A 3-D reconstruction of the Rosetta comet (67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko)
in a 2003 model from the Hubble Space Telescope.
Credit: NASA, ESA and Philippe Lamy (Laboratoire d�Astronomie Spatiale)
Video Introduction to Comet67p
Making Ambition the film
<
Published on Oct 24, 2014
Ambition is a collaboration between Platige Image and ESA. Directed by Tomek Baginski
and starring Aiden Gillen and Aisling Franciosi,
Ambition was shot on location in Iceland, and screened on 24 October 2014 during
the British Film Institute�s celebration of Sci-Fi:
Days of Fear and Wonder, at the Southbank, London.
Ambition the film
<
Video from ESA!
Published on Oct 24, 2014
Ambition is a collaboration between Platige Image and ESA. Directed by Tomek Baginski
and starring Aiden Gillen and Aisling Franciosi,
Ambition was shot on location in Iceland, and screened on 24 October 2014 during
the British Film Institute�s celebration of Sci-Fi:
Days of Fear and Wonder, at the Southbank,
Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.GOOGLE HANGOUT
ESA�s Rosetta Spacecraft nears final approach to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
in late July 2014. This collage of imagery from Rosetta combines Navcam camera images
at right taken nearing final approach from July 25 to July 31, 2014, with OSIRIS wide angle camera
image at left of comet�s coma on July 25 from a distance of around 3000 km. On July 31 Rosetta
had approached to within 1327 km. Images to scale and contrast enhanced to show further detail.
Credit: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM/OSIRIS/MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
Collage/Processing: Marco Di Lorenzo/Ken Kremer � kenkremer.com
Read more:
Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.The 10 Year Mission
After a ten year journey, Rosetta and Philae will attempt the first soft landing upon
a comet�s surface. (Credits: ESA, Composite, T.Reyes)
ESA has announced that on September 15, the team from the Rosetta mission will reveal
the landing site for the Philae lander.
After traveling on a 10-year, 6.4 billion kilometer journey, Rosetta has been gently
captured by comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, an oddly-shaped
and mysterious two-lobed comet. Yet, how will the small Philea attempt the landing?
Very carefully, because a second chance is not possible.
Philae cannot pull up and try again.
Rosetta�s twelve-year journey in space
Title Rosetta�s twelve-year journey in space
Released 11/10/2013
Length 00:02:05
Language English
Footage Type Animation
Copyright ESA
Description
This animation tracks Rosetta�s journey through the Solar System, using gravity slingshots
from Earth and Mars to reach its final destination:
Comet 67P/Churyumov�Gerasimenko. Rosetta made three flybys of Earth, on 4 March 2005,
13 November 2007 and 13 November 2009, and one of Mars, on 25 February 2007.
Rosetta has also visited two asteroids, taking extensive close-up images of 2867 Steins
on 5 September 2008 and 21 Lutetia on 10 July 2010.
Once the spacecraft is woken up from deep space hibernation on 20 January 2014,
it will head for rendezvous with the comet in May.
In November the Philae probe will be deployed to the comet surface. Rosetta will follow
the comet to its closest distance to the Sun on 13 August 2015
and as it moves back towards the outer Solar System. The nominal mission end is December 2015.
A song made out of a comet.
by Andrew Huang
67P compared to other comets, asteroids and Earth objects. Even the Death Star. Illustration by Judy Schmidt.
We�ve seen a bunch of pictures comparing Comet 67P/Churyumov�Gerasimenko with all kinds of cities and objects on Earth,
but it�s hard to put everything in perspective. Just how big is this thing? How big is it compared to other asteroids and comets we�ve imaged?
What about more familiar objects, like the Burj Khalifa and Central Park?
Rosetta�s 67P Comet Compared to Everything, Including the Death Star
by FRASER CAIN on OCTOBER 27, 2014
Published on Nov 20, 2014
I'm in Amsterdam next week! Meetup on November 27, 6pm near the statue in the Dam Square. :)
When I first heard that the ESA had not only landed on but recorded audio from a comet,
I knew I had to make something out of it. This is my reworking of the Beatles' awesome cosmic ballad
"Across the Universe" which, apart from my singing, was created entirely with sounds from the Rosetta space probe's
recording of Comet 67P/Churyumov�Gerasimenko.
Check out this video of the sound design process:
The original recording "A Singing Comet" can be heard on the
European Space Agency's SoundCloud at
This cover is available for download as part of an entire album produced with the
sounds of the comet which I'm wrapping up work on this week.
Pre-order it at
Thank you to my patrons for supporting my space music! Hit this up if you want
to get the best deal on all my future releases: European Space Agency's
SoundCloud at
Follow:
YouTubeSoundCloud Facebook Twitter TumblrInstagram
Written by Lennon/McCartney.
Audio by Andrew Huang.
Video by Philip Bowser and Andrew Huang.
Category
Music
License
Standard YouTube License
Mission summary
The Discovery That Proved the Opposite to Scientists!
Comets could be the mysterious messengers of life in the cosmos! Imagine how first life
like bacteria or water molecules were brought to Earth by comets. How nice
it would be if we finally had proof of this theory!
To that end, ESA sent a probe to comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Join us today
on this journey and sit back in your chairs with excitement as we add a
whole new dimension to your knowledge of the cosmos.
Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.From the Rosetta Mission(June 14)
Animation of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko rotating as seen by Rosetta on June 27-28, 2014
This is really getting exciting! ESA�s Rosetta spacecraft (and the piggybacked Philae lander)
are in the home stretch to arrive at Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in 34 days and the comet is showing up quite nicely
in Rosetta�s narrow-angle camera.
The animation above, assembled from 36 NAC images acquired last week, shows 67P/C-G rotating over a total elapsed time of 12.4 hours.
Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.From the Rosetta Mission(July 14, 2014)
Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko was imaged on 14 July 2014 by OSIRIS, Rosetta�s scientific imaging system, from a distance of approximately 12 000 km.
This movie uses a sequence of 36 interpolated images each separated by 20 minutes, providing a 360� preview of the complex shape of the comet.
The images have been processed using �sub-sampling by interpolation�, a technique that removes the pixelisation and makes a smoother image.
It does not, however, reveal hidden detail and it is therefore important to note that the comet�s surface is not very likely to be as smooth
as the processing implies. The images suggest that the comet may consist of two parts: one segment seems to be rather elongated, while the other appears more bulbous.
A view of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko�s nucleus, appearing to show a double binary.
Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
It appears that Rosetta�s comet has a double nucleus. A video from the spacecraft
speeding towards Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko shows what looks two lobes touching each other,
which could send a small wrinkle in the plans to land Philae on the comet�s surface later this year.
WOW! We�re really getting to the good stuff now!
This is no computer-generated shape model, this is the real deal:
the double-lobed nucleus of Comet 67P/C-G, as imaged by Rosetta�s OSIRIS
(Optical, Spectroscopic, and Infrared Remote Imaging System) narrow-angle camera on Tuesday, July 29.
This animation comprises 101 images acquired by the Navigation Camera on board ESA's Rosetta spacecraft
as it approached comet 67P/C-G in August 2014. The first image was taken on 1 August at 11:07 UTC (12:07 CEST),
at a distance of 832 km. The last image was taken 6 August at 06:07 UTC (08:07 CEST) at a distance of 110 km.
Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko at 621 miles (1,000 km) on August 1,2014
Wow! Look at that richly-textured surface. This photo has higher resolution
than previous images released by ESA because it was taken with Rosetta�s narrow angle camera.
