> 00:15:12.250 Asteroids are fascinating, 00:15:12.250 --> 00:15:15.383 but further out away from the young sun, 00:15:16.960 --> 00:15:20.370 is where very bizarre objects were created. 00:15:20.370 --> 00:15:21.513 The comets. 00:15:25.030 --> 00:15:28.083 Comets are the most primitive objects we can study. 00:15:29.010 --> 00:15:31.360 What is, so to say, the source of this wonderful 00:15:31.360 --> 00:15:32.423 display in the sky? 00:15:36.220 --> 00:15:37.400 People have always been intrigued 00:15:37.400 --> 00:15:40.503 by these messengers that come out of the night sky. 00:15:43.180 --> 00:15:44.370 What are these objects? 00:15:44.370 --> 00:15:45.410 Where do they come from? 00:15:45.410 --> 00:15:47.326 What are they made of? 00:15:47.326 --> 00:15:50.270 (orchestral music) 00:15:50.270 --> 00:15:53.713 What's locked up as treasures, secrets in comets? 00:15:56.440 --> 00:15:58.440 For a long time they were mysterious. 00:15:58.440 --> 00:16:01.300 We didn't even know their orbits. 00:16:01.300 --> 00:16:04.290 (music swelling) 00:16:04.290 --> 00:16:06.400 And it really wasn't until the observations 00:16:06.400 --> 00:16:08.720 of Halley's Comet where it was realized 00:16:08.720 --> 00:16:10.700 that they actually orbit the solar system. 00:16:10.700 --> 00:16:14.163 That it comes back every 76 years. 00:16:16.430 --> 00:16:18.993 Halley's Comet has a special place. 00:16:21.220 --> 00:16:23.560 1986 was a really special year 00:16:23.560 --> 00:16:25.273 because we got a first look. 00:16:27.340 --> 00:16:29.503 It's a once in a lifetime opportunity. 00:16:31.130 --> 00:16:33.130 First stage servo motor started. 00:16:34.300 --> 00:16:37.080 The object of Giotto was pretty simple, really. 00:16:37.080 --> 00:16:38.830 To intercept Halley. 00:16:38.830 --> 00:16:40.753 Final arming, ready to go. 00:16:40.753 --> 00:16:41.586 (countdown in French) 00:16:41.586 --> 00:16:43.260 Was excitement, because this is new. 00:16:43.260 --> 00:16:45.900 This was an adventure, never done before, 00:16:45.900 --> 00:16:47.270 and now we go. 00:16:47.270 --> 00:16:48.678 Ignition. 00:16:48.678 --> 00:16:49.511 (rockets firing) 00:16:49.511 --> 00:16:51.740 Now they have first stage ignition and takeoff. 00:16:51.740 --> 00:16:53.840 We launched early July in '85, 00:16:53.840 --> 00:16:55.987 so it's a eight months journey. 00:16:55.987 --> 00:16:58.904 (crowd applauding) 00:16:59.950 --> 00:17:03.830 The comet has an atmosphere that we call the coma. 00:17:03.830 --> 00:17:06.920 And then the tail streams away from the comet. 00:17:06.920 --> 00:17:09.963 And the tail also contains dust. 00:17:13.080 --> 00:17:17.050 Dust particles, although they might not seem hazardous, 00:17:17.050 --> 00:17:19.000 if you fire them at a spacecraft 00:17:19.000 --> 00:17:21.393 at many kilometers per second, 00:17:22.660 --> 00:17:26.253 even a small dust particle can destroy the spacecraft. 00:17:27.333 --> 00:17:31.333 (music building to a crescendo) 00:17:33.800 --> 00:17:38.520 This is basically a kamikaze mission, so to say. 00:17:38.520 --> 00:17:39.353 Fingers crossed. 00:17:42.590 --> 00:17:45.810 Giotto made it's rush towards Halley's Comet, 00:17:45.810 --> 00:17:48.863 and it's getting closer and closer to the nucleus. 00:17:51.190 --> 00:17:52.790 And it's being hit by particles. 00:17:52.790 --> 00:17:55.283 They're picking up impacts. 00:17:58.120 --> 00:17:59.813 Dust impacts were increasing. 00:18:02.930 --> 00:18:04.653 It's a tense time. 00:18:07.250 --> 00:18:09.423 Just before the actual encounter, 00:18:10.780 --> 00:18:12.130 It gets hit by a big one. 00:18:13.310 --> 00:18:15.363 And it puts the spacecraft into a spin. 00:18:18.130 --> 00:18:21.110 And so all of a sudden, it's protection, it's shield, 00:18:21.110 --> 00:18:23.103 is not facing the dust particles. 00:18:26.490 --> 00:18:28.940 We got anxious because we couldn't do anything. 00:18:32.130 --> 00:18:35.060 We tried to keep cool and quiet, 00:18:35.060 --> 00:18:36.980 and see what happened. 00:18:36.980 --> 00:18:40.722 (suspenseful orchestral music) 00:18:40.722 --> 00:18:43.389 All of a sudden, images stopped. 00:18:45.770 --> 00:18:47.150 The camera goes dead, 00:18:47.150 --> 00:18:51.290 and the spacecraft is still flying through, 00:18:51.290 --> 00:18:53.450 through that debris. 00:18:53.450 --> 00:18:55.330 And I think there were a lot of people there 00:18:55.330 --> 00:18:57.187 who thought that they were going to lose the spacecraft, 00:18:57.187 --> 00:18:59.637 and that was it, that was the end of the mission. 00:19:01.145 --> 00:19:04.728 (quiet, suspenseful music) 00:19:09.290 --> 00:19:10.740 But thankfully, it survived. 