1. The Chances Of Success... Weren't Actually That Great
When so much money is involved in a project as grand as this, you might think there was a good chance of success. However, Fred Jansen, the mission's manager, gave the landing a conservative 75% chance of being successful. This percentage went down even further, after the aforementioned landing instrument breakage. You can only imagine how tense things must have been at mission control. Andrea Accomazzo, the Rosetta flight director who's been worked on the mission for almost two decades, was unperturbed by the odds though. "Exploration implies risk," states Accomazzo. "If you are not ready to take the risk, then you shouldn't do exploration." As sad as it would have been had the lander failed, the mission of getting Rosetta so close to the comet would have been a huge achievement in itself. What are your thoughts on the comet landing? Are there any amazing facts you'd like to share? Drop us a comment below!
