http://www.esa.int/export/SPECIALS/Rosetta/SEM8RA3VQUD_0.html
http://www.theastronomer.org
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ROSETTA
Peter Meadows has kindly e-mailed to draw out attention to ESA's Rosetta spacecraft which is due to fly past the Earth tonight 2005 March 4 and may reach magnitude 8-9.
It will be the first to undertake the long-term exploration of a comet (Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko) at close quarters. It comprises a large orbiter, which is designed to operate for a decade at large distances from the Sun, and a small lander. Each of these carries a large complement of scientific experiments designed to complete the most detailed study of a comet ever attempted.
Peter quotes the following address for more background details; http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Rosetta/SEMMTBYEM4E_0.html
Ephemeris from JPL Horizons WWW page based on Greenwich:
Date__(UT)__HR:MN R.A.__(a-apparent)__DEC Cnst
2005-Mar-04 19:00 A 10 27 26.43 +07 16 53.5 Leo
2005-Mar-04 19:10 A 10 25 26.44 +07 30 04.0 Leo
2005-Mar-04 19:20 A 10 23 12.01 +07 44 28.5 Leo
2005-Mar-04 19:30 A 10 20 40.54 +08 00 18.6 Leo
2005-Mar-04 19:40 10 17 48.80 +08 17 48.5 Leo
2005-Mar-04 19:50 10 14 32.58 +08 37 15.7 Leo
2005-Mar-04 20:00 10 10 46.38 +08 59 02.6 Leo
2005-Mar-04 20:10 10 06 22.81 +09 23 37.3 Leo
2005-Mar-04 20:20 10 01 11.71 +09 51 36.6 Leo
2005-Mar-04 20:30 09 54 58.59 +10 23 48.7 Leo
2005-Mar-04 20:40 09 47 22.14 +11 01 18.1 Leo
2005-Mar-04 20:50 09 37 49.47 +11 45 32.0 Leo
2005-Mar-04 21:00 09 25 26.90 +12 38 27.4 Leo
2005-Mar-04 21:10 09 08 40.53 +13 42 33.5 Cnc
2005-Mar-04 21:20 08 44 30.75 +15 00 11.3 Cnc
2005-Mar-04 21:30 08 06 35.16 +16 28 51.5 Cnc
2005-Mar-04 21:40 t 06 59 58.62 +17 32 44.9 Gem
2005-Mar-04 21:50 04 55 17.60 +14 40 57.3 Ori
2005-Mar-04 22:00 s 02 03 42.50 +01 40 20.1 Cet
A=Astronomical Twilight; t=transit; s=sets Positions depend on your location so use the following to generate your own ephemeris:
http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons.html
David Briggs reports that he imaged Rosetta on 2005 Feb 27 using Hampshire Astronomical Group's 0.60-m f/4.75 Newtonian and a Starlight Xpress MX916. Using Astrometrica the estimated magnitude was then 18 with the spacecraft 0.012AU from the Earth.
A further report has also been received from Giovanni Sostero, Remzacco Observatory Italy, who imaged the space craft on 2005 March 2 at 21.18UT. This was recorded with 0.25-m f/7.2 Schmidt-Cassegrain + CCD on
5 x 180 second co-added unfiltered exposures.
SUPERNOVA 2005ab IN NGC 4617
Discovery by Koichi Itagaki, Japan, of a possible supernova (IAUC 8478):
SN 2005 UT R.A. (2000.0) Decl. Mag. Offset
2005ab Feb. 6.63 12 41 05.18 +50 22 56.2 16.7 7"W , 40"S
SUPERNOVA 2005ac IN ANONYMOUS GALAXY
Discovery by LOSS of a possible supernova (IAUC 8478):
SN 2005 UT R.A. (2000.0) Decl. Mag. Offset
2005ac Feb. 4.50 13 39 55.82 +00 52 15.0 18.0 2.2"W, 0.9"S
Guy M Hurst
Comet-hunting Rosetta films distant asteroid
The comet-hunting spacecraft Rosetta has sent back its first sighting of the asteroid 21-Lutetia, one of two rocky bodies it will study en route to the comet 67p Churyumov-Gerasimenko. It will not get anywhere close to the rock for more than two years, but has already begun sending back preliminary data.
Once the Optical, Spectroscopic, and Infrared Remote Imaging System (OSIRIS) mounted onboard the Rosetta orbiter was up and running, it began tracking the asteroid. Along with its planned observations of asteroid 2867-Steins, this early study of the 100km-wide Lutetia will help the mission in a number of ways.
More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/01/29/rosetta_pictures/
25 February 2007
At 03:57 CET today, mission controllers at ESOC, ESA's Space Operations Centre in Germany, confirmed Rosetta's successful swingby of Mars, a key milestone in the 7.1-thousand-million km journey of this unique spacecraft to its target comet in 2014.
The gravitational energy of Mars helped Rosetta change direction, while the spacecraft was decelerated with respect to the Sun by an estimated 7887 km/hour. The spacecraft is now on the correct track towards Earth - its next destination planet whose gravitational energy Rosetta will exploit in November this year to gain acceleration and continue on its trek.
More: http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMWZ5CE8YE_index_0.html
(and thanks to Diane Duane's blog (http://dduane.livejournal.com/109581.html) for the link...)
Comet-chasing spacecraft Rosetta has sent back pictures of its closest approach to Mars after it completed its flyby of the planet this weekend. The stunning pictures are the first taken by the Philae lander's instruments operating independently of the main craft.
More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/02/26/mars_rosetta/
A series of beautiful images taken by Rosetta's Optical, Spectroscopic, and Infrared Remote Imaging System (OSIRIS), shows planet Mars in the pre-close-approach phase.
See them here: http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMUDT70LYE_index_0.html
Deadly planet-smash asteroid was actually Euro probe
Asteroid-apocalypse experts were struck by a shower of eggs last week, as they prepared to sound the alarm over an incoming space boulder potentially capable of wiping out life on Earth - only to find that the object was a well-known European space probe (Rosetta) on a planned flyby.
The Minor Planet Centre (MPC) - which is to asteroids what the Cheyenne Mountain command bunker was to Russian missiles - raised the alarm last week. The MPC passed the word among astronomers that a deadly celestial object, designated 2007 VN84, would pass within 5,600km of Earth, and asked for tracking information.
More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/11/13/rosetta_asteroid_spacecraft_patrick_moore_cockup/
It's not 1st April yet... ;)
No comment !! :roll:
Comet chaser makes Earth swing-by
A European space probe has swung by the Earth to gather energy to chase down and land on a distant comet.
The unmanned Rosetta craft made its closest approach to the planet at 20:57 GMT on Tuesday at a distance of 5,301km above the Pacific Ocean.
The spacecraft was using the Earth's gravity to give it the boost it needs to reach its final destination in 2014.
More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7093402.stm
This was the probe that we had a talk about at one of our meetings. Nice to know where it has got to, but how can these professionals not know what crafts are up there at a given time!!!!
Carole
I think the asteroid-collision folks just got a bit over-excited when they worked out how close it was coming, and forgot to check. ;)
Rosetta spies nightlife on our sleeping planet
What better way to start a Friday than with a stupendously glorious picture of our planet? Well, we couldn't think of many better ways that are legal, so we've gone for the picture option.
Go see the pics: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/11/16/night_time_earth/
A stupendously glorious picture of our planet?
Look at all that lovely light pollution. :(
Yeah. That's what I thought, too... Still, it's another eye-catching illustration of the problem. Interesting how much worse the northern hemisphere is. :/
The Rosetta space probe has made a close pass of asteroid Steins.
The European Space Agency mission flew past the 5km-wide rock at a distance of about 800km, taking pictures and recording other scientific data.
The information was sent back to Earth for processing late on Friday and released to the public on Saturday.
More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7599962.stm
...and an APOD: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080908.html
...and ESA's press release: http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMNMYO4KKF_index_0.html
Baffled Boffins at the European Space Agency (ESA) are hoping that today's Earth fly-by of the Rosetta satellite will shed light on a problem of significant gravity.