The black spot is an artifact.
Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
Read more: http://www.universetoday.com/#ixzz39LmV51LQ
Rosetta Orbiter less than 500 Kilometers from Comet 67P Following Penultimate Trajectory Burn
by Ken Kremer on August 3, 2014
Latest NAVCAM camera image taken on 2 August 2014 from a distance of about
500 kilometers from comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Credits: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM
Read more: http://www.universetoday.com/#ixzz39SkO0qNp
NAV CAM And Even Closer and closer!!!!(August 5, 2014)
NAVCAM image taken on 3 August 2014 from a distance
of about 300 km from comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
The Sun is towards the bottom of the image in this orientation.
Credits: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM
Almost there!!!!
Where would you land here?
Newly released NAVCAM image taken by Rosetta on 5 August 2014
from a distance of about 145 km from comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
Image has been rotated 180 degrees. Credit: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM
Following the flawless and history making arrival of the European Space Agency�s (ESA)
Rosetta spacecraft at its long sought destination of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on Wednesday, Aug. 6,
the goal of conducting ground breaking science at this utterly alien and bizarre icy wanderer that looks like a
�Scientific Disneyland� can actually begin.
for Ambitious Study of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko after 10 Year Voyage
The image of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko was taken by Rosetta�s OSIRIS
narrow-angle camera on 3 August 2014 from a distance of 285 km.
Credits: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
Story updated
�We�re at the comet! Yes,� exclaimed Rosetta Spacecraft Operations Manager Sylvain Lodiot,
confirming the spacecraft�s historic arrival at Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko during a live webcast
this morning, Aug. 6, from mission control at ESA�s spacecraft operations centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany.
A close-up view of Comet 67P/Churyumov�Gerasimenko taken by the Rosetta spacecraft on Aug. 7, 2014.
Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
Stunning Images from Rosetta Show Closeup Views of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Close-up detail of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
Credits: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
Rosetta has arrived! After traveling more than ten years, ESA�s Rosetta spacecraft reached
comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. These most recent images shared from the Rosetta team were obtained
from a distance of 285 kilometers above 67P�s surface, and scientists say they surpass all pictures taken
from earlier space missions of cometary surfaces.
Visible are steep slopes and precipices, sharp-edged rock structure, prominent pits, and smooth, wide plains.
by Elizabeth Howell on August 11, 2014
Step Right Up And Tour Rosetta�s Comet! Where Shall We Land?
A picture of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko taken Aug. 8, 2014
by the Rosetta spacecraft. Credit: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM
What�s one of the first things you do when arriving at a new destination?
Likely it would be scoping out the local neighborhood. Getting a sense of its
terrain and the good things to do around there.
Rosetta�s Comet Already Spewing Dust, One Year Before Getting Close To The Sun(AUG 14, 2014)
A view of the nucleus of Comet 67P/Churyumov�Gerasimenko
taken by the Rosetta spacecraft Aug. 11, 2014. Credit: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM
Mark your calendars, astronomy geeks: exactly one year from today,
the comet the Rosetta spacecraft is chasing will make its closest approach to the Sun.
As Comet 67P/Churyumov�Gerasimenko draws closer to the star, the radiation pressure will cause gas,
ice and dust to stream off the comet in ever greater quantities, scientists expect.
A 3-D image from the Rosetta spacecraft showing Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
and its boulder-strewn �neck� region. Also visible is an exposed cliff face and numerous
crater-like depressions.
Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA.
Rosetta Moving Closer to Comet 67P Hunting for Philae Landing Site
Animation Caption: Possible landing sites on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
The model shows the illumination of the comets surface and regions under landing site
consideration for the Philae lander on board ESA�s Rosetta spececraft . Credit: CNES
�The race is on� to find a safe and scientifically interesting landing site for the
Philae lander piggybacked on ESA�s Rosetta spacecraft as it swoops in ever closer to the
heavily cratered Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko since arriving two weeks ago after a
decade long chase of 6.4 billion kilometers (4 Billion miles).
Animated gif of Rosetta Moving Closer to Comet 67P Hunting for Philae Landing Site
>
Comet67P Possible Landing Sites
Five candidate sites were identified on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
for Rosetta�s Philae lander. The approximate locations of the five regions are marked
on these OSIRIS narrow-angle camera images taken on 16 August 2014 from a distance of about 100 km.
Enlarged insets below highlight 5 landing zones.
Credits: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA Processing: Marco Di Lorenzo/Ken Kremer
Story updated
Four-image photo mosaic comprising images taken by Rosetta�s navigation camera on 31 August 2014
from a distance of 61 km from comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The mosaic has been contrast enhanced to bring out details.
The comet nucleus is about 4 km across.
Credits: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM/Ken Kremer � kenkremer.com/Marco Di Lorenzo
Artist impression of Philae on the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
Credit: ESA/ATG medialab
Since rendezvousing with the comet after a decade long chase of over 6.4 billion kilometers (4 Billion miles),
a top priority task for the science and engineering team leading Rosetta has been �Finding a landing strip� for the Philae comet lander.
Rosetta�s Philae Lander: A Swiss Army Knife of Scientific Instruments
Rosetta�s Philae lander includes a carefully selected set of instruments and is being prepared for a November 11th dispatch
to analyze a comet�s surface. (Credit: ESA, Composite � T.Reyes)
When traveling to far off lands, one packs carefully. What you carry must be comprehensive but not so much that it is a burden.
And once you arrive, you must be prepared to do something extraordinary to make the long journey worthwhile.
ESA�s Rosetta Mission sets November 12th as the Landing Date for Philae by Tim Reyes on September 27, 2014
Illustration of the Rosetta Missions Philae lander on final approach to a comet surface.
The date is now set for landing, November 12. (Photo: ESA)
ESA Rosetta mission planners have selected November 12th, one day later than initially planned,
for the historic landing of Philae on a comet�s surface. The landing on 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko will be especially challenging
for the washing machine-sized lander. While mission scientists consider their choice of comet for the mission to be an incredibly
good one for scientific investigation and discovery, the irregular shape and rugged terrain also make for a risky landing.
The whole landing is not unlike the challenge one faces in shooting a moving target in a carnival arcade game; however,
this moving target is 20 kilometers below and it is also rotating.
Philae Lander Early Science Results: Ice, Organic Molecules and Half a Foot of Dust
Philae�s MUPUS probe took temperature measurements and hammered into the surface at the landing site to discover
a layer of very hard water ice. Credit: ESA
An uncontrolled, chaotic landing. Stuck in the shadow of a cliff without energy-giving sunlight.
Philae and team persevered. With just 60 hours of battery power, the lander drilled, hammered and gathered science data on the surface
of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko before going into hibernation.
Landing on a Comet: The Trailer
Artist�s impression of the 100-kg Philae lander (screenshot) Credit: ESA/DLR
In less than a month, on November 12, 2014, the 100-kg Philae lander will separate from ESA�s Rosetta spacecraft
and descend several kilometers down to the dark, dusty and frozen surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko,
its three spindly legs and rocket-powered harpoon all that will keep it from crashing or bouncing hopelessly back out into space.
It will be the culmination of a decade-long voyage across the inner Solar System, a testament to human ingenuity
and inventiveness and a shining example of the incredible things we can achieve through collaboration.
