Rosetta has Arrived! Probe Reveals Incredible Close-up Pictures of Comet after Successful Rendezvous with one of our Solar System's Most Mysterious Objects
- Rosetta is in orbit 62 miles (100km) of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
- Tiny probe is flying beside the comet at a slow walking pace of 1m/sec
- It has taken ten years and four billion miles to reach 'rubber duck' comet
- It has been described by Esa as 'the sexiest, most fantastic mission ever'
- Images reveal close-up detail which scientists will explain in coming days
- Probe will drop a landing craft, named Philae, onto the comet in November
- Information from the mission is expected to help scientists understand the origin of comets, the solar system, and possibly life
7 August 2014
A European spacecraft, dubbed Rosetta, has successfully caught up with a flying comet... following a 10-year chase.
After ten years and four billion miles, Rosetta has finally caught up with its comet following a series of spectacular manoeuvres.
The tiny probe is now in orbit within 62 miles (100km) of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko which is travelling at 34,000 mph (55,000 km per hour).
Described as ‘the sexiest, most fantastic mission ever’, Rosetta will spend more than a year analysing the comet to help uncover the secrets to life on Earth.
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'Hello, Comet!': Esa today released the latest image of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on Twitter.
The probe is in orbit within 62 miles (100km) of the comet after a decade-long chase through the solar system
During the hotly anticipated rendezvous, Rosetta edged closer to its target adjusting its speed so that it was flying beside the comet at a slow walking pace of 1m/sec (2.2mph, 3.6kph).
Mission controllers had to wait a nail-biting 22 minutes to know that the manoeuvre had been successful.
'I was relaxed today, but when I saw those pictures all my emotions came flooding back,' mission director Paolo Ferri told MailOnline.
The images reveal stunning close-up details of the comet, which scientists hope to better explain in the coming months.
Images reveal close-up details of the comet, which scientists hope to better explain in the coming months.
Comet's 'head' is at the left of the frame, which is casting shadow onto the 'neck' and 'body' to the right
A timeline of Rosetta's journey to comet 67P. The probe was launched in March 2004 from Kourou in French Guinana.
In January this year, after 3 years, Rosetta woke up from hibernation to chase down its comet
'I was impressed that on the neck that connects the two parts of the comet there is something like the side of a mountain.
'It’s like looking at the Alps on a very high wall. It is incredible.'
Today's event marks the beginning of a series of weekly thruster burns that will take place every Wednesday and Sunday well into 2015 to keep the spacecraft in orbit around the comet.
Rosetta’s initial orbit will see it travel around the comet in a three-legged triangular path with a small thruster burn at each ‘end’ of the triangle.
Each leg of this triangle is about 62 miles (100km) long, and it will take Rosetta about three or four days to traverse each leg.
Spacecraft catches up to comet after 10-year chase:
Close up detail focusing on a smooth region on the 'base' of the 'body' section of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
The image was taken by Rosetta's OSIRIS narrow-angle camera and downloaded today
Scientists were this morning following the flight of the Rosetta spacecraft from the
control centre of the European Space Agency (Esa) in Darmstadt, western Germany
Rosetta’s initial orbit will see it travel around the comet in a three-legged triangular path
with a small thruster burn at each ‘end’ of the triangle. Each leg of this triangle is about 62 miles (100km) long
The probe flew into space more than a decade ago and had to perform a series of complex manoeuvres to gain enough speed to chase down comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
Previous missions to study comets have been brief fly-bys to gather data or collect samples of dust.
Rosetta, however, will fly around comet 67P in a form of orbit for more than a year, using its 21 instruments to collect data.
Scientists hope the mission will reveal more about the origins of comets and other celestial bodies.
If all goes according to plan the probe will also drop a small landing craft, named Philae, onto the comet's icy surface in November.
Spacecraft catches up to comet after 10-year chase: