Farewell Rosetta: Orbiter to set down on comet surface

[Eugene]

Source: CNN

Farewell Rosetta: Orbiter to set down on comet surface

By Dave Gilbert, CNN
Updated 1918 GMT (0318 HKT) September 29, 2016

(CNN) - Here's the challenge: Land a spacecraft that was designed to be an orbiter on the surface of a speeding comet that is millions of miles away and carry out pioneering science on the way down.

It's difficult -- but the Rosetta mission has continued to surprise and delight those who have followed its epic 12-year, comet-chasing journey.

Mission controllers from the European Space Agency (ESA), which is leading the Rosetta mission consortium, are aiming to find out more about the lumpy structures they are calling "goosebumps."

Collected in the wall of pits on the comet's surface, scientists believe they may be the original pieces of material that bonded together to form the body and date to when the solar system was young.

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Read more: http://edition.cnn.com/2016/09/29/health/rosetta-orbiter-comet-landing/

[awoke_in_2003]

1. K&R

Can't believe it's been 12 years. I wonder how the people who man these missions feel when they end.

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. So, it should have (crash-)landed by now

ESA Operations ?@esaoperations 26 minutes ago
#ESOC Flight Dynamics revise #CometLanding time to 10:39:10 UTC, confirmation at 11:19:08 UTC (13:19:08 CEST). >400m to #67P @ESA_Rosetta

https://twitter.com/esaoperations/status/781804575917506560

But since it's 40 light-minutes away, we don't have the signals for another 17 minutes.

Live streaming: http://livestream.com/ESA/rosettagrandfinale

BBC live blog: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/science-environment-37499184

The indispensable Emily Lakdawalla should be good for commentary: http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/

[Eugene]

3. BBC: Rosetta probe crashes into its comet

Rosetta probe crashes into its comet

By Jonathan Amos
BBC Science Correspondent, Darmstadt
22 minutes ago Science & Environment

Europe's Rosetta probe has ended its mission to Comet 67P by crash-landing on to the icy object's surface.

Mission control in Darmstadt, Germany, was able to confirm the impact had occurred when radio contact to the ageing spacecraft was lost abruptly.

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Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-37520420