But first, Philae has to get there� it has to touch down safely and successfully become, as designed, the first human-made object
to soft-land on the nucleus of a comet.
First Attempt to Contact Hibernating Philae Lander Will Be March 12, 2015
by NANCY ATKINSON on MARCH 10, 2015
Artist rendition of the Philae lander on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Credit: DLR.
Where is the Philae lander and will it wake up again? Those are the questions the team at the DLR Lander Control Center
will be trying to answer starting this week. Thursday, March 12 provides the first possibility to receive a signal from Rosetta�s lander,
sitting somewhere on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
Rosetta�s Comet Looms In The Dark In Close-Up Spacecraft Shot(August 23,2014)
The Rosetta navigation camera sent back this image of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
on Aug. 23, showing about a quarter of the four-kilometer (2.5-mile) comet.
This image was acquired from a distance of 61 kilometers (38 miles).
Credit: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM
In this delightful portrayal of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, we see the 2.5-mile-wide object close
to true color with downtown Los Angeles, Calif. for size reference.
Despite appearances in photos, comets are coal-black objects.
Credit: ESA and anosmicovni
Jagged cliffs and prominent boulders are visible in this image taken by OSIRIS on 5 September 2014
from a distance of 62 kilometres from comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The left part of the image shows
a side view of the comet�s �body�, while the right is the back of its �head�. One pixel corresponds to 1.1 metres.
Credits: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
Philae Snaps a Spacetastic Selfie(September 7, 2014)
Image of Rosetta�s solar panel and comet 67P/C-G taken by Philae�s CIVA instrument on Sept. 7, 2014 (ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA)
Spacecraft �selfies� are always a treat and this one is doubly awesome: taken by the Philae lander piggybacked onto ESA�s Rosetta,
it shows one of the spacecraft�s 14-meter-long (46-foot) solar arrays glinting with reflected sunlight while off in the distance is the double-lobed
nucleus of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko!
Rosetta has been circling the comet for over a month now and returning some truly amazing images, but leave it to little Philae to put it all
into perspective. Such a show-stealer! (Not that we mind, of course.)
Creepy Comet Looms In The Background Of Newest Philae Spacecraft Selfie
The Philae spacecraft takes a selfie Oct. 7 with its target, 67P/Churyumov�Gerasimenko,
from an altitude of about 9.9 miles (16 kilometers). Credit: ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA
So this spacecraft � taking this picture � is going to land on the surface of THAT comet.
Doesn�t this give you a pit in your stomach? This is a selfie taken from the Philae spacecraft that, riding piggyback,
captured the side of the Rosetta spacecraft orbiting Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
Several different surface regions are shown in this map, which is oriented with the comet's 'body' in the foreground
and the 'head' in the background. The map is expected to help researchers pick a suitable place to drop a lander in November -
the first time a landing on a comet has ever been attempted
The map shows 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko�s �continents� based on the variations on the comet�s surface.
Various areas are dominated by cliffs, depressions, craters, boulders and even parallel grooves, with
some regions still being shaped by the comet�s activity.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2750705/Rosetta-maps-comets-continents-From-sheer-cliffs-deep-craters-colourful-graphic-reveals-different-terrains-67P.html#ixzz3D07BCKgp
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>
Here�s a High-Res Look at Philae�s Landing Spot
by JASON MAJOR on OCTOBER 15, 2014
Mosaic of OSIRIS images of landing site �J� on Comet 67P/CG. Credits: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
The long-awaited deployment of the Philae lander, currently �piggybacked� aboard ESA�s Rosetta spacecraft orbiting the nucleus of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko,
will occur in less than a month and we now have our best look yet at the area now green-lighted for touchdown. The picture above, made from two images acquired
by Rosetta�s OSIRIS imaging instrument, shows a 500-meter circle centered on �Site J,� a spot on the comet�s �head� carefully chosen by mission scientists
as the best place in which Philae should land, explore, and ultimately travel around the Sun for the rest of its days. And as of today, it�s a GO!
New Scientist Live:Just 3 weeks to go! Book tickets to our festival of ideas and discovery – 22-25 September in London
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SHORT SHARP SCIENCE 5 September 2016
Found: Philae lander finally spotted by Rosetta on comet 67P
Finally, Philae has been spotted
ESA/Rosetta/NavCam – CC BY-SA IGO 3.0
By Jacob Aron
One of the greatest space exploration stories of recent times finally has a happy ending. The Philae lander,
thought lost after its botched touchdown on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in November 2014, has been found.
Images taken last Friday by the orbiting Rosetta spacecraft reveal that its marooned companion is wedged against a dark cliff
on the comet’s surface, just as mission managers at the European Space Agency suspected.
The find comes just weeks before Rosetta is expected to make its own landing on the comet, ending the successful two-year mission.
ESA has known Philae’s rough location since June 2015, when the lander unexpectedly woke up and briefly resumed radio contact,
but pin-pointing its exact final resting place has been key goal of the mission.
Geography and sunlight on comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko
A shape model for Rosetta's comet as of August 6, 2014.
The colorful model on the left shows how much illumination the comet surface receives over the course of its day (red is brighter, blue is darker).
On the right, a coordinate system has been superimposed. Lines of longitude converge at the north spin pole.
The 180-degree longitude line runs through the narrow end of the comet. Here is a version that spins more slowly.
ESA / Rosetta / DLR / MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS / UPD / LAM / IAA / SSO / INTA / UPM / DASP / IDA
Context image showing the location of the primary landing site for Rosetta�s lander Philae.
Site J is located on the head of Comet 67P/Churyumov�Gerasimenko. An inset showing a close up of the landing site is also shown.
The inset image was taken by Rosetta�s OSIRIS narrow-angle camera on 20 August 2014 from a distance of about 67 km.
The image scale is 1.2 metres/pixel. The background image was taken on 16 August from a distance of about 100 km.
Credits: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
>
Animation of landing on COMET67P
Published on Oct 15, 2014
Animation showing Rosetta�s orbit in the lead up to, during and after lander separation.
The animation begins on 1 October 2014, when Rosetta is orbiting about 19 km from Comet 67P/Churyumov�Gerasimenko
distances refer to the comet�s centre). The animation shows the transition to the close 10 km orbit by mid-October,
then the steps taken to move onto the pre-separation trajectory.
On the day of landing, 12 November, Rosetta makes a further manoeuvre 2�3 hours before separation to move to 22.5 km from the comet centre
deploy the lander, Philae. While Philae descends to the surface over a period of seven hours, Rosetta makes another manoeuvre to maintain visibility
h the lander. A series of 'relay phase' manoeuvres then move Rosetta out to a distance of about 50 km, before moving first to a 30 km orbit
later to an orbit at about 20 km by early December.
The speed of the animation slows during the separation and lander phase to better highlight these events. The comet shape and rate of rotation is real � the comet rotates with a period of about 12.4 hours.
>
Trailer: LANDING ON A COMET � The Rosetta Mission
Published on Oct 14, 2014
Few things could be more fascinating or demanding in the history of European space travel than the Rosetta comet mission. Launched on 2 March 2004,
the spacecraft set off on its 10-year journey to the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko .
The lander, Philae, will separate from its parent craft on 12 November 2014, touch down on the comet and immediately fire harpoons to anchor itself
on the surface. The two spacecraft will then accompany the comet on its month-long journey to the point at which it is closest to the Sun.
>
LANDING ON A COMET � The VIDEO
Published on Nov 3, 2014
Visit http://science.nasa.gov/ for more.