00:19:10.740 --> 00:19:12.993 It went all the way through and lived on. 00:19:15.920 --> 00:19:18.280 And it took about a couple of minutes 00:19:18.280 --> 00:19:20.243 until we received all the data. 00:19:22.280 --> 00:19:23.880 First of all, you see the image. 00:19:26.080 --> 00:19:27.660 And you are one of the first ones 00:19:27.660 --> 00:19:29.503 to see a comet nucleus. 00:19:30.463 --> 00:19:34.296 (peaceful instrumental music) 00:19:35.820 --> 00:19:37.113 It's beautiful. 00:19:38.760 --> 00:19:40.460 They were just truly incredible. 00:19:42.500 --> 00:19:45.110 The comet, surprisingly, is not this 00:19:45.110 --> 00:19:49.093 bright, clean, ball of ice. 00:19:50.610 --> 00:19:54.203 It's dark, it's almost black. 00:19:59.210 --> 00:20:00.950 It was active only in a few spots. 00:20:00.950 --> 00:20:02.280 That was the first big surprise, 00:20:02.280 --> 00:20:04.110 because we thought the nucleus would be 00:20:04.110 --> 00:20:05.533 active all over the surface. 00:20:06.578 --> 00:20:09.328 (peaceful music) 00:20:10.980 --> 00:20:14.400 We've learned about processes that are going on 00:20:14.400 --> 00:20:18.350 inside a comet, that we would have never have guessed 00:20:18.350 --> 00:20:19.600 unless we had gone there. 00:20:21.260 --> 00:20:23.973 Giotto was remarkable. 00:20:23.973 --> 00:20:26.020 (crowd applauding) 00:20:26.020 --> 00:20:27.890 Sort of was really a unique mission. 00:20:27.890 --> 00:20:29.610 Was the first mission go to a comet, 00:20:29.610 --> 00:20:31.960 was also the first time seeing a comet nucleus. 00:20:33.360 --> 00:20:35.060 These are things you don't forget. 00:20:36.160 --> 00:20:37.113 Stays with you. 00:20:39.863 --> 00:20:42.360 (peaceful music) 00:20:42.360 --> 00:20:45.550 When Giotto flew past comet Halley in 1986, 00:20:45.550 --> 00:20:49.923 the fly-by was around 68, 70 kilometers a second. 00:20:52.540 --> 00:20:54.320 You see it for a few minutes and then it's gone. 00:20:54.320 --> 00:20:55.153 It's all over. 00:20:57.470 --> 00:20:59.030 To learn more, you want to go 00:20:59.030 --> 00:21:00.300 and rendezvous with a comet. 00:21:00.300 --> 00:21:02.043 You want to fly alongside it. 00:21:03.360 --> 00:21:05.520 Can we learn about the evolution of these objects 00:21:05.520 --> 00:21:07.763 by studying it over time? 00:21:09.170 --> 00:21:10.810 And of course, then the idea comes up, 00:21:10.810 --> 00:21:12.680 you would want to touch down on the surface. 00:21:12.680 --> 00:21:14.883 You want to land there, sample material. 00:21:17.520 --> 00:21:22.520 To do all of that in one mission is incredibly gutsy. 00:21:24.150 --> 00:21:27.260 (countdown in French) 00:21:27.260 --> 00:21:29.410 The first time I heard about the mission, 00:21:29.410 --> 00:21:32.357 I thought, "They must be joking." 00:21:32.357 --> 00:21:34.030 (countdown in French) 00:21:34.030 --> 00:21:37.003 The Rosetta mission was incredibly ambitious, 00:21:38.680 --> 00:21:40.377 but we jumped on it. 00:21:42.892 --> 00:21:44.350 Take-off. 00:21:44.350 --> 00:21:46.513 We launch in March, 2004. 00:21:49.770 --> 00:21:51.547 The whole travel to the comet 00:21:51.547 --> 00:21:53.460 was an adventure for Rosetta. 00:21:55.305 --> 00:21:57.690 The comet is on an orbit with a different energy level 00:21:57.690 --> 00:21:59.170 compared to the one of the earth, 00:21:59.170 --> 00:22:01.760 so where to actually impart this energy 00:22:01.760 --> 00:22:04.063 to our spacecraft to get the same orbit. 00:22:05.272 --> 00:22:08.800 (anticipatory music) 00:22:08.800 --> 00:22:11.790 So we did this thing to use the planets, 00:22:11.790 --> 00:22:13.250 and to use their gravity 00:22:13.250 --> 00:22:15.640 to slingshot us through space 00:22:15.640 --> 00:22:18.270 on a different trajectory with more speed, 00:22:18.270 --> 00:22:20.270 in order to be able to get to the comet. 00:22:21.710 --> 00:22:24.213 After one year, we would come back to earth. 00:22:25.320 --> 00:22:28.970 The next appointment was fly-by on Mars. 00:22:28.970 --> 00:22:31.303 And very soon, we came back to earth. 00:22:32.400 --> 00:22:35.993 And this launched us towards the main asteroid belt. 00:22:37.760 --> 00:22:40.333 After this, we came back to earth. 00:22:41.520 --> 00:22:44.073 This one gave us the last big kick. 00:22:47.140 --> 00:22:49.810 We were really launched very fast, 00:22:49.810 --> 00:22:51.780 but getting very far from the sun. 00:22:52.819 --> 00:22:56.736 (music fades to a single note) 00:23:00.540 --> 00:23:04.720 We could not keep all the systems on board active, 00:23:04.720 --> 00:23:07.110 because the illumination of our solar panels 00:23:07.110 --> 00:23:08.473 was getting very weak. 00:23:13.900 --> 00:23:16.773 So the decision was made, in fact, to turn it off. 00:23:21.990 --> 00:23:24.410 I hated that concept from the very beginning. 