Rosetta Philae landing: one year
Published on Nov 11, 2015
It’s been an extraordinary year for the Rosetta comet mission since Philae landed on the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on 12 November 2014.
Continual data from the orbiter, together with information collected over several days from the lander, is providing a comprehensive picture of a remnant from our Solar System.
This film covers the most recent science news from the Rosetta mission, as well as selected scientific highlights from the last year. It includes the comet’s unusual surface terrace structure, its formation from two colliding objects producing the unusual rubber duck shape, how water is transported from inside the comet towards the surface, and the surprising detection of molecular oxygen - familiar on Earth but not on a comet.
Reconstructing Philae’s flight
Published on Nov 12, 2015
Data from both the Philae lander and Rosetta orbiter experiments, as well as simulation results based on Philae’s mechanical design have been used to reconstruct the lander’s attitude and motion during its descent and touchdowns on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on 12 November 2014.
The new animation presented today, one year after Philae touched down on the comet, focuses on Philae’s dramatic two-hour flight from Agilkia to Abydos.
Rosetta status
Published on Jun 28, 2016
Rosetta has another three months of science to collect before its historic mission comes to an end. But the mission is not resting on its laurels. It has just broken a new record by flying an orbit 7 kms from the comet’s centre – just 5 kms from the surface – and there are more breathtaking manoeuvres to come.
This film describes the orbits that Rosetta will undertake around comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the changes in the amount of gas coming off the comet, and examines the importance of finding phosphorus and glycine - an amino acid that is essential for life.
It also discusses the mission’s most recent discoveries of Xenon and Krypton, together with most of their isotopes. These noble gases were detected by the ROSINA instrument during the period when Rosetta was flying extremely close to the comet. More important science is expected to be released during the next few months.
Rosetta's last act
Published on Jul 19, 2016
"Rosetta finale set for 30 September"The European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft is set to complete its mission in a controlled descent to the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenkoon on September 30, 2016. NASA contributed three instruments to Rosetta - ALICE, MIRO, and IES - plus a significant portion of the electronics package for another instrument, ROSINA.
June 30, 2016
Rosetta’s journey around the comet
Published on Aug 5, 2016
Animation visualising Rosetta’s two-year journey around Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.
The animation begins on 31 July 2014, during Rosetta’s final approach to the comet after its ten-year journey through space. The spacecraft arrived at a distance of 100 km on 6 August whereupon it gradually approached the comet and entered initial mapping orbits that were needed to select a landing site for Philae. These observations also enabled the first comet science of the mission. The manoeuvres in the lead up to, during and after Philae’s deployment on 12 November are seen, before Rosetta settled into longer-term science orbits.
In February and March 2015 the spacecraft made several flybys. One of the closest flybys triggered a ‘safe mode’ event that forced it to retreat temporarily until it was safe to gradually draw closer again. The comet’s increased activity in the lead up to and after perihelion in August 2015 meant that Rosetta remained well beyond 100 km distances for several months.
In June 2015, contact was restored with Philae again – albeit temporary, with no permanent link able to be maintained, despite a series of dedicated trajectories flown by Rosetta for several weeks.
Following perihelion, Rosetta performed a dayside far excursion some 1500 km from the comet, before re-approaching to closer orbits again, enabled by the reduction in the comet’s activity. In March–April 2016 Rosetta went on another far excursion, this time on the night side, followed by a close flyby and orbits dedicated to a range of science observations.
The animation finishes at 9 August 2016, before the details of the end of mission orbits were known. A visualisation of the trajectories leading to the final descent to the surface of the comet on 30 September will be provided once available.
The trajectory shown in this animation is created from real data, but the comet rotation is not. An arrow indicates the direction to the Sun as the camera viewpoint changes during the animation.
Rosetta: the end is in sight
Published on Sep 2, 2016
It is just over two years since Rosetta made its rendezvous with comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and now the end of the mission is in sight.
As the spacecraft and the comet head towards Jupiter, Rosetta is getting spectacularly close to the surface - up to three kilometres so far - allowing detailed views of the comet’s cliffs, boulders and plains, as well observing changes since the orbiter’s arrival.
A ten tonne boulder, for instance, has moved by 140 metres, most likely due to activity during perihelion, when the comet was at its closest point to the Sun.
This video provides an overview of recent events in preparation for the mission’s end on 30 September, when Rosetta will spiral down to a landing site on the head of the duck shaped comet, performing science and taking images along the way.
Philae found by Rosetta!
Published on Sep 5, 2016
Images taken by Rosetta’s camera revealed Philae’s location on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. The Philae lander descended onto Comet 67P on 12 November 2014. The images were taken by the OSIRIS narrow-angle camera on 2 September 2016, as Rosetta spacecraft came within 2.7 km of the surface.
Rosetta - advancing cometary science
Published on Sep 9, 2016
Rosetta was the first mission to orbit a comet and the first mission to land on a comet. Since its arrival at Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on 6 August 2014, Rosetta’s data has also transformed cometary science.
This film showcases some of the Rosetta’s scientific highlights before the orbiter shuts down operations and joins Philae on the surface of the comet on 30 September. This includes findings by the OSIRIS, VIRTIS, ROSINA and ALICE instruments. The mission results so far have made scientists rethink our picture of comets as dirty snowballs due to a lack of strong evidence for ice on the comet surface. Instead the ice is buried beneath the surface, covered by a layer of dust. This dust layer means that the comet is very dark, only reflecting a few per cent of the light that falls on it.
Although the spacecraft mission will end, the data obtained by Rosetta will provide enough work to keep scientists busy for decades.
Rosetta’s final path
Published on Sep 22, 2016
Animation of Rosetta’s final trajectory in the last 10 days of its mission at Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.
On 24 September 2016, Rosetta will leave a close flyover orbit and transfer into the start of a 16 x 23 km orbit that will be used to prepare and line up for the final descent. In the evening of 29 September (20:50 GMT) Rosetta will manoeuvre onto a collision course with the comet, beginning the descent from an altitude of 19 km. The spacecraft will fall freely, without further manoeuvres, collecting scientific data during the descent.
The trajectory shown in this animation is created from real data provided in the last month, but may not necessarily follow the exact distance/time details because of natural deviations in the trajectory associated with the comet’s gravity and outgassing.
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