The European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft is about to attempt something "ridiculously difficult"
landing a probe on the surface of a speeding comet.
JPL Rosetta Mission Site - http://rosetta.jpl.nasa.gov/
ESA/Rosetta Mission Site - http://rosetta.esa.int
Try your hand at landing a spacecraft on a comet with NASA Space Place's Comet Quest!: http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/comet-quest/
>
: Comet Landing Countdown: Why �Agilkia� Is The New Name For Philae Touchdown Site
by ELIZABETH HOWELL on NOVEMBER 4, 2014
Philae�s landing site, dubbed Agilkia, as seen by the Rosetta spacecraft on Oct. 30, 2014. The spacecraft was 26.8 km (16.7 miles)
from Comet 67P/Churyumov�Gerasimenko�s center when the picture was taken. Credit: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM � CC BY-SA IGO 3.0
After sifting through 8,000 entries in multiple languages � even in Esperanto! �
the contest to name Philae�s landing site on Comet 67P/Churyumov�Gerasimenko has resulted in an Egyptian-themed name.
Rosetta�s Comet in Thrilling 3-D by Bob King on October 3, 2014
3D view created by Mattias Malmer of the recent ESA image (below) showing multiple jets of gas
and dust spraying from Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Grab your red-blue plastic glasses and prepare
to enter another dimension. Click for large version. Credit: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM/processing by Mattias Malmer
She�s gonna blow! Rosetta�s navigation camera recently grabbed our best view yet of the geyser-like jets spraying
from the nucleus of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. They were taken on September 26 as the spacecraft orbited the comet
at a distance of just 16 miles (26 km) and show jets of water vapor and dust erupting from several discrete locations beneath
the surface along the neck region of the comet�s nucleus.
I'm thrilled to be able to share with you all a spectacular set of images of Rosetta's comet,
produced from NavCam data by a master space image processing enthusiast. Mattias Malmer has been working with space image data for many years,
producing iconic images -- his version of the Mariner 10 global view of Venus is my go-to image of that planet.
He dropped out of the space image processing scene for a few years, but the amazing Rosetta NavCam views
of Churyumov-Gerasimenko have drawn him back.
A close-up of a boulder nicknamed �Cheops� on the surface of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Image taken by the Rosetta spacecraft.
Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
As the Rosetta spacecraft drops a bit closer to its target comet, some really cool features are popping into view. For example,
look at this picture of a 150-foot (45-meter) rock on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko,
which was taken in September and released today (Oct. 9).
And it�s led to the decision to have an Egyptian theme to naming features on the comet.
This Rosetta image of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko shows spectacular jets erupting from the small body on Sept. 10, 2014.
Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
Jets spring from the �neck� area of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The smaller lobe is on the left,
and the larger on the right. These images were taken about 7.2 kilometers (4.5 miles) from the surface.
Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
Jet! Rosetta�s Comet Is Feeling The Heat As Gas and Dust Erupts From Surface
by Elizabeth Howell on November 26, 2014
Gas and dust stream from Comet 67P/Churyumov�Gerasimenko
in this mosaic from the Rosetta spacecraft taken Nov. 20, 2014. Credit: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM � CC BY-SA IGO 3.0
Get a load of those streaks! Rosetta�s comet is picking up in activity as it moves ever closer to the Sun,
sending out a steady stream of gas and dust captured in this image released today (Nov. 26).
It�s also possible that there might be an �atmosphere� developing around the comet,
although the images aren�t clear on if that�s an artifact of Rosetta itself.
How Dust Lightens Up The �Dark Side� Of Rosetta�s Comet
This �dark side� image of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko shows light backscattered from dust particles in the coma surrounding the comet,
which helps scientists search for surface features. The picture was taken by the Rosetta spacecraft Sept. 29 from about 19 kilometers (12 miles).
Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
How do you see a side of a comet that is usually shrouded in darkness? For the plucky scientists using the Rosetta spacecraft,
the answer comes down to using dust to their advantage. They�re trying to catch a glimpse of the shadowed southern side using light
scattering from dust particles in anticipation of watching the comet�s activity heat up next year.
Just released �farewell photo� taken by the Philae lander as it departed Rosetta around 2:30 a.m. (CST) today.
It shows the one of the solar arrays. Credit: ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA
Anticipation is intense as the Philae lander free-falls to the surface of Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko this morning.
The final �Go� for separation from the Rosetta spacecraft was given around 2:30 a.m.; Philae�s now well on its way to Agilkia,
the target landing site atop the 67P/C-G�s largerEverything is running smoothly except for one potential problem.
During checks on the lander�s health, it was discovered that the active descent system, which provides a thrust to avoid
rebound at the moment of touchdown, can�t be activated.
Title Farewell Philae - narrow-angle view
Released 12/11/2014 3:59 pm
Copyright ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
Description
Rosetta�s OSIRIS narrow-angle camera captured this parting shot of the Philae lander after separation.
The lander separated from the orbiter at 09:03 GMT/10:03 CET and is expected to touch down on Comet 67P/Churyumov�Gerasimenko
seven hours later. Confirmation of a successful touchdown is expected in a one-hour window centred on 16:02 GMT / 17:02 CET.
Rosetta and Philae had been riding through space together for more than 10 years.
While Philae is set to become the first probe to land on a comet, Rosetta is the first to
rendezvous with a comet and follow it around the Sun. The information collected by Philae at one
location on the surface will complement that collected by the Rosetta orbiter for the entire comet.
This animation shows the Philae lander falling away from Rosetta from 10:24 to 14:24 on November 12, 2014,
in images taken an hour apart, beginning about two hours after the spacecraft separated at 08:35.
ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
COMET LANDING THE VIDEO
Published on Nov 5, 2014
After a ten-year journey, Rosetta and Philae had finally reached their destination, Comet 67P/Churyumov�Gerasimenko.
Rosetta spent many weeks studying the comet, sending lots of information back to Earth. But where was Philae going to land?
Eventually the scientists on Earth found the best place on the comet for Philae to land. Soon it was time to make the final preparations
for Philae's great adventure. Both spacecraft couldn't wait any longer. The whole world would be watching as Rosetta and Philae prepared
for their biggest challenge yet...
2014 HD The Comet Catcher The Extraordinary Rosetta Landing
Published on Dec 21, 2014
The Rosetta probe, which was carrying Philae, launched into space in 2004,
using the gravity of Earth and Mars to slingshot its way towards comet 67P.
It chased comet 67P/Churyumov�Gerasimenko through space for more than ten years, and entered orbit in August 2014.
Where The Heck Did Philae Land?
Rosetta Team Narrows The Cometary Search
A 3-D image of Comet 67P/Churyumov�Gerasimenko taken from the Philae lander as it descended.
The picture is a combination of two images from the Rosetta Lander Imaging System (ROLIS) taken about an hour before landing at 10:34 a.m. EST (3:34 p.m. UTC) on Nov. 12, 2014.
Credit: ESA/Rosetta/Philae/ROLIS/DLR
The first soft comet landing Nov. 12 showed us how space missions can quickly drift to the unexpected.
Philae�s harpoons to secure it failed to fire, and the spacecraft drifted for an incredible two hours across
Comet 67P/Churyumov�Gerasimenko before coming to rest � somewhere. But where? And can the orbiting Rosetta spacecraft find it?