00:23:24.410 --> 00:23:26.040 I've been fighting it for years. 00:23:26.040 --> 00:23:27.710 I was convinced we would never do it, 00:23:27.710 --> 00:23:28.633 it was too crazy. 00:23:30.580 --> 00:23:32.120 Switching off the radio signal 00:23:32.120 --> 00:23:34.503 is like cutting a vital link. 00:23:36.740 --> 00:23:39.030 We've been flying a spacecraft for seven years 00:23:39.030 --> 00:23:41.870 it's at hundreds of millions of kilometers away, 00:23:41.870 --> 00:23:42.703 and what do you do? 00:23:42.703 --> 00:23:43.536 You send a command to switch it off, 00:23:43.536 --> 00:23:44.880 and wake it up three years later. 00:23:44.880 --> 00:23:47.180 It just doesn't make sense. 00:23:47.180 --> 00:23:48.380 And this is what we did. 00:23:50.131 --> 00:23:53.464 (soft orchestral music) 00:23:55.770 --> 00:23:58.213 We spent two and a half years without contact. 00:24:00.460 --> 00:24:02.203 And we waited. 00:24:06.830 --> 00:24:09.970 We couldn't talk to it while it was in hibernation. 00:24:09.970 --> 00:24:11.393 We need it to wake up, 00:24:12.940 --> 00:24:16.928 which it was due to do on the 20th of January, 2014. 00:24:16.928 --> 00:24:18.208 (clocks ticking) 00:24:18.208 --> 00:24:19.041 (alarms ringing) 00:24:19.041 --> 00:24:21.791 Three, two, one, wake-up! 00:24:23.357 --> 00:24:25.441 Wake up, wake up, wake up! 00:24:25.441 --> 00:24:26.608 Okay, great. 00:24:28.490 --> 00:24:30.993 We were sitting all in the control room, 00:24:31.920 --> 00:24:33.470 waiting for the signal to come. 00:24:34.518 --> 00:24:38.763 This was probably the most tense moment of the mission. 00:24:41.000 --> 00:24:43.240 This was everything or nothing. 00:24:43.240 --> 00:24:44.483 It was life or death. 00:24:47.020 --> 00:24:48.530 I was sitting in the main control room 00:24:48.530 --> 00:24:49.470 with a bunch of people that had 00:24:49.470 --> 00:24:52.320 worked on this mission for most of their careers. 00:24:52.320 --> 00:24:54.560 And they had run a sweepstakes 00:24:54.560 --> 00:24:56.610 when they thought the spacecraft would wake up 00:24:56.610 --> 00:24:57.923 and send it's signal back. 00:25:01.910 --> 00:25:04.340 So when the first time went past, 00:25:04.340 --> 00:25:06.730 people you know, said, "Well, you've lost." 00:25:06.730 --> 00:25:08.977 And everybody laughed, it was a jolly moment in the room. 00:25:08.977 --> 00:25:11.377 "Yeah well, no, you didn't win the sweepstakes." 00:25:14.174 --> 00:25:15.620 Then the second person, the third person, 00:25:15.620 --> 00:25:18.320 the fourth person, and then it got a bit more serious. 00:25:20.520 --> 00:25:22.973 It was building up tension at that stage. 00:25:24.840 --> 00:25:25.923 Why it's not coming? 00:25:30.063 --> 00:25:31.660 Then the last person who had the sweepstakes 00:25:31.660 --> 00:25:34.533 was about seven o'clock, and it hadn't woken up. 00:25:39.080 --> 00:25:40.830 Everybody was getting very nervous. 00:25:43.000 --> 00:25:45.423 It was very difficult to bear. 00:25:48.250 --> 00:25:50.743 We started really getting worried. 00:25:53.490 --> 00:25:54.840 Have we lost the mission? 00:26:08.780 --> 00:26:10.833 Then suddenly, the signal came. 00:26:11.683 --> 00:26:13.740 (crowd cheering and applauding) 00:26:13.740 --> 00:26:14.573 When the signal came 00:26:14.573 --> 00:26:16.790 it was a big relief for me, personally. 00:26:16.790 --> 00:26:18.593 It was an explosion of joy. 00:26:19.950 --> 00:26:22.410 A little blip on a noise spectrum 00:26:22.410 --> 00:26:25.973 told us Rosetta was there, and it was calling home. 00:26:28.970 --> 00:26:32.960 And this for me was the toughest emotion I went through 00:26:32.960 --> 00:26:34.160 on the story of Rosetta. 00:26:37.310 --> 00:26:38.871 We made it! 00:26:38.871 --> 00:26:40.627 Yes, yes, hi! 00:26:40.627 --> 00:26:42.743 That's a big success for everybody. 00:26:44.310 --> 00:26:45.430 We have it. 00:26:45.430 --> 00:26:48.450 We're ready, we now have the spacecraft back, 00:26:48.450 --> 00:26:49.990 we can go and do the rest of this mission, 00:26:49.990 --> 00:26:52.337 and finally get to the comet. 00:26:52.337 --> 00:26:56.337 (group cheering and applauding) 00:26:58.440 --> 00:26:59.570 But now the mission starts, 00:26:59.570 --> 00:27:01.620 because now we have to get to the comet, 00:27:01.620 --> 00:27:02.800 fly around the comet, 00:27:02.800 --> 00:27:04.690 orbit the comet, and land on the comet, 00:27:04.690 --> 00:27:06.373 all within the next 10 months. 