Rosetta and Philae, comet orbiter/lander robotic spacecraft, European Space Agency

[Airicist]

Rosetta's journey

Published on Nov 6, 2014

A summary of Rosetta’s journey – from its launch on 2 March 2004 - to the planned landing on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on 12 November 2014. The journey has included four gravitational assists from Mars and the Earth, flybys with asteroids Steins and Lutetia, and the spacecraft's temporary hibernation and successful wake up on 20 January 2014.

In May Rosetta put on the brakes and performed rendezvous manoeuvres for several months. During this period, images from the onboard cameras revealed the comet’s unusual ‘space duck’ shape.

Rosetta arrived at its destination on 6 August and became the first spacecraft to orbit a comet. The primary landing site was announced in September and Rosetta is now on schedule to release its Philae lander onto the comet’s surface in November.

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Rosetta: landing on a comet

Published on Nov 7, 2014

Rosetta will release its Philae lander when approximately 22 kilometres from the centre of the comet. A signal confirming the separation will arrive at ground stations on Earth 28 minutes and 20 seconds later while the lander’s descent to the surface will take seven hours. On the way down, Philae will take a series of images and onboard instruments will sample the dust, gas and plasma close to the comet’s surface and measure any magnetic field.

Philae’s three lander legs will absorb the momentum of impact and use it to drive an ice screw in each foot into the surface. At the same time two harpoons will fire to lock the probe onto the surface and a small thruster on top will counteract the impulse. Once anchored to the nucleus, Philae will begin its primary science mission, based on its initial battery lifetime of 64 hours.

The SESAME experiment - which contains three instruments - includes one called CASSE, located in the lander’s feet. Harald KRUEGER, Principal Investigator of Rosetta’s SESAME experiment, explains how CASSE will use acoustic waves to determine properties of the comet’s soil.

Within hours of landing, we also hope to see the first ever images of a comet from its surface.

[Airicist]

How Rosetta deploys Philae

Published on Nov 7, 2014

Rosetta’s deployment of Philae with Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko in the background.

The animation begins with Philae still on Rosetta, which will come to within about 22.5 km of the centre of the nucleus to release the lander on 12 November 2014. The animation shows only the first moments after separation; it will take about seven hours for Philae to reach the surface.

Philae is provided by a consortium led by DLR, MPS, CNES and ASI.

Credit: ESA/ATG medialab

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Rosetta orbiting around the comet

Published on Nov 10, 2014

Rosetta orbiting Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko and scanning its surface to make scientific measurements. The colours of the beams and their shape on the surface represent two different instruments imaging and analysing the comet.

The Rosetta orbiter has a total of 11 instruments to study the characteristics and environment of the comet. Rosetta is taking images of the comet at a variety of different wavelengths, measuring its gravity, mass, density, internal structure, shape and rotation, and assessing the properties of its gaseous, dust-laden atmosphere, or coma. It is also probing the surrounding plasma environment and analysing how it interacts with the solar wind.

Rosetta also carries a small lander, Philae, which will descend to the surface of the comet and make in situ measurements using its suite of 10 instruments.

The animation is not to scale; the comet is about 4.1 km wide and Rosetta is 32 m across including its solar wings, and it conducts scientific investigations at a range of altitudes. The comet shape is based on a true comet shape model.

Credits: ESA

[Airicist]

Philae lander instruments (Animation)

Published on Nov 11, 2014

Philae – a high-tech cube with an edge length of roughly one metre – is the name of the landing craft in the Rosetta Mission. Its main purpose is to conduct on the ground analysis of the comet material, probably the most primeval and oldest material found anywhere in the Solar System. The analysis is designed to focus in particular on element and isotope distribution, organic molecules, minerals and ice. The main purpose of analysing the structure and properties of the comet core is to determine the surface properties, the physical characteristics of the comet core and the structure of its layers, alongside the global internal structure. Furthermore, observations will zero in on and examine the repercussions of temporal variations, prompted by the day/night cycle and the emergence of the comet’s tail as it approaches the Sun.
"Philae lander instruments"

[Airicist]

The Rosetta Mission Asks – How Do You Land On A Comet?

Published on Nov 11, 2014

Right now the Rosetta spacecraft is in the orbit of the comet getting its lander ready for this historic event. Watch and learn how easy or how hard it is to land on a comet because nobody has done it before.

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"Arrival", "Philae's journey" and "Rosetta's waltz" by Vangelis

Published on Nov 12, 2014

The first of a trio of music videos released by ESA to celebrate the first ever attempted soft landing on a comet by ESA's Rosetta mission.

Vangelis, the world-renowned musician, has composed this piece of music specially for ESA and inspired by the Rosetta mission. Vangelis's music is often linked to themes of science, history and exploration, and he is best known for his Academy Award–winning score for the film Chariots of Fire, composing scores for the films Antarctica, Blade Runner, 1492: Conquest of Paradise and Alexander, and the use of his music in the documentary series Cosmos, by Carl Sagan.

Vangelis said: "Mythology, science and space exploration are subjects that have fascinated me since my early childhood. And they were always connected somehow with the music I write."

[Airicist]

Philae Lands On Comet! - Mission Control Celebrates

Published on Nov 12, 2014

The European Space Agency's Rosetta mission's lander successfully landed on the surface of comet 67P/C-G on Nov. 11, 2014. ESA's mission control erupts in celebration on landing confirmation. Full Story:

"European Spacecraft Lands on Comet in Historic Space Feat"

by Miriam Kramer
November 12, 2014

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Philae touchdown: lander status and first descent image

Published on Nov 13, 2014

Highlights from coverage of ESA's Rosetta mission soft-landing its Philae probe on a comet, the first time in history that such an extraordinary feat has been achieved. Including the presentation of the first ROLIS image sent back by Philae as the lander descended to the surface of the comet.

After a tense wait during the seven-hour descent to the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, the signal confirming the successful touchdown arrived on Earth at 16:03 GMT (17:03 CET).

[Airicist]

"Rosetta" -- A Kerbal Space Program Film
November 26, 2014

"... ...It spent 10 years chase down the comet", yes, this is the Rosetta Mission. Nobody had ever done something like this before, rendezvous with a comet, and soft land on it.

I spent a week recreating and recording the mission. It's actually harder than I think, and it took more time than I expected. But hey, it's here.

This is my first published video about KSP. It's inspired by Rosetta Mission, operated by European Space Agency.