PHILAE THE LANDER
Philae's instruments
Philae has 10 instruments:
APXS: Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer, for studying elemental composition
CIVA: Comet Nucleus Infrared and Visible Analyser, six black-and-white cameras for panoramic imaging
CONSERT: COmet Nucleus Sounding Experiment by Radiowave Transmission, for studying comet interior
COSAC: The COmetary SAmpling and Composition, an evolved gas analyzer for identifying organic molecules
Ptolemy: an evolved gas analyzer for measuring isotopes of light elements
MUPUS: MUlti-PUrpose Sensors for Surface and Sub-Surface Science, for studying comet physical properties
ROLIS: Rosetta Lander Imaging System, will provide context images of landing site
ROMAP: Rosetta Lander Magnetometer and Plasma Monitor, for studying the magnetic field and plasma environment of the comet
SD2: Sampling, drilling and distribution subsystem, can drill to 23 centimeters depth
SESAME: Surface Electric Sounding and Acoustic Monitoring Experiment, for studying comet physical properties
Landing On COMET67P Music by Vangelis
Scientists hope that Philae and its 10 instruments will conduct 64 hours of work before its batteries drain.
After that, if the dust and gas rising from the comet do not obscure too much sunlight,
Philae�s solar panels are to recharge the batteries enough to provide an hour�s worth of observation every couple of days.
Engineers expect Philae to survive until next March, when the surface of the comet becomes too hot.
Philae�s First Photos; Update on its Troubled Landing
by Bob King on November 12, 2014
First photo released of Comet 67P/C-G taken by Philae during its descent. The view is just 1.8 miles above the comet
and dropping! Part of a lander leg can be seen at upper right. Credit: ESA/Rosetta/Philae/ROLIS/DLR
67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko at 8:38 a.m. (CST) today(11-12-2014.
Philae�s Incredible Comet-Landing Sequence Shows Up In Fresh Rosetta Images/P>
Images from the Rosetta spacecraft show Philae drifting across the surface of its target comet during landing Nov. 12, 2014.
Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
Wow! New images released from the Rosetta spacecraft orbiting Comet 67P/Churyumov�Gerasimenko show the spacecraft
coming in for its (first) landing on Wednesday (Nov. 12). �The mosaic comprises a series of images captured by Rosetta�s OSIRIS camera
over a 30 minute period spanning the first touchdown,�
Image from the Philae lander as it approached the surface. Credit: ESA
T O U C H D O W N !!!!
Excitement ripples through the ESA control room with the news that Philae successfully landed on the comet this morning.
That�s Andrea Accomazzo, Rosetta Flight Director, at left. Credit: ESA
Documentary 2014 Landing On A Comet Rosetta Mission 2014 New Details
Published on Nov 13, 2014
Documentary Landing On A Comet Rosetta Mission 2014 New
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Panoramic view of COMET67P
Rosetta�s lander Philae has returned the first panoramic image from the surface of a comet.
The view, unprocessed, as it has been captured by the CIVA-P imaging system, shows a 360� view around the point of final touchdown.
The three feet of Philae�s landing gear can be seen in some of the frames. Credit: ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA
PHILAE's Landing site
The animated image above provides strong evidence that Philae touched down for the first time almost precisely where intended.
The animation comprises images recorded by Rosetta�s navigation camera as the orbiter flew over the (intended)
Philae landing site on November 12th. The dark area is probably dust raised by the craft on touchdown.
The boulder to the right of the circle is seen in detail in the photo below. Credit: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM � CC BY-SA IGO 3.0
Comet-Bouncing Philae Spacecraft Caught On Camera In Newly Enhanced Images
The Rosetta spacecraft spotted Philae and its shadow shortly after the lander touched down on Comet 67P/Churyumov�Gerasimenko
and bounced up again. The first image is taken on Nov. 12, 2014 at 10:30 a.m. EDT (3:30 p.m. UTC) and the second five minutes later.
Credit: SA/Rosetta/NAVCAM; pre-processed by Mikel Catania
Philae�s Wild Comet Landing: Crater Grazing, Spinning And Landing In Parts Unknown
Philae landed nearly vertically on its side with one leg up in outer space.
Here we see it in relation to the panoramic photos taken with the CIVA cameras. Credit: ESA
No, scientists haven�t found Philae yet. But as they churn through the scientific data on the comet lander,
more information is emerging about the crazy landing last month that included three touchdowns and an incredible
two hours of drifting before Philae came to rest in a relatively shady spot on the surface.
Did Philae Land In That Comet Crater? One Month Later, The Search Continues
A mosaic of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko taken Dec. 2, 2014 with the Rosetta spacecraft.
The shadowed area is a crater in which Philae is expected to be. Credit: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM � CC BY-SA IGO 3.0
Don�t forget about Philae! The comet lander made a touchdown a month ago this week on its target,
marking the first time we�ve ever made a soft landing on such a body. Celebrations were quickly mixed with confusion,
however, as controllers realized the spacecraft drifted quite a ways off target. In fact, we still don�t know exactly where it is.
New Pictures Of Philae�s Lonely Resting Spot On The Comet Emerge
This (in blue) is where the Philae lander came to rest on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
The graphic is based on topographic modelling of the comet�s nucleus and Philae�s picture of a nearby cliff (in white).
Credit: ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CNES/FD/CIVA
In scientific style, researchers are slowly narrowing down where the Philae lander arrived on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
Earlier today (Dec. 17) at the American Geophysical Union meeting, more pictures from the European spacecraft were released showing its
landing site and also what the terrain looked like underneath Philae as it bounced to its destination.
The pictures were also placed on NASA�s website.
Until now, all photos of the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko have been in greyscale.
According to a research paper that will be presented at the American Geophysical Union's 2014 Fall Meeting,
you are looking at its first true color photo, taken with Rosetta's OSIRIS camera.
The reason why the image is blurred is because the comet moved between exposures, as a Reddit user showed by separating
the RGB (Red, Green, and Blue) channels in the composite color image and making this animated GIF:
OSIRIS Image of the Day
Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
OSIRIS was built by a consortium led by the Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, Göttingen, Germany,
in collaboration with CISAS, University of Padova, Italy, the Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille, France,
the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucia, CSIC, Granada, Spain, the Scientific Support Office of the European Space Agency,
Noordwijk, The Netherlands, the Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Madrid, Spain, the Universidad Politéchnica de Madrid, Spain,
the Department of Physics and Astronomy of Uppsala University, Sweden, and the Institut für Datentechnik und Kommunikationsnetze der Technischen
Universität Braunschweig, Germany.
Careful! It’s slippery out there. Bright patches seen in 67P/C-G’s Khepry region
appear to be boulders with exposed surfaces of water ice. Scale bar is 50 meters or 164 feet.
Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
OSIRIS Image of the Day
Examples of six different bright patches identified on the surface of 67P/C-G
in images taken last September when Rosetta was 20-50 km from the comet.
The center panel points to the broad regions in which they were discovered (not specific locations).
120 bright regions, including clusters of bright features, isolated features and individual boulders, were seen.
The false color images were taken at different times and have been stretched and slightly saturated to
emphasis color contrasts so that dark terrains appear redder and bright regions appear significantly bluer
compared with what the human eye would normally see. Credit: SA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
Examples of icy bright patches and clusters seen in September 2014.
The two left hand images are crops of OSIRIS narrow-angle camera images acquired on September 5;
the right hand images are from September 16. During this time the spacecraft was about 19-25 miles (30-40 km)
from the comet center. Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
An individual boulder about 12 feet across with bright patches on its surface in the Hatmehit region.
Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
High-resolution view of an active pit photographed last September from a distance of about 16 miles
(26 km) from the comet’s surface in the Seth region. The image scale is about 45 cm a pixel.
The Seth_01 pit measures approximately 720 feet (220 m) across and 605 feet (85 m) deep.
Note the smooth deposits of dust around the pit. Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
Active pits detected in the Seth region of the comet. The contrast of the image has been stretched to reveal
the details of the fine-structured jets against the shadow of the pit, which are interpreted
as dusty streams rising from the fractured wall of the pit.
The image was acquired on October 20, 2014 from a distance of 4.3 miles (7 km) from the surface of the comet.
Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
Pits Ma’at 1, 2 and 3 show differences in appearance that may reflect their history of activity.
While pits 1 and 2 are active, no activity has been observed from pit 3.
The young, active pits are very steep-sided; pits without any observed activity are shallower and seem
to be filled with dust. Middle-aged pits tend to have boulders on their floors from mass-wasting of the sides.
Credits: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
Comet 67P/C-G on 7 July 2015. Credits: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM – CC BY-SA IGO 3.0
The image has been processed to bring out the details of the comet’s activity.
In this orientation the comet’s small lobe is to the top left, while the large lobe is to the bottom right.
The transition between the Seth and Anubis regions on the large lobe is quite prominent,
with a distinct ridge separating the numerous quasi-circular depressions in Seth (left) from the smoother surface of Anubis (right).
Dramatic Outburst at Rosetta’s Comet Just Days Before Perihelion
by BOB KING on AUGUST 11, 2015
Rosetta’s scientific camera OSIRIS shows the sudden onset of a well-defined jet-like
feature emerging from the side of the comet’s neck, in the Anuket region on July 29, 2015.
Copyright: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
The activity reaches its peak intensity around perihelion and in the weeks that follow
– and is clearly visible in the spectacular images returned by the spacecraft in the last months.
One image taken by Rosetta’s navigation camera was acquired at 01:04 GMT, just an hour before
the moment of perihelion, from a distance of around 327 km.
Credit :ESA
Along with gas, the nucleus is also estimated to be shedding up to 1000 kg of dust per second,
creating dangerous working conditions for Rosetta.
“In recent days, we have been forced to move even further away from the comet.
We’re currently at a distance of between 325 km and 340 km this week, in a region where Rosetta’s
startrackers can operate without being confused by excessive dust levels – without them working properly,
Rosetta can’t position itself in space,” comments Sylvain Lodiot, ESA’s spacecraft operations manager.
Credit :ESA
How to Find Rosetta’s Comet In Your Telescope
by BOB KING on AUGUST 20, 2015
While you won’t see it this close, Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is now at its best in the morning sky.
This sequence of images, taken with Rosetta’s OSIRIS narrow-angle camera from 115 miles (185 km) away on July 30, 2015,
show a boulder-sized object close to the comet’s nucleus. The object measures anywhere between 3 – 165 feet across (1- 50 meters) across.
The exact size can’t be determined since its distance from the spacecraft isn’t known.
Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
ROSETTA’S PHILAE LANDER IN PERMANENT SLEEP
15 Feb , 2016 by Jason Major
NAVCAM image of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko acquired on Nov. 22, 2015.
Credit: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM – CC BY-SA IGO 3.0.
reconstruction of Philae’s landing trajectory across 67P on Nov. 12, 2015.
Watch a video of this here. Credit: ESA/Data: Auster et al. (2015)/Comet image: ESA/Rosetta/MPS
for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA.
Look Out Below! Rosetta Will Give Its Comet A Close Buzz In February 2015
Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko spins in this animation of 24 montages obtained
by the Rosetta spacecraft between Nov. 19 and Dec. 3, 2014. Credit: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM � CC BY-SA IGO 3.0
Remember how breathless we felt when the Philae lander actually made it to the surface of its target comet a few weeks ago?
Sure, the maneuvers didn�t go as planned, but the images the spacecraft obtained in its brief spurts of activity on the surface
are still being shared and discussed eagerly by scientists
The First Images Are In from Rosetta�s Valentine�s Day Comet Flyby
by JASON MAJOR on FEBRUARY 16, 2015
The surface of 67P/C-G imaged by Rosetta on Feb. 14, 2015 from about 8.9 km (Credits: ESA/Rosetta/NavCam � CC BY-SA IGO 3.0)
On Saturday, Feb. 14, the Rosetta spacecraft swooped low over the surface of comet 67P/C-G in the first dedicated close pass of its mission,
coming within a scant 6 km (3.7 miles) at 12:41 UTC.
Rosetta�s Comet Meets Charlie Brown�s �Pig-Pen�
by Bob King on January 12, 2015
Close-up of comet 67P on January 3, 2015 showing the larger of the two lobes (boulder Cheops labelled),
multiple jets of dust and what are most likely dust particles or aggregates in the comet�s coma or atmosphere.
Credit: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM
Dust and gases released by the comet reflect so little light compared to the nucleus,
they require special processing to see clearly. In this photo, many of the small,
irregular specks may be cometary dust grains captured in the 4.3 second exposure.
Credit: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM
At right is a streak that could either be a larger, fast-moving dust particle
that trailed during the exposure or perhaps a cosmic ray hit.
Credit: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM
The mosaic image of the comet taken on January 3rd and processed,
like most of ESA�s comet images, to highlight surface features.
Credit: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM
A fissure spanning over 100 meters across the neck of Rosetta�s comet 67P
raises the question of if, or when, the comet will breakup.
The fissure is part of released studies by Rosetta scientists in the journal Science.
(Image Credits: ESA/Rosetta, Illustration, T.Reyes)
Not all comets breakup as they vent and age, but for Rosetta�s comet 67P, the Rubber Duckie comet,
a crack in the neck raises concerns. Some comets may just fizzle and uniformly expel their volatiles throughout their surfaces.
They may become like puffballs, shrink some but remain intact.
A new jet issues from a fissure in the rugged, dusty surface of Rosetta�s comet.
Credit: ESO/Rosetta/Navcam; processed by Elisabetta Bonora and Marco Faccin
It only makes sense. Sunlight heats a comet and causes ice to vaporize.
This leads to changes in the appearance of surface features. For instance,
the Sun�s heat can gnaw away at the ice on sunward-facing cliffs, hollowing them
out and eventually causing them to collapse in icy rubble. Solar heating can also warm the ice that�s beneath the surface.
Montage of four single-frame images of Comet 67P/C-G taken by Rosetta�s Navigation Camera (NAVCAM)
at the end of February 2015. The images were taken on 25 February (top left), 26 February (top right) and on two occasions
on 27 February (bottom left and right).
Exposure times are 2 seconds each and the images have been processed to bring out the details of the comet�s many jets.
Credits: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM � CC BY-SA IGO 3.0
Title Comet on 22 March 2015 � NavCam
Released 30/03/2015 4:00 pm
Copyright ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM � CC BY-SA IGO 3.0
Description
This single frame Rosetta navigation camera image was taken from a distance of 77.8 km
from the centre of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on 22 March 2015.
The image has a resolution of 6.6 m/pixel and measures 6 x 6 km. The image is cropped,
and processed to bring out the details of the comet's activity.