00:27:10.590 --> 00:27:14.296 Rosetta took 10 years from launch, 00:27:14.296 --> 00:27:16.280 'til we finally got to the target 00:27:16.280 --> 00:27:17.793 that we were going to study. 00:27:21.080 --> 00:27:23.770 The comet we ended up deciding to go to 00:27:23.770 --> 00:27:26.543 was 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. 00:27:28.173 --> 00:27:30.923 (ethereal music) 00:27:31.770 --> 00:27:34.470 In the beginning, the comet was just very small dot. 00:27:37.777 --> 00:27:39.830 And then day by day the comet was growing 00:27:39.830 --> 00:27:41.580 in the field of view of the camera. 00:27:43.354 --> 00:27:46.854 (ethereal music building) 00:27:57.040 --> 00:27:58.653 We saw this incredible shape. 00:27:59.930 --> 00:28:02.903 Some people have described it as a rubber duck. 00:28:06.730 --> 00:28:09.460 It was amazing, it was beautiful. 00:28:09.460 --> 00:28:12.553 Scientists were just stunned with their mouths open. 00:28:14.057 --> 00:28:16.890 (sustained music) 00:28:20.986 --> 00:28:24.569 Comet 67P is about four kilometers in size. 00:28:29.460 --> 00:28:32.610 If you were standing on the bottom of the comet, 00:28:32.610 --> 00:28:35.813 you might see a flat, dusty plain. 00:28:38.830 --> 00:28:40.820 If you were standing on the head of the comet, 00:28:40.820 --> 00:28:42.813 it might look more rocky. 00:28:43.940 --> 00:28:46.530 If you were standing on the neck of the comet, 00:28:46.530 --> 00:28:49.580 you would be in this interesting valley, 00:28:49.580 --> 00:28:53.600 kilometer high cliffs on either side, 00:28:53.600 --> 00:28:58.140 and running along the neck between your legs 00:28:58.140 --> 00:28:59.993 is a huge crack. 00:29:02.910 --> 00:29:06.340 There is so many different types of surfaces 00:29:06.340 --> 00:29:10.050 and variety, you could spend the rest of your life 00:29:10.050 --> 00:29:11.867 exploring every little part of the comet 00:29:11.867 --> 00:29:14.833 and not see the same type of thing twice. 00:29:15.798 --> 00:29:20.798 (instrumental music building to a crescendo) 00:29:22.239 --> 00:29:23.527 The first thing I thought was, 00:29:23.527 --> 00:29:25.477 "We're never gonna land on that thing." 00:29:28.430 --> 00:29:31.683 Was the morning of the 12 of November 2004. 00:29:34.129 --> 00:29:37.917 It was excitement, but also tension for the upcoming events. 00:29:38.970 --> 00:29:41.810 Great news, we are a go from the lander. 00:29:41.810 --> 00:29:43.290 The commands have already been sent, 00:29:43.290 --> 00:29:45.313 now we just have to wait for separation. 00:29:46.785 --> 00:29:50.702 (sustained instrumental music) 00:29:53.560 --> 00:29:56.640 Rosetta just pushed very gently away. 00:29:56.640 --> 00:29:59.070 It was like pushing it really like this, 00:29:59.070 --> 00:30:01.620 18 centimeters per second, it's nothing, like this. 00:30:03.812 --> 00:30:07.645 (building instrumental music) 00:30:25.040 --> 00:30:26.953 The fall lasted seven hours. 00:30:30.010 --> 00:30:31.730 They could get the images of Philae 00:30:31.730 --> 00:30:35.430 getting closer to the surface during the descent. 00:30:43.374 --> 00:30:47.374 (group cheering and applauding) 00:30:52.294 --> 00:30:55.961 It was a very, very emotional moment for me. 00:31:00.050 --> 00:31:02.743 After the seven hours of descent, 00:31:03.740 --> 00:31:06.140 Philae was approaching the surface of the comet. 00:31:07.848 --> 00:31:11.680 (gentle instrumental music) 00:31:11.680 --> 00:31:13.370 As we got closer and closer, 00:31:13.370 --> 00:31:15.463 you know, the tension began to rise. 00:31:21.580 --> 00:31:24.830 I was looking at the data coming from Philae, 00:31:24.830 --> 00:31:27.323 I wanted Philae to survive the landing. 00:31:28.450 --> 00:31:30.370 So I was just staring at the screen 00:31:30.370 --> 00:31:31.713 seeing this data coming. 00:31:37.140 --> 00:31:40.113 We actually saw several subsystems activating. 00:31:48.380 --> 00:31:49.750 These were the subsystems 00:31:49.750 --> 00:31:51.973 supposed to be activated at touchdown. 00:31:55.880 --> 00:31:57.220 We got the information 00:31:57.220 --> 00:31:58.823 that it had reached the surface. 00:31:59.793 --> 00:32:03.793 (crowd cheering and applauding) 00:32:19.000 --> 00:32:21.310 We definitely confirmed that the lander is on the surface, 00:32:21.310 --> 00:32:22.143 and I leave it to Stephan. 00:32:22.143 --> 00:32:24.010 I think it's up to him to judge 00:32:24.010 --> 00:32:25.820 how it's going now on the lander. 00:32:25.820 --> 00:32:27.240 We were in the major success. 00:32:27.240 --> 00:32:28.653 We had landed on a comet. 