At 07:45GMT this morning, the ESA's Rosetta started its third fly-past of the Earth, looking for a gravitational sling-shot. This particular event is being closely watched by scientists on both sides of the Atlantic, as since 1990 a problem has been bothering eggheads at both NASA and ESA.
More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/11/13/speeding_satellite/
Europe's Rosetta spacecraft has made its third and final flyby of Earth, a manoeuvre designed to position the probe to chase down a comet in 2014.
The spacecraft's whip around the planet will have given it the extra speed it needs to take it out to the rendezvous location near Jupiter.
Launched in 2004, Rosetta had already flown by Earth twice and Mars once.
The journey out to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko will also take the probe past an asteroid in 2010.
More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8358754.stm
Lutetia: a Rare Survivor from the Birth of the Earth
New observations indicate that the asteroid Lutetia is a leftover fragment of the same original material that formed the Earth, Venus and Mercury. Astronomers have combined data from ESA's Rosetta spacecraft, ESO's New Technology Telescope, and NASA telescopes. They found that the properties of the asteroid closely match those of a rare kind of meteorites found on Earth and thought to have formed in the inner parts of the Solar System. Lutetia must, at some point, have moved out to its current location in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
More: http://www.eso.org/public/news/eso1144/
A fleeting flyby of a battered world
The long and tumultuous history of asteroid Lutetia was revealed by ESA's Rosetta spacecraft as it raced past this large, ancient asteroid.
This spectacular movie shows a sequence of images snapped by Rosetta as it flew past the main-belt asteroid on 10 July 2010.
The sequence begins nine and a half hours before Rosetta made its closest pass, when the asteroid still appeared like a distant tumbling speck seen from a distance of 500 000 km.
See: http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMXCODXR3H_index_0.html
Asteroid Steins' Hidden Gems (Rosetta)
ESA's Rosetta spacecraft snapped images of asteroid Steins as it flew by the diamond-shaped asteroid on 5 September 2008, revealing a tiny world with a big history of collisions.
The images were taken by Rosetta's Wide Angle Camera as the spacecraft flew within 800 km of the 5 km-wide asteroid, and later processed by amateur astronomer Ted Stryk to produce the image presented here.
More: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Asteroid_Steins_hidden_gems
Rosetta: 100 days to wake-up
ESA's comet-chasing mission Rosetta will wake up in 100 days' time from deep-space hibernation to reach the destination it has been cruising towards for a decade.
Comets are the primitive building blocks of the Solar System and the likely source of much of Earth's water, perhaps even delivering to Earth the ingredients that helped life evolve. By studying the nature of a comet close-up with an orbiter and lander, Rosetta will enable scientists to learn more about the role of comets in the evolution of the Solar System.
Rosetta was launched on 2 March 2004, and through a complex series of flybys – three times past Earth and once past Mars – set course to its destination: comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. It also flew by and imaged two asteroids, Steins on 5 September 2008 and Lutetia on 10 July 2010.
More: http://sci.esa.int/rosetta/53055-rosetta-100-days-to-wake-up/
Rosetta: To Chase a Comet
Comets are among the most beautiful and least understood nomads of the night sky. To date, half a dozen of these most heavenly of heavenly bodies have been visited by spacecraft in an attempt to unlock their secrets. All these missions have had one thing in common: the high-speed flyby. Like two ships passing in the night (or one ship and one icy dirtball), they screamed past each other at hyper velocity -- providing valuable insight, but fleeting glimpses, into the life of a comet. That is, until Rosetta.
NASA is participating in the European Space Agency's Rosetta mission, whose goal is to observe one such space-bound icy dirt ball from up close -- for months on end. The spacecraft, festooned with 25 instruments between its lander and orbiter (including three from NASA), is programmed to "wake up" from hibernation on Jan. 20. After a check-out period, it will monitor comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko as it makes its nosedive into, and then climb out of, the inner solar system. Over 16 months, during which old 67P is expected to transform from a small, frozen world into a roiling mass of ice and dust, complete with surface eruptions, mini-earthquakes, basketball-sized, fluffy ice particles and spewing jets of carbon dioxide and cyanide.
"We are going to be in the cometary catbird seat on this one," said Claudia Alexander, project scientist for U.S. Rosetta from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "To have an extended presence in the neighborhood of a comet as it goes through so many changes should change our perspective on what it is to be a comet."
More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2014-015
Rosetta: Alarm to sound for comet mission
One of the most daring space missions ever undertaken reaches a key milestone on Monday.
Europe's Rosetta probe was launched a decade ago on a long quest to chase down and land on a comet, and has spent the past two-and-half-years in hibernation to try to conserve power.
But at 10:00 GMT, an onboard "alarm clock" is expected to rouse the spacecraft from its slumber.
Rosetta will then warm its systems before sending a signal to Earth.
Receipt of this "I'm awake" message will confirm the great endeavour is still on course.
Rosetta is due to rendezvous with Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in August.
More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25782249
How bright will this comet become?
Mag -5 during cloud
Mag 15 when clear
;)
It lives !!!! I see on the news that it has responded to it's alarm call. Now let the fun begin, looking forward to new information. :P
This is quite a cool animation page showing path of Rosetta since launch... Amazing how it catches up & loops by Earth so many times...
https://util1.estec.esa.int/rosetta/where_is_rosetta/
Rosetta's comet wakes up
It's back! After comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko had disappeared behind the Sun and out of the Earth's view last year in October, the target comet of ESA's Rosetta mission can now be seen again. In the most recent image obtained by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany and the European Southern Observatory (ESO) with the help of ESO's Very Large Telescope on February 28th, 2014, the comet presents itself brighter than expected for the nucleus alone. This suggests that frozen ice is already beginning to vaporize and form a very thin atmosphere. In August, the spacecraft Rosetta will rendezvous with 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and accompany it on its journey around the Sun until at least the end of 2015.
More: http://www.mps.mpg.de/3261529/Rosetta_s-comet-wakes-up
Comet-chaser Rosetta's instruments come alive
The Rosetta probe has started turning on its instruments.
After coming out of a near three-year, deep-space hibernation in January, the satellite now has sufficient power to check out its science payload.
The spacecraft is currently about 675 million km from Earth, and continues to close in on its comet quarry.
Rosetta should arrive at the icy body in early August, when it will then start mapping the object to find a safe spot to put down its little lander.
This craft, known as Philae, is piggy-backing the main probe, and was set to receive its wake-up commands on Friday. It will be another week, however, before they are actioned.
More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-26683763
Rosetta Sets Sights on Destination Comet (67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko)
ESA's Rosetta spacecraft has caught a first glimpse of its destination comet since waking up from deep-space hibernation on 20 January.
Rosetta is currently around 5 million kilometres from the comet, and at this distance it is still too far away to resolve – its light is seen in less than a pixel and required a series of 60–300 second exposures taken with the wide-angle and narrow-angle camera. The data then travelled 37 minutes through space to reach Earth, with the download taking about an hour per image
More: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_sets_sights_on_destination_comet
Rosetta's Target Comet is Becoming Active (Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko)
The target of ESA's Rosetta mission has started to reveal its true personality as a comet, its dusty veil clearly developing over the last six weeks.
The sequence of images presented here of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko were taken between 27 March and 4 May, as the gap between craft and comet closed from around 5 million km to 2 million km.
By the end of the sequence, the comet's dusty veil – the 'coma' – extends some 1300 km into space. By comparison, the nucleus is roughly only 4 km across, and cannot yet be 'resolved'.
The coma has developed as a result of the comet moving progressively closer to the Sun along its 6.5 year orbit. Even though it is still more than 600 million km from the Sun – more than four times the distance between Earth and Sun – its surface has already started to warm, causing its surface ices to sublimate and gas to escape from its rock–ice nucleus.