More information and the original image via the blog: CometWatch 22 March
Rosetta’s View of a Comet’s “Great Divide”
by JASON MAJOR on MAY 22, 2015
A shadowed cliff on comet 67P/C-G imaged by Rosetta in Oct. 2014 (Credits: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM – CC BY-SA IGO 3.0)
Rosetta Discovery of Surprise Molecular Breakup Mechanism in Comet Coma Alters Perceptions
by KEN KREMER on JUNE 4, 2015
Rosetta discovered an unexpected process at comet nucleus that causes the rapid breakup
of water and carbon dioxide molecules. This single frame Rosetta navigation camera image was taken
from a distance of 77.8 km from the centre of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on 22 March 2015.
The image has a resolution of 6.6 m/pixel and measures 6 x 6 km. The image is cropped and processed
to bring out the details of the comet’s activity. Credit: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM – CC BY-SA IGO 3.0
Rosetta’s Comet Keeps On Jetting Even After the Sun Goes Down
by Jason Major on June 8, 2015
OSIRIS image of 67P/C-G from April 25, 2015 (Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA)
Spinning Comet Sept. 10, 2014
Rosetta Orbiter Approved for Extended Mission and Bold Comet Landing
by Ken Kremer on June 25, 2015
5
Rosetta will attempt comet landing
This single frame Rosetta navigation camera image of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
was taken on 15 June 2015 from a distance of 207 km from the comet centre.
The image has a resolution of 17.7 m/pixel and measures 18.1 km across.
Credit: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM – CC BY-SA IGO 3.0
Rosetta’s Comet 67P contains ingredients for life
The measurements were made when ESA’s Rosetta spacecraft was between 10 and 200 kilometres of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
Image credit: ESA/Rosetta/NavCam.
Spectrum indicating glycine (C2H5NO2) detection on 9 July 2015. The simple amino acid glycine is a biologically important organic compound commonly found in proteins.
Illustration credit: Altwegg et al.
Spectrum indicating phosphorus (P) detection, along with other gases, on 26 October 2014.
Phosphorus is a key element in all living organisms. It is found in DNA, RNA and in cell membranes,
and it is used in transporting energy within cells for metabolism.
Illustration credit: Altwegg et al.
GOODBYE FOREVER PHILAE; WE HARDLY KNEW YE
Philae's view via its CIVA instrument after landing. Credit: ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA
Slow animation of images taken by Philae’s Rosetta Lander Imaging System, ROLIS,
trace the lander’s descent to the first landing site, Agilkia,
on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko on November 12, 2014.
Credits: ESA/Rosetta/Philae/ROLIS/DLR
The 19 regions identified on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko are separated by distinct geomorphological boundaries.
Following the ancient Egyptian theme of the Rosetta mission, they are named for Egyptian deities.
They are grouped according to the type of terrain dominant within each region. Five basic categories of terrain type
have been determined: dust-covered (Ma’at, Ash and Babi); brittle materials with pits and circular structures (Seth);
large-scale depressions (Hatmehit, Nut and Aten); smooth terrains (Hapi, Imhotep and Anubis), and exposed, more
consolidated (‘rock-like’) surfaces (Maftet, Bastet, Serqet, Hathor, Anuket, Khepry, Aker, Atum and Apis).
All three landing sites (Philae initial and final sites and the planned resting place of the Rosetta orbiter)
are located on the northern part of the “head” of the comet.
Base map: ESA / Rosetta / MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS / UPD / LAM / IAA / SSO / INTA / UPM / DASP / IDA. Landing site locations: Emily Lakdawalla.
This montage of photos of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko was taken by ESA’s Rosetta spacecraft between Jan. 31 and March 25, 2015
and shows increasing activity as the comet approached perihelion.
Credit: NAVCAM /CC-BY-SA-IGO-3.0
The last set of images taken by the Rosetta spacecraft's NAVCAM during the final month of its mission.
ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM – CC BY-SA IGO 3.0.
A simplified overview of Rosetta’s last week of maneuvers at Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.
Starting today (Sept. 24) the spacecraft will leave the flyover orbits and transfer towards a 16 x 23 km orbit
that will be used to prepare for the final descent. The collision course maneuver will take place in the evening Sept. 29
with impact expected to occur at 10:40 GMT (6:40 a.m. EDT), which taking into account the 40 minute signal travel time
between Rosetta and Earth on Sept. 30, means the confirmation would be expected at mission control at 11:20 GMT (7:20 a.m. EDT).
Copyright: ESA
Rosetta's last orbits around the comet
Published on Sep 22, 2016
Animation of Rosetta’s trajectory over the last two months of its mission at Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.
The animation begins in early August, when the spacecraft started flying elliptical orbits that brought it progressively
closer to the comet at its closest approach.
On 24 September 2016, Rosetta will leave its current close, flyover orbits 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.
On 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 here was created from real data provided over the last month, but may not necessarily
follow the exact comet distance because of natural deviations from the comet’s gravity and outgassing.
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Rosetta is targeted to land at the site within this planned impact ellipse in the Ma’at region
on the comet’s smaller lobe. See below for a closer view.
Credit: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM – CC BY-SA IGO 3.0
Streamed live on Sep 19, 2016
ESA’s Rosetta spacecraft is set to complete its incredible mission in a controlled descent
to the surface of Comet 67P/C-G on 30 September. Mission experts joined an ESA Hangout on 19 September
to discuss Rosetta’s final days and hours of operation, including expectations for the images and other
scientific data that will be collected as the spacecraft gets closer and closer to the surface.
They also discuss the exciting discovery of Philae that was made earlier this month.
Hangout guests:
Andrea Accomazzo, Flight operations director
Sylvain Lodiot, Rosetta spacecraft operations manager
Claire Vallat or Richard Moissl (TBC), Rosetta science ground segment liaison scientist
Laurence O’Rourke, Rosetta downlink science operations manager (lander search coordinator)
Moderated by Emily Baldwin, Space Science Editor.
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Science & Technology
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The spacecraft landing site is shown in red and located next to Deir el-Medina, a large pit (arrowed).
Credit: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM – CC BY-SA IGO 3.0
Close-up of a curious surface texture nicknamed ‘goosebumps’. The bumps are about 9 feet (3 meters)
across and seen on very steep slopes and exposed cliff faces. They may represent the original balls of icy dust
that glommed together to form comets 4.5 billion years ago.
Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
ROSETTA WOWS WITH AMAZING CLOSEUPS OF COMET 67P BEFORE FINAL ‘CRUNCHDOWN’
ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
Craggy hills meet dust-covered plains in this landscape on Comet 67P taken from 10 miles (16 km) up
late Thursday evening during Rosetta’s free fall . The image measures 2,014 feet (614 meters) across or just under a half-mile.
At typical walking speed, you could walk from one side to the other in 10 minutes.
This and all the photos below are copyright ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
Rosetta’s last navigation camera image was taken just after the collision maneuver sequence Thursday evening (CDT)
when the probe was 9.56 miles (15.4 km) above the comet’s surface. As in the photo above, much of the landscape
is coated in a thick layer of dust that smoothes the comet’s contours.
As Rosetta continued its descent onto the Ma’at region on the small lobe of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko,
the OSIRIS narrow-angle camera captured this photo from 3.6 miles (5.8 km) up. We see dust-covered terrains,
exposed walls and a few boulders on Ma’at, not far from the target impact region, which is located just below the lower edge.
The image measures 738 feet (225 meters) across.