00:32:29.670 --> 00:32:31.690 This was the moment of my mission. 00:32:31.690 --> 00:32:33.520 This was a huge success. 00:32:33.520 --> 00:32:35.531 We are sitting on the surface, 00:32:35.531 --> 00:32:36.930 Philae's talking to us. 00:32:36.930 --> 00:32:39.238 More data to come, and to-- 00:32:39.238 --> 00:32:41.180 (audience cheering and applauding) 00:32:41.180 --> 00:32:44.010 I can tell you for me personally, 00:32:44.010 --> 00:32:45.490 that the lander touchdown, 00:32:45.490 --> 00:32:47.783 that was the biggest achievement. 00:32:51.920 --> 00:32:53.300 Philae started taking pictures, 00:32:53.300 --> 00:32:54.810 taking measurements, doing it's job. 00:32:54.810 --> 00:32:57.210 Said, "I'm on the surface here, I touched down." 00:33:00.460 --> 00:33:01.780 (camera's clicking) 00:33:01.780 --> 00:33:04.320 Yes, it had touched down on the surface, 00:33:04.320 --> 00:33:05.770 but it hadn't stopped moving. 00:33:06.937 --> 00:33:09.393 (men talking over each other) 00:33:09.393 --> 00:33:12.563 Nominal is one, three, eight, five. 00:33:15.000 --> 00:33:17.490 It took us 10 to 15 minutes 00:33:17.490 --> 00:33:19.354 to realize that something was wrong. 00:33:19.354 --> 00:33:21.154 This one is not going down though. 00:33:22.080 --> 00:33:24.189 The lander, the elevation did not go down. 00:33:24.189 --> 00:33:26.930 Yeah, it's the same as (speaker mumbling). 00:33:26.930 --> 00:33:29.493 We realized that the radio signal was not stable. 00:33:31.030 --> 00:33:32.670 It couldn't have been on the surface. 00:33:32.670 --> 00:33:35.833 It was definitely lifted up and flying again. 00:33:39.250 --> 00:33:41.450 I said, "That's not possible, it cannot be." 00:33:43.290 --> 00:33:45.080 Quite quickly people began to realize 00:33:45.080 --> 00:33:46.380 that we must have bounced. 00:33:52.820 --> 00:33:55.933 It bounced, had a very long travel, 00:33:57.930 --> 00:34:02.930 and then it hit the edge of a cliff, started tumbling. 00:34:05.500 --> 00:34:06.580 We were scared to death. 00:34:06.580 --> 00:34:09.820 My fear was we are gonna lose the contact now. 00:34:09.820 --> 00:34:11.520 And if we lose the contact, that's it. 00:34:11.520 --> 00:34:15.086 This is the end of the mission of Philae. 00:34:15.086 --> 00:34:19.003 (suspenseful orchestral music) 00:34:20.510 --> 00:34:23.030 And then finally, after two hours, 00:34:23.030 --> 00:34:26.367 it touched down in a very dark place. 00:34:26.367 --> 00:34:29.034 (ominous music) 00:34:31.210 --> 00:34:33.340 Of course, we hadn't the faintest idea 00:34:33.340 --> 00:34:35.693 where Philae was on the surface of the comet. 00:34:40.120 --> 00:34:41.720 Then, half an hour later, 00:34:41.720 --> 00:34:43.840 the signal was abruptly interrupt, 00:34:43.840 --> 00:34:45.703 and Philae wouldn't transmit anymore. 00:34:49.010 --> 00:34:50.120 We haven't the faintest idea 00:34:50.120 --> 00:34:53.313 when the signal would come back. 00:34:59.680 --> 00:35:01.280 When I came in the morning, 00:35:01.280 --> 00:35:04.810 few seconds away, spot on, we see alarms coming in 00:35:04.810 --> 00:35:07.487 to the control system, and it's the signal of Philae. 00:35:09.372 --> 00:35:12.670 (music building) 00:35:12.670 --> 00:35:13.890 This little baby has been 00:35:13.890 --> 00:35:15.863 surviving on the face of the comet. 00:35:18.970 --> 00:35:20.600 So we started receiving data. 00:35:20.600 --> 00:35:21.433 Guess what we get? 00:35:21.433 --> 00:35:23.380 The first image of the surface of the comet. 00:35:23.380 --> 00:35:25.943 Here, real time, we saw it real time coming in. 00:35:27.354 --> 00:35:31.021 (gentle instrumental music) 00:35:36.150 --> 00:35:37.250 This is just fantastic. 00:35:37.250 --> 00:35:39.500 It's something that happens once in our life. 00:35:45.510 --> 00:35:47.330 You see the surface of the comet, 00:35:47.330 --> 00:35:49.193 you see a portion of the leg, 00:35:50.040 --> 00:35:52.010 and you have the feeling that there is something odd. 00:35:52.010 --> 00:35:53.230 Indeed, we found Philae, 00:35:53.230 --> 00:35:56.510 that it was tilted on it's side. 00:35:56.510 --> 00:35:58.560 But it was just the surface of the comet. 00:36:01.076 --> 00:36:05.493 (music building to a sustained note) 00:36:11.130 --> 00:36:12.830 The images came back, 00:36:12.830 --> 00:36:14.180 and it was then that we realized 00:36:14.180 --> 00:36:15.810 that we were in this place that was 00:36:15.810 --> 00:36:17.203 almost completely shady. 00:36:21.376 --> 00:36:23.620 It was in a dark area, 00:36:23.620 --> 00:36:25.380 so it would have not had the chance 00:36:25.380 --> 00:36:26.983 to recharge the batteries. 