More: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_s_target_comet_is_becoming_active
Rosetta - The Big Burns Part 3
On Wednesday, 18 June, Rosetta will conduct the third in a series of three 'Big Burns', which are themselves part of the ten-burn series of orbit correction manoeuvres (OCMs) that are taking us to arrival at comet 67P/C-G on 6 August.
We've dubbed these three the 'Big Burns' because, well, they're big.
The first two, on 21 May and 4 June, used 218 kg and 190 kg of propellant, respectively, and delivered a delta-v (change in velocity) of 289.9 and 269.5 m/s, respectively.
Both delivered results to within just a few percent of the planed delta-v, indicating that, so far, everything is working nominally with the spacecraft's propulsion system, even though it is working well outside its design range.
"The series of ten OCMs during May to August has to deliver a total of about 775 m/s delta-v, and we've already achieved about three-quarters of that," says Sylvain Lodiot, Rosetta Spacecraft Operations Manager. "We continue monitoring all the OCMs very closely."
More: http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/06/17/the-big-burns-part-3/
Rosetta's Comet: Expect the Unexpected
An image snapped earlier this month by ESA's Rosetta spacecraft shows its target comet has quietened, demonstrating the unpredictable nature of these enigmatic objects.
The picture was captured on 4 June by Rosetta's scientific camera, and is the most recent full-resolution image from the narrow-angle sensor. It has been used to help fine-tune Rosetta's navigation towards comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, which was 430 000 km away at the time.
Strikingly, there is no longer any sign of the extended dust cloud that was seen developing around nucleus at the end of April and into May, as shown in our last image release. Indeed, monitoring of the comet has shown a significant drop in its brightness since then.
More from ESA (http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_s_comet_expect_the_unexpected).
Rosetta's Comet Target 'Releases' Plentiful Water
omet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is releasing the Earthly equivalent of two glasses of water into space every second. The observations were made by the Microwave Instrument for Rosetta Orbiter (MIRO), aboard the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft on June 6, 2014. The detection of water vapor has implications not only for cometary science, but also for mission planning, as the Rosetta team prepares the spacecraft to become the first ever to orbit a comet (planned for August), and the first to deploy a lander to its surface (planned for November 11).
"We always knew we would see water vapor outgassing from the comet, but we were surprised at how early we detected it," said Sam Gulkis, principal investigator of the MIRO instrument at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. "At this production rate, comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko would fill an Olympic-size swimming pool in about 100 days. But, as the comet gets closer to the sun, the gas production rate will increase. With Rosetta, we have an amazing vantage point to observe these changes up close and learn more about exactly why they happen."
More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2014-212
Rosetta heads for space 'rubber duck'
Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is far more irregular in shape than anyone imagined.
It has already been dubbed the "rubber duck" in space.
The latest pictures were acquired by the approaching Rosetta probe from a distance of about 12,000km.
Over the course of the next three weeks, the spacecraft expects to reduce that separation to less than 100km.
More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-28351234
The Dual Personality of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
This week's images of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko reveal an extraordinarily irregular shape. We had hints of that in last week's images and in the unscheduled previews that were seen a few days ago, and in that short time it has become clear that this is no ordinary comet. Like its name, it seems that comet 67P/C-G is in two parts.
More: http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/07/17/the-dual-personality-of-comet-67pc-g/
Surface impressions of Rosetta's comet
Surface structures are becoming visible in new images of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko taken by the scientific imaging system OSIRIS onboard the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft. The resolution of these images is now 330 feet (100 meters) per pixel. One of the most striking features is currently found in the comet's neck region. This part of 67P seems to be brighter than the rest of the nucleus.
As earlier images had already shown, 67P may consist of two parts: a smaller head connected to a larger body. The connecting region, the neck, is proving to be especially intriguing. "The only thing we know for sure at this point is that this neck region appears brighter compared to the head and body of the nucleus," says OSIRIS Principal Investigator Holger Sierks from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Germany. This collar-like appearance could be caused by differences in material or grain size, or could be a topographical effect.
More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2014-243
Rosetta's Comet: Imaging the Coma
Less than a week before Rosetta's rendezvous with comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, images obtained by OSIRIS, the spacecraft's onboard scientific imaging system, show clear signs of a coma surrounding the comet's nucleus.
A new image from July 25, 2014, clearly reveals an extended coma shrouding 67P's nucleus. "Our coma images cover an area of 150 by 150 square kilometers (90 by 90 square miles)," said Luisa Lara from the Institute of Astrophysics in Andalusia, Spain. Most likely these images show only the inner part of the coma, where particle densities are highest. Scientist expect that 67P's full coma actually reaches much farther.
More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2014-256
Rosetta Takes Comet's Temperature
ESA's Rosetta spacecraft has made its first temperature measurements of its target comet, finding that it is too hot to be covered in ice and must instead have a dark, dusty crust.
The observations of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko were made by Rosetta's visible, infrared and thermal imaging spectrometer, VIRTIS, between 13 and 21 July, when Rosetta closed in from 14 000 km to the comet to just over 5000 km.
At these distances, the comet covered only a few pixels in the field of view and so it was not possible to determine the temperatures of individual features. But, using the sensor to collect infrared light emitted by the whole comet, scientists determined that its average surface temperature is about -70°C.
More: http://sci.esa.int/rosetta/54437-rosetta-takes-comets-temperature/
Rosetta arrives at comet 67P/C-G - follow the event live
On 6 August, after a decade-long journey through space, ESA's Rosetta will become the first spacecraft in history to rendezvous with a comet.
Follow the event marking this momentous occasion at ESA's Spacecraft Operations Centre at Darmstadt, Germany.
Programme for the day
The provisional programme can be found here (http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Call_for_Media_Rosetta_s_comet_rendezvous).
Live streaming
The event will be streamed live on http://www.esa.int & http://www.livestream.com/eurospaceagency.
Rosetta Arrives!
After a decade-long journey chasing its target, ESA's Rosetta has today become the first spacecraft to rendezvous with a comet, opening a new chapter in Solar System exploration.
Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko and Rosetta now lie 405 million kilometres from Earth, about half way between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars, rushing towards the inner Solar System at nearly 55 000 kilometres per hour.
The comet is in an elliptical 6.5-year orbit that takes it from beyond Jupiter at its furthest point, to between the orbits of Mars and Earth at its closest to the Sun. Rosetta will accompany it for over a year as they swing around the Sun and back out towards Jupiter again.
More: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_arrives_at_comet_destination
Stunning picture of the comet! I never expected it to be quite like that. Though I don't know exactly what I was expecting.
Looks like a lump of builders rubble that has fallen in wet concrete, been dug out and left to dry.
Carole
Amazing images and completely different to how I expected a comet to look. I can't wait till the little lander gets dropped.
I had expected a smoother, almost sand-blasted, surface.
Perhaps when it gets closer, we'll see a surface more like the penitentes I saw above ALMA in Chile.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penitentes#mediaviewer/File:Penitentes_Ice_Formations.png
I remember when we were holding meetings at the school in Chislehurst (while High Elms was being re-built) that one of the scientists working on the Rosetta Mission came to give us a talk on it and brought along bits of material left over from the mission "build".
I do recall him saying they were going to rendezvous at around Mars/Jupiter distance and land on the comet before it starts putting out dust and gas so it can observe when it does. Though it seems the comet has already started doing this intermittently.
A fascinating project.
Carole
Rosetta: Landing Site Search Narrows
The European Space Agency's Rosetta mission has chosen five candidate landing sites on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko for its Philae lander. Philae's descent to the comet's nucleus, scheduled for this November, will be the first such landing ever attempted. Rosetta is an international mission spearheaded by the European Space Agency with support and instruments provided by NASA.
Choosing the right landing site is a complex process. It must balance the technical needs of the orbiter and lander during all phases of the separation, descent and landing, and during operations on the surface, with the scientific requirements of the 10 instruments on board Philae. A key issue is that uncertainties in navigating the orbiter close to the comet mean that it is possible to specify any given landing zone only in terms of an ellipse - covering up to six-tenths of a square mile (one square kilometer) - within which Philae might land.
