Europe's Rosetta Probe Makes Final Fly Past..

[mosaix]

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Rosetta makes final home call

Europe's Rosetta probe has made its third and final flyby of Earth as it seeks to position itself to chase down a comet in 2014.

The spacecraft's whip around the planet will give it the extra speed it needs to take it out to the rendezvous location near Jupiter.


Launched in 2004, Rosetta has 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.

 

[Sparrow]

Last I had heard of the Rosetta Probe was when it was misidentified by an astronomer as an asteroid on a collision path with Earth. After a while I think someone on the Rosetta team put two and two together and figured it out, it was no asteroid!
We wouldn't want Bruce Willis shooting down a perfectly good space probe.

Good to see it still in working order and able to perform one last mission.

 

[Chinook]

Why do the computer simulations always look so much cleaner and perfect than the real video? (Don't answer that). Funny thing - I thought we already knew what comets are made of. What will this probe tell us that we don't already know? Here is the closest thing to an answer I can get from the article:

Scientists are keen to study comets close up because they are thought to contain materials that have remained largely unchanged since the formation of the Solar System 4.6bn years ago.

Can anyone "shed more light" (pun intended) on this question? What are the details or missing pieces of the puzzle they hope to find?

 

[Dave]

I thought we already knew what comets are made of. What will this probe tell us that we don't already know?

I'm no expert, so don't hold me to this, but do we really know? We have never 'been' to one before (photos from a distance only) and haven't actually held a 'piece' of one. I believe Comets 'melt' or 'sublime' rather than 'burn' so spectroscopy will not tell us the full story of their composition, we would need to be there. If I'm wrong, could an expert put me right.

from the ESA

ORBIT:
Rosetta has a complex trajectory which includes four gravity assist manoeuvres (3 x Earth, 1 x Mars) before finally reaching the comet. On arrival at 67P Rosetta will enter orbit around the comet and stay with it as it journeys in towards the Sun.
MILESTONES:
To study the origin of comets, the relationship between cometary and interstellar material, and its implications with regard to the origin of the Solar System. The measurements to be made to achieve this are:

* Global characterisation of the nucleus, determination of dynamic properties, surface morphology and composition;
* Determination of the chemical, mineralogical and isotopic compositions of volatiles and refractories in a cometary nucleus;
* Determination of the physical properties and interrelation of volatiles and refractories in a cometary nucleus;
* Study of the development of cometary activity and the processes in the surface layer of the nucleus and the inner coma (dust/gas interaction);
* Global characterisation of asteroids, including determination of dynamic properties, surface morphology and composition.

 

[Nik]

Comets...

Except for the one 'Deep Impact' whacked with that copper mallet, and the famous one that bunch of probes peeked at some years back, all we know about most comets is their orbit, reflectivity spectrum, general shape, rotation and what gasses off when they warm up...

Best guess is still variations of 'dirty snowball' but, IIRC, there may be several 'populations' corresponding to origins. Those that only swing out to Jupiter may not be related to 'hyperbolics' that storm in from Oort cloud or beyond...

Aside from the obvious observation that most comets are big enough to be *dangerous*, they also represent a potential resource. Unlike asteroids, they seem to contain lots of ice. This may make them the 'filling stations' of the future. Mining them makes more sense than risking Jupiter's radiation to get to those icy moonlets...

 

[Brian G Turner]

And now, finally - stunning images of the comet as Rosetta approaches:
BBC News - Europe's Rosetta probe goes into orbit around comet 67P

 

[Vertigo]

Yes, been following this today. Possibly the most impressive piece of astronavigation so far achieved. Quite extraordinary, even before we start getting serious data back.

I raise my glass to the good folk in the ESA!

 

[Michael Colton]

This is all sorts of cool.

 

[Gramm838]

That picture from the BBC website is simply awesome...and as someone pointed out on the comments on the BBC website, the probe is using late '80's technology so to get that close with a 22 minute delay between signal and action is just breathtaking.

As a species we do some clever stuff occasionally...

 

[Boneman]

I wonder if the Millenium Falcon is still hiding inside...

 

[Stephen Palmer]

This mission is definitely getting more exciting. Hope they can land the probe on the actual thing.

 

[Gramm838]

There was a graphic on the BBC technology pages today to give some idea of scale - it's like a kite (the bird) trying to orbit an Airbus A380, while doing 30,000mph or something

 

[Brian G Turner]

More on the Rosetta mission, not least it's density, and some curious features:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-28881015

 

[Mirannan]

There was a graphic on the BBC technology pages today to give some idea of scale - it's like a kite (the bird) trying to orbit an Airbus A380, while doing 30,000mph or something

I agree entirely that the rendezvous is impressive, but I don't think that the reason is the comet's velocity WRT Earth; especially as the whole encounter is of course in vacuum.

 

[Brian G Turner]

And Rosetta finally goes out with a "bang":
Rosetta mission ends in comet collision - BBC News

 

[Brian G Turner]

And New Scientist lists some of the achievements of the Rosetta mission - and, more importantly, what we've learned:
Rosetta’s biggest hits: The comet chaser’s top seven discoveries

 

[Allegra]

Watched the news yesterday. So amazing. It's understandable those guys think the final bitter-sweet, after set Rosetta out in the great open, guided her, followed her, talked to her, she is like a living being. Now settled down on the comet for good.

Europe must find another Rosetta - BBC News:
"So where next? In terms of Solar System science, the immediate focus of attention turns to Mars. In a couple of weeks, Europe will attempt to put a small probe called Schiaparelli on the surface of the Red Planet. It’s a demonstrator, a prelude to placing the more significant ExoMars rover on our near neighbour in 2021.

The satellite that drops Schiaparelli to the surface has significant work to do also in studying the atmosphere of the fascinating world.

Also approaching is the much delayed BepiColombo mission to orbit Mercury, and far over the horizon is the Juice venture to Jupiter and its icy moons. This will arrive in the 2030s.

And there’s a satellite called Solar Orbiter, which will launch in 2018 and dare to go extremely close to the Sun."

 

[Stephen Palmer]

Can't wait for the Europa/Enceladus missions!

 

[Brian G Turner]

One of the last - and most impressive - pictures from Rosetta:
Rosetta lands on 67P in grand finale to two year comet mission