00:36:29.850 --> 00:36:30.960 We knew then that we were 00:36:30.960 --> 00:36:32.960 gonna run out of power after three days. 00:36:35.240 --> 00:36:39.010 The whole three days on the comet 00:36:39.010 --> 00:36:42.030 were certainly three of the most 00:36:42.030 --> 00:36:43.743 incredible days of my life. 00:36:49.809 --> 00:36:50.719 When you see the images, 00:36:50.719 --> 00:36:53.610 you get this very strong feeling, 00:36:53.610 --> 00:36:56.860 you are on a completely new world. 00:36:56.860 --> 00:36:59.163 You are seeing a new world for the first time. 00:37:01.147 --> 00:37:03.991 (gentle music) 00:37:03.991 --> 00:37:07.908 The formations were really, totally unexpected. 00:37:10.940 --> 00:37:12.010 The first image I saw, 00:37:12.010 --> 00:37:15.010 it looked to me like coral formations, 00:37:15.010 --> 00:37:17.463 like what you see in the bottom of the oceans. 00:37:20.480 --> 00:37:22.113 Fractal geometries. 00:37:23.840 --> 00:37:26.800 Ruptures everywhere, at every dimension, 00:37:26.800 --> 00:37:28.413 from millimeters to centimeters. 00:37:32.426 --> 00:37:35.657 It gives an impression of how this surface suffers. 00:37:37.170 --> 00:37:39.170 The extreme variation of temperatures 00:37:39.170 --> 00:37:41.710 by getting close to the sun and then back away. 00:37:41.710 --> 00:37:44.613 It's a continual thermal stress. 00:37:47.650 --> 00:37:52.650 Seeing the images so close, it was like sitting there. 00:37:53.990 --> 00:37:55.623 It was clearly another world. 00:37:58.750 --> 00:38:00.670 Philae was part of our adventure 00:38:00.670 --> 00:38:02.440 and especially in those three days, 00:38:02.440 --> 00:38:05.113 it was part of us sitting on the comet. 00:38:07.690 --> 00:38:10.870 After three days, it was Friday afternoon, 00:38:10.870 --> 00:38:13.520 it was clear that the battery was getting to the end. 00:38:15.120 --> 00:38:17.460 You could see Philae fading out 00:38:17.460 --> 00:38:20.413 during the night, during the last contact. 00:38:21.630 --> 00:38:25.213 And then gradually the energy in the battery finished. 00:38:27.270 --> 00:38:29.700 And that was the end of the three days 00:38:29.700 --> 00:38:30.850 of Philae on the comet. 00:38:39.482 --> 00:38:42.541 (hushed engines whooshing) 00:38:42.541 --> 00:38:43.374 But if we look carefully, 00:38:43.374 --> 00:38:45.680 the bulk of the scientific mission of Rosetta 00:38:45.680 --> 00:38:46.840 still had to come. 00:38:46.840 --> 00:38:48.850 Because we flew there to follow the comet 00:38:48.850 --> 00:38:50.633 in it's orbit around the sun. 00:38:55.480 --> 00:38:57.703 The comet's getting close to the sun. 00:38:59.360 --> 00:39:02.672 It's activity increased significantly. 00:39:02.672 --> 00:39:06.172 (gentle orchestral music) 00:39:07.010 --> 00:39:09.310 We could really see how the surface 00:39:09.310 --> 00:39:12.163 is completely revolutioned by the sun. 00:39:14.690 --> 00:39:15.790 There were explosions. 00:39:16.743 --> 00:39:19.493 (music building) 00:39:23.030 --> 00:39:25.100 Holes observed in the surface 00:39:25.100 --> 00:39:27.790 with a underground structure which is 00:39:27.790 --> 00:39:30.163 still today, totally unexplained. 00:39:37.300 --> 00:39:40.283 There were landslides that we have observed. 00:39:41.359 --> 00:39:44.109 (music building) 00:39:47.470 --> 00:39:49.900 You could see jets, gas jets, 00:39:49.900 --> 00:39:51.823 fountains coming out of the comet. 00:39:54.370 --> 00:39:56.922 You could see actually like snowstorms 00:39:56.922 --> 00:39:59.033 going around the comet. 00:40:06.730 --> 00:40:08.300 Well what they saw in front of their eyes 00:40:08.300 --> 00:40:13.135 was totally surprising what was happening there. 00:40:13.135 --> 00:40:16.552 (music builds to a stop) 00:40:23.290 --> 00:40:26.820 So on Rosetta we had a dozen instruments, 00:40:26.820 --> 00:40:29.543 and not all all of these instruments take pictures. 00:40:32.030 --> 00:40:33.870 They get data in different ways. 00:40:33.870 --> 00:40:38.403 Such as the spectrum, or measuring molecules. 00:40:39.820 --> 00:40:42.440 It's squiggly line data. 00:40:42.440 --> 00:40:45.880 And those squiggly line data 00:40:45.880 --> 00:40:48.400 can sometimes have much more information 00:40:48.400 --> 00:40:49.793 than the pictures do. 00:40:52.820 --> 00:40:54.120 The Rosetta instrument found 00:40:54.120 --> 00:40:56.370 that there is molecular oxygen 00:40:56.370 --> 00:40:58.270 trapped into the nucleus of the comet. 00:41:00.168 --> 00:41:02.420 Molecular oxygen couldn't have survived 00:41:02.420 --> 00:41:04.203 the formation of the solar system. 