More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2014-289
NASA Instrument aboard European Spacecraft Returns First Science Results
A NASA instrument aboard the European Space Agency's (ESA's) Rosetta orbiter has successfully made its first delivery of science data from comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
The instrument, named Alice, began mapping the comet's surface last month, recording the first far-ultraviolet light spectra of the comet's surface. From the data, the Alice team discovered the comet is unusually dark -- darker than charcoal-black -- when viewed in ultraviolet wavelengths. Alice also detected both hydrogen and oxygen in the comet's coma, or atmosphere.
Rosetta scientists also discovered the comet's surface so far shows no large water-ice patches. The team expected to see ice patches on the comet's surface because it is too far away for the sun's warmth to turn its water into vapor.
"We're a bit surprised at just how unreflective the comet's surface is and how little evidence of exposed water-ice it shows," said Alan Stern, Alice principal investigator at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado.
More: http://rosetta.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-instrument-aboard-european-spacecraft-returns-first-science-results
Rosetta and Philae snap selfie at comet
CIVA, the Comet Infrared and Visible Analyser, is one of ten instruments onboard Philae. The CIVA-P part of the instrument comprises seven micro-cameras that will take a 360 degree panoramic image of the landing site at visible wavelengths, once Philae is safely on the surface of 67P/C-G, including a section in stereo. CIVA-M is a visible/infrared microscope imager/spectrometer that will the study the composition, texture, and albedo of surface samples.
More: http://rosetta.jpl.nasa.gov/news/rosetta-and-philae-snap-selfie-comet
Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Today's APOD
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140915.html (http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140915.html)
First Map of Rosetta's Comet
Scientists have found that the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko -- the target of study for the European Space Agency's Rosetta mission -- can be divided into several regions, each characterized by different classes of features. High-resolution images of the comet reveal a unique, multifaceted world.
More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2014-308
'J' Marks the Spot for Rosetta's Lander
The European Space Agency's Rosetta's lander, Philae, will target Site J, an intriguing region on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko that offers unique scientific potential, with hints of activity nearby, and minimum risk to the lander compared to the other candidate sites. The 220-pound (100-kilogram) lander is scheduled to reach the surface on November 11, where it will perform in-depth measurements to characterize the nucleus. Rosetta is an international mission spearheaded by the European Space Agency with support and instruments provided by NASA.
Site J is on the "head" of the comet, an irregular shaped world that is just over 2.5 miles (four kilometers) across at its widest point. The decision to select Site J as the primary site was unanimous. The backup, Site C, is located on the "body" of the comet.
More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2014-310
Rosetta to Deploy Lander on November 12
The European Space Agency's Rosetta mission will deploy its lander, Philae, to the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on Nov. 12.
Rosetta is an international mission spearheaded by the European Space Agency with support and instruments provided by NASA.
Philae's landing site, currently known as Site J, is located on the smaller of the comet's two "lobes," with a backup site on the larger lobe. The sites were selected just six weeks after Rosetta's Aug. 6 arrival at the comet, following the spacecraft's 10-year journey through the solar system.
More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2014-326
This video gives a nice overview of how Philae will land and what it will do when it gets there:
VIDEO (http://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Videos/2014/09/Philae_s_descent_and_science_on_the_surface)
Rosetta Comet Fires Its Jets
The four images that make up a new montage of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko were taken on September 26, 2014 by the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft. At the time, Rosetta was about 16 miles (26 kilometers) from the center of the comet.
In the montage, a region of jet activity can be seen at the neck of the comet. These jets, originating from several discrete locations, are a product of ices sublimating and gases escaping from inside the nucleus.
The overlapping and slightly dissimilar angles of the four images that compose the montage are a result of the combined effect of the comet rotating between the first and last images taken in the sequence (about 10 degrees over 20 minutes), and the spacecraft movement during that same time.
More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2014-335
Lutetia's dark side hosts hidden crater
Grooves found on Lutetia, an asteroid encountered by ESA's Rosetta spacecraft, point to the existence of a large impact crater on the unseen side of the rocky world.
Rosetta flew past Lutetia at a distance of 3168 km in July 2010, en route to its 2014 rendezvous with its target comet.
The spacecraft took images of the 100 km-wide asteroid for about two hours during the flyby, revealing numerous impact craters and hundreds of grooves all over the surface.
More: http://sci.esa.int/rosetta/54741-lutetias-dark-side-hosts-hidden-crater/
Rosetta's Comet Landing Site Close Up
A mosaic from the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft shows "Site J," the primary landing site on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko for the mission's Philae lander. Rosetta is the first mission to attempt a soft landing on a comet.
The mosaic comprises two images taken by Rosetta's OSIRIS narrow-angle camera on Sept. 14, 2014, from a distance of about 19 miles (30 kilometers). The image scale is 1.6 feet (0.5 meters) per pixel. The red ellipse is centered on the landing site and is approximately 1,600 feet (500 meters) in diameter.
Site J is located on the smaller of the comet's two lobes. On Nov. 12, the Rosetta spacecraft will release Philae at 01:03 a.m. PST/10:03 CET/09:03 UTC (the time the signal is received on Earth). Touchdown of Philae on Site J is expected about seven hours later, at around 8 a.m. PST/17:00 CET/16:00 UTC (Earth Received Time).
More (and the picture): http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4339
...oh, and another "selfie" on APOD: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap141016.html
Rosetta's Comet Scrambling Its Jets
Images of the comet nucleus, taken by Rosetta earlier in the summer, showed that the distinct jets of dust and gas emanating from the comet were originated from the neck region, which connects the comet's two lobes. Images obtained by OSIRIS now show jets of dust along almost the entire length of the comet.
Rosetta and comet 67P are still more than 280 million miles (450 million kilometers) from the sun. Based on a rich history of ground-based observations, scientists have been expecting the comet's activity to pick up noticeably once it comes within 186 million miles (300 million kilometers).
More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4355
[BAA-ebulletin 00823] Rosetta mission update
(c) 2014 British Astronomical Association http://www.britastro.org/
As many members will be aware, the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft will attempt the first ever landing on the surface of a comet tomorrow afternoon, Wednesday Nov 12.
BAA Council member Nick James is also the Lead Engineer for the project at BAE Systems in Chelmsford. Last night he gave me an update on the sequence of events we can expect over the next few days, and you can hear what he had to say in a video released this morning on the BAA website (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3jXMELkccQ).
The key moments on Wednesday will be:
06:00 - Rosetta delivery manoeuvre
07:35 - Final Go/No go
09:03 - Philae separates from Rosetta
09:43 - Loss of Rosetta signal during post-delivery manoeuvre
10:53 - Regain signal from Rosetta
11:59 - First descent data
16:02 - Predicted landing time
17:35 - Expected receipt of first 360 deg panorama
All times are UTC (GMT), Earth received time. Events at the spacecraft happen 28 minutes earlier.
We have our fingers crossed that all goes well, and will, of course, publish updates on the BAA website (http://www.britastro.org/) as soon as we hear news!
Dominic Ford, BAA Website Manager
Let's hope everything goes to plan and we get a fantastic 360º panoramic image back from the comet.
QuoteLet's hope everything goes to plan and we get a fantastic 360º panoramic image back from the comet.
Fingers crossed, do we know if there is a video stream available?
Mac.
Quote from: Mac on Nov 11, 2014, 16:50:14
QuoteLet's hope everything goes to plan and we get a fantastic 360º panoramic image back from the comet.
Fingers crossed, do we know if there is a video stream available?
Mac.
Webcast live from mission control: http://new.livestream.com/esa/cometlanding (http://new.livestream.com/esa/cometlanding)
Webcast will begin 19:00 GMT (20:00 CET) 11 November and continue (with pauses) to cover crucial mission milestones overnight on Tuesday and through Wednesday. Check the ESA TV schedule here for detailed times.
Philae has landed on the comet. Around 4.05 pm. Been watching ESA live most of the afternoon.