Just a little bit lower now. This photo showing dramatic shadows was taken from 3.5 miles (5.7 km)
above the surface of the comet at 4:21 a.m. EDT Friday morning September 30.
Headed for the abyss? This photo was made at 6:14 a.m. from 3/4 mile (1.2 km) high just a few minutes before impact.
The scene measures just 108 feet (33 meters) wide.
This is Rosetta’s final image of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, taken shortly before impact,
an estimated 66 feet (~20 meters) above the surface. The view is similar to looking down from atop a three-story building.
Side to side, the photo depicts an area only 7.8 feet (2.4 meters) across.
The image is soft because Rosetta’s cameras weren’t designed to photograph the comet from this close.
ROSETTA TEAM FINDS NEW, FINAL IMAGE HIDING IN THE DATA
A final image from Rosetta, shortly before it made a controlled impact onto Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko on 30 September 2016.
Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA.
A montage of the last few images from Rosetta, including the new image, with context of where the features on the last images are located.
Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
Sad to see its signal fade. A sequence of screenshots taken at ESA’s ESOC mission control show the signal from
Rosetta fading moments before impact. The peak of the spectrum analyser is strong at 6:19 EDT,
and a few moments later, it’s gone. At impact, Rosetta’s was shut down and no further communication
will or can be made with the spacecraft. It will continue to rest on the comet for well-nigh eternity
until COMET67P vaporizes and crumbles apart. Credit: ESA
Summary of properties of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, as determined by Rosetta’s instruments
during the first few months of its comet encounter.
Credit: ESA.
An Astrophotographer Noticed a Chunk of Ice Orbiting Comet 67P in Rosetta’s Photos
The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Rosetta mission spent two years at the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
At the end of September 2016, its mission was ended when the spacecraft was sent on a collision course
into the comet. During its time at comet 67P, it captured a vast amount of images.
The ESA made all those images freely available at their Rosetta website,
and now an astro-photographer working with those images has found something interesting:
a chunk of ice travelling through space with 67P.
Rosetta’s scientific camera OSIRIS show the sudden onset of a well-defined
jet-like feature emerging from the side of the comet’s neck, in the Anuket region.
Image Credit: ESA/Rosetta/OSIRIS
Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is a Jupiter-family comet. Its 6.5 year journey around the Sun
takes it from just beyond the orbit of Jupiter at its most distant, to between the orbits of Earth
and Mars at its closest.
Credit: ESA with labels by the author
Close up of Comet 67p
#Space #Science #ImageOfTheWeek: An unusual companion spotted
around #Rosetta's Comet #67P by @landru79 while mining the mission data archive 👍
Scientists are now studying the trajectory of this roughly 4m-sized chunk dubbed 'Churymoon' ☄️🛰️
Details: …
Jacint Roger’s gif of Rosetta images revealed comet 67P’s tiny icy companion,
now nicknamed the ‘Churymoon’ after 67P’s full name: comet 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
Another gif of comet 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko from Spanish astrophotographer Jacint Roger.
Thanks to the Rosetta mission, we know that comets can be much more interesting
and geologically complex than we thought.
Image Credit: Centre: ESA/Rosetta/NavCam – CC BY-SA IGO 3.0;
Insets: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA; Fornasier et al.
(2015); ESA/Rosetta/MPS for COSIMA Team MPS/CSNSM/UNIBW/TUORLA/IWF/IAS/ESA/BUW/MPE/LPC2E/LCM/FMI/UTU/LISA/UOFC/vH&S;
Langevin et al. (2016)
Rosetta Saw the Building Blocks of Life on Comet 67P
Why is there so little nitrogen in Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P)? That’s a question
scientists asked themselves when they looked at the data from the ESA’s Rosetta spacecraft.
In fact, it’s a question they ask themselves every time they measure the gases in a comet’s coma.
When Rosetta visited the comet in 2014, it measured the gases and found that there was very little nitrogen.
ESA’s Rosetta Spacecraft nears final approach to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in late July 2014.
This collage of imagery from Rosetta combines Navcam camera images at right taken nearing final
approach from July 25, 2014 (3000 km distant) to July 31, 2014 (1327 km distant), with OSIRIS
wide angle camera image at left of comet’s expanding coma cloud on July 25, 2014.
Images to scale and contrast enhanced to show further detail.
Credit: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM/OSIRIS/MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA Collage/Processing: Marco Di Lorenzo/Ken Kremer
Nitrogen in a comet’s coma is usually carried in ammonia. That ammonia then forms ammonium salts,
like ammonium nitrate shown in this image. Ammonium salts are difficult to detect in space.
Hydrogen = white, Nitrogen = blue, and Oxygen = red.
Image Credit: Ben Mills – Own work, Public Domain, From Wkipedia
Molecular panspermia is the theory that the building blocks of life are created in space then spread to planets by comets and asteroids.
Credit: NASA
An illustration of Rosetta and its instruments.
Image Credit: ESA/ATG medialab
NASA Wants To Bring A Chunk Of Comet Back To Earth. Collaboration with Everyday Astronaut
Rosetta Saw Collapsing Cliffs and Other Changes on 67P During its Mission
It seems that comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko is not the stoic, unchanging Solar System
traveller that it might seem to be. Scientists working through the vast warehouse of images
from the Rosetta spacecraft have discovered there’s lots going on on 67P. Among the activity
are collapsing cliffs and bouncing boulders.
In 2016 an exciting mission was ended.
The Rosetta spacecraft made its final manouver. A controlled hard-landing on the comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67p).
Before that Rosetta accompanied the Comet for more then 2 years. It researched valuable scientific data, brought
a lander on to the comets surface and took a vast number of pictures.
2017 Esa released over 400000 images from Rosettas comet mission.
Based on these material Motion Designer Christian Stangl and Composer Wolfgang Stangl worked
together to create this shortfilm.
The sequences are digitally enhanced real-footage from the probe.
Watch the beauty of an active alien body, far out in the dephts of our solar system.
Dune-like features that were identified early in Rosetta’s mission in the neck region
of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko changed over two years (first and last images).
In addition, numerous circular scarp-like features were seen to develop and fade over time
(central set of images). The circular features reached a diameter of 100 m in less than
three months before subsequently fading away again, giving rise to a new set of ripples.
The arrows point to the approximately location of the ripple and scarp features to help guide
the eye between images.
Image Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
This image details the movement of one boulder on the surface of comet 67P.
Image Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
(CC BY-SA 4.0); Analysis: J-B. Vincent et al (2019)
Comet 67P with the names given to the surface regions. The Hapi region is of particular interest
because its smooth, connects both of the comet’s lobes, and has a very active surface.
Image Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
A graphic detailing the Aswan cliff collapse in July 2015. Two before images on the left,
and two after images on the right. The center images shows a plume of dust leaving the comet
at the time of the collapse.
Image Credit: ESA/Rosetta/NavCam – CC BY-SA IGO 3.0; ESA/Rosetta/MPS for
OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
This bright outburst came from the 2,000 sq. m. cliff collapse.
Image Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Before and after a cliff collapse on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
In the upper panels the yellow arrows
show the location of a scarp at the boundary between the illuminated
northern hemisphere and the dark southern hemisphere of the small lobe
at times before and after the outburst event (September 2014 and June 2016, respectively).
The lower panels show close-ups of the upper panels; the blue arrow
points to the scarp that appears to have collapsed in the image after the outburst.
Two boulders (1and 2) are marked for orientation.
Image Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA (CC BY-SA 4.0)