00:41:05.160 --> 00:41:06.560 Therefore it means that it was 00:41:06.560 --> 00:41:08.160 inside the nucleus of the comet 00:41:08.160 --> 00:41:10.363 before the formation of the solar system. 00:41:13.000 --> 00:41:15.150 We were able to see molecules 00:41:15.150 --> 00:41:18.510 some of which had never been seen before. 00:41:18.510 --> 00:41:21.430 For instance, glycine, the amino acid, 00:41:21.430 --> 00:41:24.300 a building block of life. 00:41:24.300 --> 00:41:27.380 And if the oxygen was trapped in the nucleus 00:41:27.380 --> 00:41:29.280 before the formation of the solar system, 00:41:29.280 --> 00:41:31.530 then also the amino acids were trapped there. 00:41:32.860 --> 00:41:34.767 If these two things which are the ingredients of life 00:41:34.767 --> 00:41:36.400 were trapped there before 00:41:36.400 --> 00:41:38.010 the formation of the solar system, 00:41:38.010 --> 00:41:39.653 they are not specific to our solar system, 00:41:39.653 --> 00:41:41.600 they are universal, these ingredients. 00:41:41.600 --> 00:41:44.410 So the likelihood that life has formed 00:41:44.410 --> 00:41:45.653 somewhere else as well. 00:41:47.870 --> 00:41:49.140 There's all the material in there 00:41:49.140 --> 00:41:52.410 that you need if you want to produce life. 00:41:56.590 --> 00:41:59.900 This confirmation is very important, 00:41:59.900 --> 00:42:02.003 because it shows that comets could have been 00:42:02.003 --> 00:42:06.203 the objecs that brought the components of life onto earth. 00:42:07.128 --> 00:42:10.628 (slow instrumental music) 00:42:16.410 --> 00:42:20.300 As we had been with the comet for more than two years, 00:42:20.300 --> 00:42:22.750 we were moving back out again, away from the sun. 00:42:24.460 --> 00:42:27.930 The mission had accomplish all the results. 00:42:27.930 --> 00:42:30.480 Nobody had thought about how to finish the mission. 00:42:34.560 --> 00:42:35.810 Shall we hibernate it again, 00:42:35.810 --> 00:42:38.893 taking the risk of a much longer hibernation? 00:42:40.135 --> 00:42:41.990 Shall we switch it off in September, 00:42:41.990 --> 00:42:43.983 that's it, bye bye Rosetta? 00:42:46.860 --> 00:42:49.210 Then we proposed to land with 00:42:49.210 --> 00:42:50.720 the mother ship on the comet. 00:42:50.720 --> 00:42:51.560 It's not designed for landing. 00:42:51.560 --> 00:42:54.840 It was like a suicide landing. 00:42:54.840 --> 00:42:57.000 But this was taken as a good idea 00:42:57.000 --> 00:42:59.410 because this would allow us to observe 00:42:59.410 --> 00:43:01.440 and measure the last few kilometers 00:43:01.440 --> 00:43:02.640 where we had never been. 00:43:05.050 --> 00:43:06.870 The decision was indeed taken 00:43:06.870 --> 00:43:08.847 to say, "Let's go down, let's do it." 00:43:10.500 --> 00:43:13.300 And as Rosetta itself got closer and closer 00:43:13.300 --> 00:43:14.880 to the end of the mission and we came down 00:43:14.880 --> 00:43:17.370 to lower and lower orbital heights, 00:43:17.370 --> 00:43:19.220 we were taking pictures all the time. 00:43:20.570 --> 00:43:22.700 And so we got closer and closer, 00:43:22.700 --> 00:43:25.300 getting more and more detailed images 00:43:25.300 --> 00:43:26.700 than we had ever had before. 00:43:28.023 --> 00:43:31.690 (gentle instrumental music) 00:43:32.910 --> 00:43:35.373 Only a few days before the end of the mission. 00:43:37.070 --> 00:43:40.473 Right there, at the edge of the image was a shape. 00:43:41.400 --> 00:43:43.740 You could see there, in a sort of crack 00:43:43.740 --> 00:43:46.423 in between some rocks on the comet in shadow. 00:43:47.770 --> 00:43:50.630 Finally, we got the picture of Philae 00:43:50.630 --> 00:43:52.073 on the surface of the comet. 00:43:55.470 --> 00:43:58.030 To see Philae there, under a rock, 00:43:58.030 --> 00:43:59.973 this was extremely emotional. 00:44:01.810 --> 00:44:03.540 Going away without having seen 00:44:03.540 --> 00:44:05.640 Philae on the surface would have been a pity. 00:44:05.640 --> 00:44:09.098 And this was the last present this mission gave to us. 00:44:09.098 --> 00:44:11.020 It was just a few hours before my birthday, 00:44:11.020 --> 00:44:13.737 so it was a very nice present. 00:44:13.737 --> 00:44:17.487 (sustained orchestral music) 00:44:28.110 --> 00:44:29.280 Good morning! 00:44:29.280 --> 00:44:31.460 (man speaking in a foreign language) 00:44:31.460 --> 00:44:33.910 Welcome, for Rosetta's grand finale. 00:44:33.910 --> 00:44:36.880 We are here live, in Rosetta control room 00:44:36.880 --> 00:44:38.190 at ESOC in Germany. 00:44:38.190 --> 00:44:39.960 So at this point in September, 00:44:39.960 --> 00:44:43.000 we had planned to put Rosetta down onto the comet. 