Carole
Probe makes historic comet landing
European robot probe Philae has made the first, historic landing on a comet, after descending from its mothership.
The landing on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko was confirmed at about 1605 GMT.
There were cheers and hugs at the control room in Darmstadt, Germany, after the signal was confirmed.
It was designed to shine a light on some of the mysteries of these icy relics from the formation of the Solar System.
The landing caps a 6.4 billion-kilometre journey that was begun a decade ago.
The lander sank about 4cm into the surface, suggesting a relatively soft surface.
More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-30026398
There seems to be quite a bit of uncertainty still about just how well Philae managed to land. The thruster that was supposed to hold it in place while the harpoons fired seems not to have worked, and neither did two harpoons. The ice drills may have worked, but may not actually be bedded into anything particularly solid. I expect there will be updates... :abducted:
It is still a fantastic achievement!
Mark
Fantastic indeed, have been watching events most of the afternoon
It's beginning to look as if it might be on its back, and possibly not at all well attached to the surface. Hopefully they'll manage to get some surface-science back from it.
The BBC news story linked a few posts earlier is now saying:
Rosetta: Waiting game after comet lander glitch
A European robot probe has made the first, historic landing on a comet, but its status remains uncertain after harpoons failed to anchor it to the surface.
Officials said the craft may have lifted off the comet after touchdown before returning to the surface.
Lander project manager Stephan Ulamec said: "Maybe we didn't just land once, we landed twice."
Further analysis is needed to fully understand the situation.
However, Dr Ulamec told the BBC that at last radio contact with the probe that he believed it to be in a stable configuration.
"This is the indication right now," he explained. "We really have to wait until tomorrow morning and then we will know a lot more."
The "first" landing on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko was confirmed at about 1605 GMT.
More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-30026398
Rosetta: Comet probe Philae now stable - scientists
The robot probe Philae that made a historic comet landing is now stable after initially failing to attach to the surface, and is sending pictures.
European Space Agency scientists say they are now trying to find out where the probe is on the comet.
Engineers say it may have bounced hundreds of metres back off the surface after first touching down.
Scientists hope the probe will analyse the comet's surface to yield insights into the origins of our Solar System.
The Esa's Rosetta satellite carried Philae on a 6.4 billion-km (4bn-mile) journey to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
The robot probe, the size of a washing machine, was dropped from the satellite on Wednesday and spent seven hours travelling down to the icy body.
More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-30034060
...and a large version of the first image (http://www.esa.int/var/esa/storage/images/esa_multimedia/images/2014/11/welcome_to_a_comet/15048351-1-eng-GB/Welcome_to_a_comet.jpg).
Apparently it bounced twice. The first bounce lasted about 53 minutes and the second one about 7 minutes. Not so surprising that they were having difficulty getting good information back from it, under the circumstances. The pictures suggest Philae is lying on its side...
There is also concern as to whether the lander is positioned to get sufficient sunlight to it's solar panels.
Thanks for keeping us up to date Rick, hope it all turns out well
Apparently the first big bounce made it land 1km away from its original spot. It is now in a shady hole meaning it has only limited access to sunlight and power.
...and yet again BBC News re-writes an article. That one above now says:
Rosetta: New images from uneven comet landing
The robot probe Philae that made a historic comet landing is now stable after initially failing to attach to the surface, and is sending pictures.
After two bounces, the first one about 1km back out into space, the lander settled in the shadow of a cliff, 1km from its target site.
It may be problematic to get enough sunlight to charge its batteries.
Launched in 2004, the European Space Agency (Esa) mission hopes to learn about the origins of our Solar System.
It has already sent back the first images ever taken on the surface of a comet.
After showing an image that indicates Philae's location - on the far side of a large crater that was considered but rejected as a landing site - the head of the lander team Stefan Ulamec said: "We could be somewhere in the rim of this crater, which could explain this bizarre... orientation that you have seen."
Figuring out the orientation and location is a difficult task, he said.
"I can't really give you much more than you interpret yourself from looking at these beautiful images."
But the team is continuing to receive "great data" from several different instruments on board Philae.
More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-30034060
How did the battery onboard hold its power for 10 years, enabling it to work for 60 hours?
Giant solar panels pointed towards the sun on Rosetta. The lander is s small thing, no bigger than a fridge and has landed on a 45 degree angle, in a shadowy dip, with half of it's panels out of sunlight.
Plus, for most of those 10 years the entire thing has been in low power mode and only woken up occasionally to carry out essential tasks.
it is amazing the battery stayed in good condition all those years
Well the pyrotechnics that were meant to fire the harpoon didn't work (not surprising really), neither did the foot screws or the top thruster.
But after being subjected to the conditions of space for 10 years it is amazing anything works at all. I bought a washing machine once that lasted less than a year.
I really should have posted this earlier: http://xkcd1446.org/
With Hours To Live, Controllers Are "Taking Risks" With Comet Lander (http://io9.com/with-hours-to-live-controllers-are-taking-risks-with-1658757417)
Oh and apparently it's not a comet at all but an ALIEN SPACECRAFT (http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/nov/13/philae-comet-lander-alien-cover-up-conspiracy-theories-emerge).
:roll:
Quote from: Mike on Nov 14, 2014, 15:49:03
Oh and apparently it's not a comet at all but an ALIEN SPACECRAFT (http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/nov/13/philae-comet-lander-alien-cover-up-conspiracy-theories-emerge).
:roll:
Of course it is alien, Philae bounced off the hull camouflaged beneath a layer of dust and rocky stuff. Obvious really and it explains why the screws didn't work as well. ;)
Quote from: Fay
How did the battery onboard hold its power for 10 years, enabling it to work for 60 hours?
The primary battery was a specially developed lithium one:
http://www.saftbatteries.com/press/press-releases/saft-battery-specially-developed-cnes-prepares-esa%E2%80%99s-philae-lander-churyumov
what amazing batteries, Mark
I wonder - once they have grabbed a bit more scientific data, if it's worth making a last ditch attempt at using one of the manoeuvres that could destabilise it, but it just might shift it into a better position with a bit of luck. If it doesn't they are going to lose it anyway, so nothing ventured......
Carole
Alas, Philae has fallen asleep.
Daniel, on the Rosetta blog ( http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/11/15/our-landers-asleep/ ) stated:
"From now on, no contact would be possible unless sufficient sunlight falls on the solar panels to generate enough power to wake it up.
The possibility that this may happen was boosted this evening when mission controllers sent commands to rotate the lander's main body, to which the solar panels are fixed. This may have exposed more panel area to sunlight."
I think they've managed to get a good chunk of analysis daya back from Philae, which will be interesting. Rosetta will hopefully keep working for a while, too.
From Twitter: https://twitter.com/Philae2014/status/533403430489178112/photo/1
Such a shame, but still a great success. With a bit of luck it could wake up again as it approaches the Sun and gets more sunlight, or could even shift since it's not that stable.
Carole
Comet lander: Camera sees Philae's hairy landing
High-resolution pictures have now been released of the Philae probe in the act of landing on Comet 67P last Wednesday.
They were acquired by the Narrow Angle Camera on the Rosetta satellite, which had dropped the little robot towards the surface of the "ice mountain".
The images are presented as a mosaic covering the half-hour or so around the "first touchdown" - the probe then bounced to a stop about 1km away.
http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2014/11/OSIRIS_spots_Philae_drifting_across_the_comet
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-30083969
Pioneering Philae Completes Main Mission Before Hibernation
Rosetta's lander has completed its primary science mission after nearly 57 hours on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.
After being out of communication visibility with the lander since 09:58 GMT / 10:58 CET on Friday, Rosetta regained contact with Philae at 22:19 GMT /23:19 CET last night. The signal was initially intermittent, but quickly stabilised and remained very good until 00:36 GMT / 01:36 CET this morning.
In that time, the lander returned all of its housekeeping data, as well as science data from the targeted instruments, including ROLIS, COSAC, Ptolemy, SD2 and CONSERT. This completed the measurements planned for the final block of experiments on the surface.
