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

[Administrator]

What's Next For Philae and the Comet Landing Mission?

Published on Nov 19, 2014

The European Space Agency made history by landing the Philae robotic spacecraft on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko on November 12th. The lander has been able to collect organic materials, and seems able to complete its mission of gathering and transmitting data about the comet's composition, but it's been hampered by its power source and its ability to gather solar energy. What's next for the mission? Kim Horcher, Marisha Ray ((Persona Q, Pen & Paper & Lazer Guns), and Bryan Forrest (Video Game High School, Man at Arms) discuss!

 

[Administrator]

Rosetta wrap-up

Published on Nov 21, 2014

Rosetta made history by delivering the Philae lander to the surface of a comet. This film covers the exciting events at the Rosetta mission control room at the European Space Operations Centre at Darmstadt, in Germany, from the moment of touchdown on 12 November to Philae’s hibernation.

It shows the celebrations and explains the race against time to ensure that the lander’s science experiments were completed before its batteries died. It also covers the extraordinary three touchdowns, as imaged by the OSIRIS camera on the Rosetta orbiter, the discovery of organics and Philae’s hibernation.

 

[Administrator]

ESA Euronews: Philae's adventure

Published on Nov 21, 2014

The Philae lander may be in hibernation mode on the surface of a comet, but it's still very much alive in the hearts of the Comet Hunters, the team who helped Rosetta become the most famous space mission since the Moon landings. In this special edition of Euronews Space we have an extended episode of our Comet Hunters series, filmed during and after the comet landing at ESA's base in Darmstadt and at the DLR's Philae control room in Koln.

 

[Administrator]

Lecture about comets (In Russian)

Streamed live on Nov 23, 2014

Lecturer - Researcher at the Department of Physics asteroids and comets Ivan Slyusarev, Kharkiv, INDI, November 23, 2014, Ukraine

 

[Administrator]

Rosetta's closest encounter

Published on Feb 17, 2015

On 14 February 2015, Rosetta made its closest encounter with Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasemenko at just 6 km from the surface. The spacecraft is no longer orbiting the comet, it is now performing a series of flybys to continue its science.

This video explains the next stage of the Rosetta mission, the science that will be done during 2015 by the orbiter’s flybys, and assesses the possibility of the Philae lander’s reactivation from hibernation.

So far Rosetta has only mapped about seventy percent of the surface because the comet’s orbit and rotation kept certain areas in darkness. This year new regions will come into view alongside new activity on the surface.

When the comet is at the peak of its activity in the summer, Rosetta’s instruments will be there to observe, measure and record a spectacular event.

 

[Administrator]

ESA Euronews: Rosetta continues to surprise

Published on Mar 27, 2015

The comet-chasing mission of ESA spacecraft Rosetta and its robotic lander Philae has grabbed attention from around the world with its suspenseful adventures. The science behind the mission is just as fascinating, and could help unlock secrets on how our solar system formed billions of years ago.

In 2004, Rosetta the spacecraft and Philae the robot set out on a mission to catch a distant comet called 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

What they are now doing over a decade later is re-writing, in surprising new ways, our understanding of how the solar system formed.

 

[Administrator]

Rosetta lander science

Published on Jul 31, 2015

The Rosetta orbiter is continuing its science until the end of the extended Rosetta mission in September 2016. The lander’s future is less certain. This film covers some of what we’ve learnt from Philae about comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko so far.

This includes information about the comet’s surface structure from the ROsetta Lander Imaging System – or ROLIS camera – a copy of which can be found at the German Space Agency, DLR, in Berlin.

Data from all Philae’s instruments has informed the work of the other scientific teams. Rosetta scientists have analysed grains from the comet and discovered that it contains carbon rich molecules from the early formation of our solar system.

The video also contains footage from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Germany – where a flight replica of Philae’s COSAC instrument is maintained in a vacuum chamber to test commands. COSAC has already detected over a dozen molecules containing carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen from the dust cloud kicked up from landing.

 

[Administrator]

Pieces of the Puzzle – Philae on Comet 67P

Published on Aug 12, 2015

Philae’s landing on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (#CometLanding) on 12 November 2014 was a historic moment – the first time in the history of space exploration that a spacecraft landed on a comet. Millions of people across the world followed the Rosetta mission via the Internet.
The DLR Video ‘Pieces of the Puzzle – Philae on Comet 67P’ provides an insight into the ‘roller coaster ride’ on the day of the #CometLanding: “We had to make decisions, develop concepts, alter schedules, sleep briefly and return – and then do the whole thing again and again. There was not a moment to breathe.” In the video, Koen Geurts, Philae’s Technical Manager, looks at the days immediately after the landing and the following seven months of waiting for a renewed sign of life from Philae. The ‘crazy year’ was to continue, as on 14 June 2015, the comet lander once again reported back. However, the connections thus far have been irregular and unstable. And so, all those involved in the Rosetta mission must examine the pieces of the puzzle together to decipher what is happening 266 million kilometres from Earth.

 

[Administrator]

Seconds Before Philae's 1st Comet Touchdown Visualized

Published on Oct 15, 2015

On Nov. 12th, 2014, the European Space Agency's Rosetta probe deployed its lander to the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Seven images were taken by Philae's ROLIS instrument from 219 Feet (67 meters) to 30 Feet (9 meters) of the surface of the comet. The images have been used to create a real-time look at the descent from the lander perspective.

 

[Administrator]

Back to the Beginning: The Rosetta Comet Rendezvous Mission - P. Weissman - 10/14/2015

Published on Oct 16, 2015

Learn more about the Rosetta Mission and Dr. Weissman's research:
"Back to the Beginning: The Rosetta Comet Rendezvous Mission"

Watson Lecture Preview

 

[Administrator]

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.

 

[Administrator]

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.

 

[Administrator]

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.

 

[Administrator]

Rosetta's last act

Published on Jul 19, 2016

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.

"Rosetta finale set for 30 September"

June 30, 2016

 

[Administrator]

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.

 

[Administrator]

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.

 

[Administrator]

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.

 

[Administrator]

Goodbye from Comet 67P

Published on Sep 6, 2016

Thank you all for being a part of the journey!

 

[Administrator]

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.

 

[Administrator]

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.