00:44:43.000 --> 00:44:45.600 It is a special day today. 00:44:45.600 --> 00:44:48.520 The European Space Agency's comet-chasing 00:44:48.520 --> 00:44:50.570 Rosetta mission is coming to an end. 00:44:50.570 --> 00:44:52.830 We have such a great job, 00:44:52.830 --> 00:44:55.010 and now we put it to rest. 00:44:55.010 --> 00:44:57.080 And then give it a proper end. 00:44:57.080 --> 00:44:59.060 It will be the end of a mission that lasted 00:44:59.060 --> 00:45:03.950 4,595 days in space. 00:45:03.950 --> 00:45:05.790 This slow farewell of Rosetta 00:45:05.790 --> 00:45:07.960 going down on the surface of the comet, 00:45:07.960 --> 00:45:11.850 I think is a perfect closure of this fantastic mission. 00:45:11.850 --> 00:45:15.500 The orbiter will land on the surface of the comet. 00:45:15.500 --> 00:45:17.860 It's going to be a big moment for everyone. 00:45:17.860 --> 00:45:20.140 You can feel the tension already here in the room. 00:45:20.140 --> 00:45:21.840 Everything we had put into this, 00:45:22.850 --> 00:45:24.770 in terms of the human story, 00:45:24.770 --> 00:45:29.330 but the science, this several decade long effort 00:45:29.330 --> 00:45:31.930 was coming to an end, and we were choosing to do it. 00:45:32.960 --> 00:45:35.250 And even sitting here now, several years later, 00:45:35.250 --> 00:45:37.150 I mean, it brings back those emotions. 00:45:39.440 --> 00:45:41.160 We commanded the spacecraft to do 00:45:41.160 --> 00:45:45.123 the final plunge down to the surface of the comet. 00:45:48.490 --> 00:45:52.793 The spacecraft is taking images during the descent. 00:45:53.658 --> 00:45:57.325 (gentle instrumental music) 00:46:00.710 --> 00:46:01.787 We could see some of the images 00:46:01.787 --> 00:46:04.900 and we could see the surface coming closer and closer 00:46:04.900 --> 00:46:06.090 and time passing by, 00:46:06.090 --> 00:46:09.003 and we knew that the mission was coming to an end. 00:46:10.618 --> 00:46:13.201 (gentle music) 00:46:23.620 --> 00:46:24.760 Everybody was crying. 00:46:24.760 --> 00:46:26.750 I mean, I get the tears in my eyes 00:46:26.750 --> 00:46:27.980 even now, thinking about it. 00:46:27.980 --> 00:46:30.003 It was super emotional. 00:46:33.490 --> 00:46:35.780 It got closer and closer 00:46:38.090 --> 00:46:39.253 until finally, 00:46:43.870 --> 00:46:45.043 we lost contact. 00:46:46.904 --> 00:46:49.571 And that was the end of Rosetta. 00:46:56.583 --> 00:46:58.557 (speaker mumbling) on the briefing rooms, 00:46:58.557 --> 00:47:01.224 we just have had loss of signal. 00:47:03.048 --> 00:47:05.433 And so, this is the end of the Rosetta mission. 00:47:05.433 --> 00:47:06.913 Thank you and goodbye. 00:47:11.730 --> 00:47:13.963 When the signal shut down on that day, 00:47:15.110 --> 00:47:16.300 people were shell-shocked. 00:47:16.300 --> 00:47:18.100 Even though they knew it was coming. 00:47:19.230 --> 00:47:20.780 But I remember walking around the corridors, 00:47:20.780 --> 00:47:23.290 people just leaning up against walls, 00:47:23.290 --> 00:47:25.373 just staring into the distance. 00:47:31.290 --> 00:47:34.220 It was yeah, I mean it's something 00:47:34.220 --> 00:47:36.620 those of us who were involved will never forget. 00:47:38.562 --> 00:47:42.479 (sustained instrumental music) 00:47:50.477 --> 00:47:52.546 It was quite an adventure. 00:47:52.546 --> 00:47:56.046 (upbeat orchestral music) 00:48:00.630 --> 00:48:03.810 Our understanding of how asteroids and comets 00:48:03.810 --> 00:48:07.163 might contribute to our existence. 00:48:09.210 --> 00:48:12.160 We know the kind of rocks that appear on their surface. 00:48:12.160 --> 00:48:14.140 We know the minerals in those rocks. 00:48:14.140 --> 00:48:16.400 We know about the organic molecules. 00:48:16.400 --> 00:48:18.110 We know about the water. 00:48:18.110 --> 00:48:20.690 None of those things we would have learned 00:48:20.690 --> 00:48:24.033 by looking at asteroids and comets from a distance. 00:48:26.230 --> 00:48:31.230 We are explorers in a lineage of explorers 00:48:31.340 --> 00:48:33.240 going far, far back in time, 00:48:33.240 --> 00:48:35.763 and we hope far into the future. 00:48:37.150 --> 00:48:39.880 If we were to stop our curiosity, 00:48:39.880 --> 00:48:41.890 our species, the human beings, 00:48:41.890 --> 00:48:44.433 would have extinguished many, many years ago. 00:48:46.810 --> 00:48:49.030 Each time we further our knowledge, 00:48:49.030 --> 00:48:51.930 we get a little bit closer to the story 00:48:52.880 --> 00:48:55.623 of where did we come from? 00:48:56.992 --> 00:49:00.742 (inspiring orchestral music) 00:49:32.559 --> 00:49:36.059 (gentle orchestral music)