SPACE — Rosetta is a spacecraft that researches comets. Rosetta undertook a 10-year mission to capture a comet and land a robot named Philae on it.
Launched in 2004, the spacecraft arrived at its target, Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, on August 6, 2014.
Rosetta was the first spacecraft to accompany a comet as it entered the inner solar system. Rosetta was also the first probe to attempt to land on a comet.
After its encounter with the comet, the spacecraft began a two-year study of the comet’s nucleus and environment. Rosetta observed how the frozen comet changed as it approached the hot sun.
The name Rosetta is taken from the Rosetta Stone, a block of black basalt inscribed with royal decrees in three languages, namely Egyptian hieroglyphs, Egyptian Demotic and Greek.
The name of the spacecraft’s landing robot, Philae, is taken from the name of an obelisk with a similar inscription found on an island in the Nile River. Both the stone and the obelisk are the key to deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.
Scientists hope this mission will provide the key to many questions about the origins of the solar system and, possibly, life on Earth.
Rosetta Instruments
Rosetta is an aluminum box with two solar panels that extend like wings. The box, which weighs about 3,000 kilograms, measures about 2.8 by 2.1 by 2 meters.
The solar panels have a total range of about 32 m. Rosetta is the first spacecraft to rely solely on solar cells to generate power.
Rosetta’s payload includes 11 instruments that provide information about how comets develop their comas and tails, and how their chemicals interact with each other and with radiation and the solar wind. Other instruments analyze the comet’s composition and atmosphere.
Pendarat Philae
Philae weighs 100 kg, the size of a washing machine. Philae carries 10 instruments, including a drill for sampling subsurface material.
The planned landing location, is called Agilkia. Mission controllers at the European Space Agency (ESA) are also selecting a secondary landing site for Philae. Location J is a sunny area, but also rocky, making it dangerous to land.
When Philae landed on November 12, 2014, the harpoon it was equipped with failed to fire as planned. The lander bounced twice before landing permanently on the ice surface.
2023-09-14 02:19:00
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