In addition, the lander's body was lifted by about 4 cm and rotated about 35° in an attempt to receive more solar energy. But as the last science data fed back to Earth, Philae's power rapidly depleted.
"It has been a huge success, the whole team is delighted," said Stephan Ulamec, lander manager at the DLR German Aerospace Agency, who monitored Philae's progress from ESA's Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany, this week.
"Despite the unplanned series of three touchdowns, all of our instruments could be operated and now it's time to see what we've got."
More from ESA (http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Pioneering_Philae_completes_main_mission_before_hibernation)
Some preliminary results, and more info from the Rosetta team:
http://www.dlr.de/dlr/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-10081/151_read-12176/year-all/#/gallery/17219
Did Philae drill the comet?
Philae's Sampling, Drilling and Distribution (SD2) subsystem was activated towards the end of the surface operations that Philae performed on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko last week, despite fears that it might alter the lander's precarious position following its third touchdown. Here we present the latest update from the SD2 team.
SD2's goal was to drill into the comet surface in order to collect and deliver samples to the COSAC and Ptolemy instruments inside the lander. It was the last of the lander's ten instruments to be operated.
SD2 principal investigator Amalia Finzi has reported that the drill was deployed as planned, extending 46.9 cm below the balcony of the lander and 56.0 cm from its reference point.
"It was then retracted to the reference position, the carousel turned in a way that the sampling tube was in front of the right oven, the discharge operation from the sampling tube to the oven was completed, and the carousel rotated in a way that that oven was positioned at COSAC's location," she said.
Although the ovens worked correctly, the scientists do not yet know how much – if any – material was actually delivered to the ovens by SD2, or whether the instruments sampled dust or gas that entered the chamber during the touchdown.
More: http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/11/19/did-philae-drill-the-comet/
Rosetta Continues Into Its Full Science Phase
With the Philae lander's mission complete, Rosetta will now continue its own extraordinary exploration, orbiting Comet 67P/Churymov–Gerasimenko during the coming year as the enigmatic body arcs ever closer to our Sun.
Last week, ESA's Rosetta spacecraft delivered its Philae lander to the surface of the comet for a dramatic touchdown.
The lander's planned mission ended after about 64 hours when its batteries ran out, but not before it delivered a full set of results that are now being analysed by scientists across Europe.
Rosetta's own mission is far from over and the spacecraft remains in excellent condition, with all of its systems and instruments performing as expected.
"With lander delivery complete, Rosetta will resume routine science observations and we will transition to the 'comet escort phase'," says Flight Director Andrea Accomazzo.
"This science-gathering phase will take us into next year as we go with the comet towards the Sun, passing perihelion, or closest approach, on 13 August, at 186 million kilometres from our star."
More from ESA (http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Operations/Rosetta_continues_into_its_full_science_phase)
The Sound of Philae's Touchdown on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Sensors in the feet of Rosetta's lander Philae have recorded the sound of touchdown as it first came into contact with Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The instrument, SESAME-CASSE, was turned on during the descent and clearly registered the first touchdown as Philae came into contact with the comet, in the form of vibrations detected in the soles of the lander's feet.
Hear it at: http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/11/20/the-sound-of-touchdown/
Rosetta Fuels Debate on Origin of Earth's Oceans
SA's Rosetta spacecraft has found the water vapour from its target comet to be significantly different to that found on Earth. The discovery fuels the debate on the origin of our planet's oceans.
The measurements were made in the month following the spacecraft's arrival at Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko on 6 August. It is one of the most anticipated early results of the mission, because the origin of Earth's water is still an open question.
One of the leading hypotheses on Earth's formation is that it was so hot when it formed 4.6 billion years ago that any original water content should have boiled off. But, today, two thirds of the surface is covered in water, so where did it come from?
In this scenario, it should have been delivered after our planet had cooled down, most likely from collisions with comets and asteroids. The relative contribution of each class of object to our planet's water supply is, however, still debated.
The key to determining where the water originated is in its 'flavour', in this case the proportion of deuterium – a form of hydrogen with an additional neutron – to normal hydrogen.
Read more (http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_fuels_debate_on_origin_of_Earth_s_oceans)...
Thats interesting Rick
http://esamultimedia.esa.int/multimedia/publications/ESABulletin160/
The latest ESA Bulletin – free to read online – features a wonderful Rosetta photo gallery documenting the last few months at Comet 67P/C-
Good find, lovely pics in there.
Rosetta Comet 'Pouring' More Water Into Space
There has been a significant increase in the amount of water "pouring" out of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the comet on which the Rosetta mission's Philae lander touched down in November 2014.
The 2.5-mile-wide (4-kilometer) comet was releasing the earthly equivalent of 40 ounces (1.2 liters) of water into space every second at the end of August 2014. The observations were made by NASA's Microwave Instrument for Rosetta Orbiter (MIRO), aboard the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft. Science results from the MIRO team were released today as part of a special Rosetta-related issue of the journal Science.
"In observations over a period of three months [June through August, 2014], the amount of water in vapor form that the comet was dumping into space grew about tenfold," said Sam Gulkis, principal investigator of the MIRO instrument at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, and lead author of a paper appearing in the special issue. "To be up close and personal with a comet for an extended period of time has provided us with an unprecedented opportunity to see how comets transform from cold, icy bodies to active objects spewing out gas and dust as they get closer to the sun."
More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4456
Rosetta Swoops In For A Close Encounter
ESA's Rosetta probe is preparing to make a close encounter with its comet on 14 February, passing just 6 km from the surface.
Yesterday was Rosetta's last day at 26 km from Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, marking the end of the current orbiting period and the start of a new phase for the rest of this year.
Today, Rosetta is moving into a new path ahead of a very close encounter next week. First, it will move out to a distance of roughly 140 km from the comet by 7 February, before swooping in for the close encounter at 12:41 GMT (13:41 CET) on 14 February. The closest pass occurs over the comet's larger lobe, above the Imhotep region.
"The upcoming close flyby will allow unique scientific observations, providing us with high-resolution measurements of the surface over a range of wavelengths and giving us the opportunity to sample – taste or sniff – the very innermost parts of the comet's atmosphere," says Matt Taylor, ESA's Rosetta project scientist.
The flyby will take Rosetta over the most active regions of the comet, helping scientists to understand the connection between the source of the observed activity and the atmosphere, or coma.
More: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_swoops_in_for_a_close_encounter
Rosetta: Comet's wind mystery may be solved
Scientists from the Rosetta mission may have solved the puzzle of features on Comet 67P that look like they were produced by wind.
Dust appears to be getting blown along the surface - a surprise finding on an "airless" body like a comet.
But the features could instead be created when cometary particles surrounding the nucleus fall back down again, disturbing the surface.
More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-31917305
Rosetta makes first detection of molecular nitrogen at a comet
ESA's Rosetta spacecraft has made the first measurement of molecular nitrogen at a comet, providing clues about the temperature environment in which Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko formed.
Rosetta arrived last August, and has since been collecting extensive data on the comet and its environment with its suite of 11 science instruments.
The in situ detection of molecular nitrogen has long been sought at a comet. Nitrogen had only previously been detected bound up in other compounds, including hydrogen cyanide and ammonia, for example.
Its detection is particularly important since molecular nitrogen is thought to have been the most common type of nitrogen available when the Solar System was forming. In the colder outer regions, it likely provided the main source of nitrogen that was incorporated into the gas planets. It also dominates the dense atmosphere of Saturn's moon, Titan, and is present in the atmospheres and surface ices on Pluto and Neptune's moon Triton.
More from ESA (http://sci.esa.int/rosetta/55620-rosetta-makes-first-detection-of-molecular-nitrogen-at-a-comet/)
This is awesome. Well worth the investment of 18 minutes quiet time.
http://www.ted.com/talks/fred_jansen_how_to_land_on_a_comet
Thanks for the link Kenny, it was very interesting.
Carole
OSIRIS discovers balancing rock on 67P
Scientists from Rosetta's OSIRIS team have discovered an extraordinary formation on the larger lobe of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in the Aker region. From a group of three boulders the largest one with a diameter of approximately 30 meters stands out: images obtained on 16 September 2014 from a distance of 29 kilometers with the help of Rosetta's scientific imaging system OSIRIS show it to perch on the rim of a small depression. There seems to be only a very small contact area with the nucleus.
Similar geological formations are found also on Earth. So-called balancing rocks touch the underground with only a tiny fraction of their surface and often look as if they may tilt or topple over any moment. Some can actually be rocked back and forth and are then referred to as "rocking stones." Impressive examples of balancing rocks occur in Australia or the southwest of the USA. Often these boulders travelled to their current location onboard of glaciers. In other cases, wind and water eroded softer material surrounding the rock.
More: http://www.mps.mpg.de/3990751/Aktuelles_2015_05_18_OSIRIS_entdeckt_Wackelstein
A Cliff Looming on Comet 67P
What that looming behind this gravel-strewn hill on Comet Churyumov–Gerasimenko? A jagged cliff. The unusual double-lobed nucleus of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko lends itself to unusual and dramatic vistas, another of which has been captured by the Rosetta spacecraft that arrived at the comet last September.
See today's APOD (http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap150520.html).
NASA Instrument on Rosetta Makes Comet Atmosphere Discovery
Data collected by NASA's Alice instrument aboard the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft reveal that electrons close to the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko -- not photons from the sun, as had been believed -- cause the rapid breakup of water and carbon dioxide molecules spewing from the comet's surface.
"The discovery we're reporting is quite unexpected," said Alan Stern, principal investigator for the Alice instrument at the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in Boulder, Colorado. "It shows us the value of going to comets to observe them up close, since this discovery simply could not have been made from Earth or Earth orbit with any existing or planned observatory. And, it is fundamentally transforming our knowledge of comets."
More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4609
The quest to find Philae
While Rosetta continues to study the ever-changing comet from a distance, the mission teams have been trying to narrow down the location of Philae on the comet nucleus using a variety of data, including imaging, magnetic field, and radio wave measurements.
Philae first touched down at the Agilkia landing site on the head of Comet 67P/C-G at 15:34 GMT on 12 November 2014, confirmation arriving back at Earth via Rosetta 28 minutes later. Unfortunately Philae's harpoons did not deploy and the ice screws alone proved insufficient to secure the lander at Agilkia. As a result, the lander rebounded for an additional two-hour flight before finally coming to rest at a site now known as Abydos.
More: http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/06/11/the-quest-to-find-philae-2/
Rosetta's lander Philae wakes up from hibernation
Rosetta's lander Philae is out of hibernation!
The signals were received at ESA's European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt at 22:28 CEST on 13 June. More than 300 data packets have been analysed by the teams at the Lander Control Center at the German Aerospace Center (DLR).
"Philae is doing very well: It has an operating temperature of -35ºC and has 24 Watts available," explains DLR Philae Project Manager Dr. Stephan Ulamec. "The lander is ready for operations."
For 85 seconds Philae "spoke" with its team on ground, via Rosetta, in the first contact since going into hibernation in November.
More: Philae is awake! (http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/06/14/rosettas-lander-philae-wakes-up-from-hibernation/)
Blimey that's excellent - hope that means they will be able to do more science..?
Excellent news.
Carole
Whoop whoop!
Hooray, great!!
Let's hope it can get enough power to transmit its collected data back to Earth.
Such great news. Looking forward to the new data.
Mark
Philae Wake-Up Triggers Intense Planning
The receipt of signals from Rosetta's Philae lander on 13 June after 211 days of hibernation marked the start of intense activity. In coordination with its mission partners, ESA teams are working to juggle Rosetta's flight plan to help with renewed lander science investigations.
Philae has woken up after seven months in hibernation on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. Hidden by shadows, Philae shut down on 15 November 2014 at 00:36 GMT after completing its main science operations sequence on the comet when the primary battery expired as expected after about 60 hours.
Since March 2015, when Philae's environmental conditions started to improve with higher surface temperatures and better illumination, the orbiter's receiver had been turned on periodically to listen for signals from the lander when the orbital geometry was thought to be optimum.
More: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Operations/Philae_wake-up_triggers_intense_planning
As a bonus, any operation of Philae's instruments up to or through perihelion on 13 August – the comet's closest point to the Sun along its orbit – will allow in-situ study of a comet during its peak activity.
Had Philae landed at the planned site, at Agilkia in November 2014, its mission would likely have ended in March because of the higher temperatures of that location as solar illumination increased.
Rosetta's MIRO Instrument Maps Comet Water
Since last September, scientists using NASA's Microwave Instrument for Rosetta Orbiter (MIRO) on the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft have generated maps of the distribution of water in the coma of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, as the comet's orbit brings it closer to the sun.
MIRO is able to detect water in the coma by measuring the direct emission from water vapor in the coma and by observing absorption of radiation from the nucleus at water-specific frequencies as the radiation passed through the coma.
On Sept. 7, 2014, when Rosetta was 36 miles (58 kilometers) from the center of the comet, the MIRO team obtained their first map of the nucleus of 67P/C-G and its surroundings. They discovered the highest density of water just above the comet's neck, close to the north pole of the comet's rotation axis. In this narrow region, the number of water molecules is up to two orders of magnitude higher than elsewhere in the coma. Lower but still substantial amounts of water were detected over on the day side of the nucleus up to the terminator between the illuminated and dark side. The lowest amounts of water are found on the comet's night side -- particularly over its southern polar regions. This could be due to either local outgassing or circulation effects within the coma, causing water to flow from the day to the night side.
More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4632
Comet Sinkholes Generates Jets
A number of the dust jets emerging from Rosetta's comet can be traced back to active pits that were likely formed by a sudden collapse of the surface. These 'sinkholes' are providing a glimpse at the chaotic and diverse interior of the comet.
Rosetta has been monitoring Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko's activity for over a year, watching how its halo of dust and gas grows as the comet moves closer to the Sun along its orbit.
From a distance of a few hundred kilometres, Rosetta observes an intricate pattern of the dust jets emitted from the nucleus as they stream out into space. But now, thanks to high-resolution images from the OSIRIS camera from distances of just 10–30 km from the comet centre last year, at least some of these dust jets can be traced back to specific locations on the surface, the first time this has ever been seen.
More from ESA (http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Comet_sinkholes_generate_jets)
New Communication with Philae - Commands Executed Successfully
The Philae lander communicated with the Rosetta orbiter again between 19:45 and 20:07 CEST on 9 July 2015 and transmitted measurement data from the COmet Nucleus Sounding Experiment by Radiowave Transmission (CONSERT) instrument. Although the connection failed repeatedly after that, it remained completely stable for those 12 minutes. "This sign of life from Philae proves to us that at least one of the lander's communication units remains operational and receives our commands," said Koen Geurts, a member of the lander control team at DLR Cologne.
The mood had been mixed over the last few days; Philae had not communicated with the team in the DLR Lander Control Center (LCC) since 24 June 2015. After an initial test command to turn on the power to CONSERT on 5 July 2015, the lander did not respond. Philae's team began to wonder if the lander had survived on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
"We never gave up on Philae and remained optimistic," said Geurts. There was great excitement when Philae 'reported in' on 13 June 2015 after seven months of hibernation and sent data about its health. The lander was ready to perform its tasks, 300 million kilometres away from Earth.
More from ESA (http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/07/10/new-communication-with-philae-commands-executed-successfully/)
Science on a Surface of a Comet (Rosetta/Philae)
Complex molecules that could be key building blocks of life, the daily rise and fall of temperature, and an assessment of the surface properties and internal structure of the comet are just some of the highlights of the first scientific analysis of the data returned by Rosetta's lander Philae last November.
Early results from Philae's first suite of scientific observations of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko were published today in a special edition of the journal Science.
Data were obtained during the lander's seven-hour descent to its first touchdown at the Agilkia landing site, which then triggered the start of a sequence of predefined experiments. But shortly after touchdown, it became apparent that Philae had rebounded and so a number of measurements were carried out as the lander took flight for an additional two hours some 100 m above the comet, before finally landing at Abydos.
Some 80% of the first science sequence was completed in the 64 hours following separation before Philae fell into hibernation, with the unexpected bonus that data were ultimately collected at more than one location, allowing comparisons between the touchdown sites.
More: http://sci.esa.int/rosetta/56250-science-on-the-surface-of-a-comet/
Rosetta Comet Outburst Captured
The European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft has been witnessing growing activity from comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko as the comet approaches perihelion (its closest point to the sun during its orbit). On July 29, while the spacecraft orbited at a distance of 116 miles (186 kilometers) from the comet, it observed the most dramatic outburst to date. Early science results collected during the outburst came from several instruments aboard Rosetta, including the Double Focusing Mass Spectrometer (DFMS), which uses NASA-built electronics. The DFMS is part of the spacecraft's Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis (ROSINA) instrument.
When the outburst occurred, the spectrometer recorded dramatic changes in the composition of outpouring gases from the comet when compared to measurements made two days earlier. As a result of the outburst, the amount of carbon dioxide increased by a factor of two, methane by four, and hydrogen sulfide by seven, while the amount of water stayed almost constant.
More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4687
Comet Surface Changes Before Rosetta's Eyes
Since arriving at Comet 67P/C-G in August 2014, Rosetta has been witnessing an increase in the activity of the comet, warmed by the ever-closer Sun. A general increase in the outflow of gas and dust has been punctuated by the emergence of jets and dramatic rapid outbursts in the weeks around perihelion, the closest point to the Sun on the comet's orbit, which occurred on 13 August 2015.
But in June 2015, just two months before perihelion, Rosetta scientists started noticing important changes on the surface of the nucleus itself. These very significant alterations have been seen in Imhotep, a region containing smooth terrains covered by fine-grained material as well as large boulders, located on 67P/C-G's large lobe.
More from ESA (http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/09/18/comet-surface-changes-before-rosettas-eyes/)
Rosetta reveals comet's water-ice cycle
A key feature that Rosetta's scientists are investigating is the way in which activity on the comet and the associated outgassing are driven, by monitoring the increasing activity on and around the comet since Rosetta's arrival.
Scientists using Rosetta's Visible, InfraRed and Thermal Imaging Spectrometer, VIRTIS, have identified a region on the comet's surface where water ice appears and disappears in sync with its rotation period. Their findings are published today in the journal Nature.
More from ESA (http://sci.esa.int/rosetta/56513-rosetta-reveals-comet-s-water-ice-cycle/)
First Detection of Molecular Oxygen At A Comet
ESA's Rosetta spacecraft has made the first in situ detection of oxygen molecules outgassing from a comet, a surprising observation that suggests they were incorporated into the comet during its formation.
Rosetta has been studying Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko for over a year and has detected an abundance of different gases pouring from its nucleus. Water vapour, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide are the most prolific, with a rich array of other nitrogen-, sulphur- and carbon-bearing species, and even 'noble gases' also recorded.
Oxygen is the third most abundant element in the Universe, but the simplest molecular version of the gas, O2, has proven surprisingly hard to track down, even in star-forming clouds, because it is highly reactive and readily breaks apart to bind with other atoms and molecules.
More from ESA (http://sci.esa.int/rosetta/56727-first-detection-of-molecular-oxygen-at-a-comet/)
Rosetta Finds Magnetic Field-Free Bubble at Comet
ESA's Rosetta spacecraft has revealed a surprisingly large region around its host comet devoid of any magnetic field.
When ESA's Giotto flew past Comet Halley three decades ago, it found a vast magnetic-free region extending more than 4000 km from the nucleus. This was the first observation of something that scientists had until then only thought about but had never seen.
Interplanetary space is pervaded by the solar wind, a flow of electrically charged particles streaming from the Sun and carrying its magnetic field across the Solar System. But a comet pouring lots of gas into space obstructs the solar wind.
t the interface between the solar wind and the coma of gas around the active comet, particle collisions as well as sunlight can knock out electrons from the molecules in the coma, which are ionised and picked up by the solar wind. This process slows the solar wind, diverting its flow around the comet and preventing it from directly impacting the nucleus.
More from ESA (http://sci.esa.int/rosetta/57576-rosetta-finds-magnetic-field-free-bubble-at-comet/)
Philae found.. hooraaaa...!
Less than a month before the end of the mission, Rosetta's high-resolution camera has revealed the Philae lander wedged into a dark crack on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.
The images were taken on 2 September by the OSIRIS narrow-angle camera as the orbiter came within 2.7 km of the surface and clearly show the main body of the lander, along with two of its three legs.
The images also provide proof of Philae's orientation, making it clear why establishing communications was so difficult following its landing on 12 November 2014.
More: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Philae_found
yay!! \o/
Download the High-Res image from here and look at the amazing crumbly texture of the comet....
http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2016/09/Philae_found
OMG that is so tiny to be able to spot.
Amazing mission
Carole
NASA's Kepler Gets the 'Big Picture' of Comet 67P
On Sept. 30, the European Space Agency concluded its Rosetta mission and the study of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. During the final month of the mission, NASA's planet-hunting Kepler spacecraft had a unique opportunity to provide a "big picture" view of the comet as it was unobservable from Earth. Ground-based telescopes could not see comet 67P, because the comet's orbit placed it in the sky during daylight hours.
From Sept. 7 through Sept. 20, the Kepler spacecraft, operating in its K2 mission, fixed its gaze on comet 67P. From the distant vantage point of Kepler, the spacecraft could observe the comet's core and tail. The long-range global view of Kepler complements the close-in view of the Rosetta spacecraft, providing context for the high-resolution investigation Rosetta performed as it descended closer and closer to the comet.
During the two-week period of study, Kepler took a picture of the comet every 30 minutes. The animation shows a period of 29.5 hours of observation from Sept. 17 through Sept. 18. The comet is seen passing through Kepler's field of view from top right to bottom left, as outlined by the diagonal strip. The white dots represent stars and other regions in space studied during K2's tenth observing campaign.
More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6641
The Many Faces of Rosetta's Comet 67P
Images returned from the European Space Agency's Rosetta mission indicate that during its most recent trip through the inner solar system, the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko was a very active place - full of growing fractures, collapsing cliffs and massive rolling boulders. Moving material buried some features on the comet's surface while exhuming others. A study on 67P's changing surface was released Tuesday, March 21, in the journal Science.
"As comets approach the sun, they go into overdrive and exhibit spectacular changes on their surface," said Ramy El-Maarry, study leader and a member of the U.S. Rosetta science team from the University of Colorado, Boulder. "This is something we were not able to really appreciate before the Rosetta mission, which gave us the chance to look at a comet in ultra-high resolution for more than two years."
More: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6786
Not sure which section to post this in.
Fantastic video taken from Rosetta mission:
https://vimeo.com/347565673
Wow !! The relection of the comet in the solar panels is something else!!!....
Thanks for posting.
Roger
It certainly is stunning.
Carole
A wonderful summary of the images from Rosetta.
Thanks for putting it up here.
Noel
Trouble at Skull-Top Ridge: ESA boffins use data wizardry to figure out Philae probe's second touchdown site
ESA scientists have identified the location of the Philae lander's second touchdown site on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and revealed new insights about the space snowball's interior.
The fridge-sized lander was released from the Rosetta mothership back in November 2014, aiming for a landing on the surface of the comet. Things did not go entirely to plan as Philae was unable to secure itself on first touchdown, bouncing several times before settling in a location that left its solar panels unable to generate sufficient power.
The probe managed to achieve its science goals before the batteries were drained. Scientists hoped that contact might be re-established once sunlight fell on the panels but eventually declared the lander officially dead in 2016.
More: https://www.theregister.com/2020/10/28/philae_second_touchdown/