After 31 months of deep space slumber, Rosetta wakes to chase a comet
In short: Launched in 2004, the Rosetta spacecraft spent years cruising through the cold void beyond Jupiter. On January 20, 2014, a pre-programmed alarm clock finally stirred the probe from its long hibernation. Now powered by the Sun once more, it is preparing for an unprecedented rendezvous with comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
Rosetta was placed into a deep-space sleep in June 2011, drifting nearly 800 million kilometers from the Sun. The hibernation was a necessity for the loneliest leg of its journey, where solar energy was insufficient to power the craft. By January 2014, the spacecraft’s orbit brought it back to within 673 million kilometers of the Sun, providing enough energy to reboot its systems. At 10:00 GMT, an internal alarm triggered a sequence of warming up navigation instruments, stabilizing its spin, and orienting its antenna toward Earth.
The mission is a series of historic firsts. While previous encounters with comets were fleeting flybys, Rosetta is designed to rendezvous with 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and escort it as it swings around the Sun. Scientists hope this long-term, in situ study will reveal how comets—the primitive building blocks of the Solar System—behave as they warm up and sublimate. The data collected may even clarify the role these icy bodies played in seeding Earth with water and the ingredients for life.
The mission’s most ambitious phase involves the 100 kg Philae lander. Scheduled for November 11, 2014, the landing will be the first attempt to touch down on a comet. Because the nucleus is only 4 kilometers wide and possesses negligible gravity, Philae must deploy ice screws and harpoons to anchor itself upon contact. Once secured, it will drill 23 centimeters into the surface to analyze organic material, providing a rare, high-resolution look at the composition of a comet’s interior.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Rosetta wakes up from deep space hibernation
- Also: ESA - ESA’s ‘sleeping beauty’ wakes up from deep space hibernation
- Also: ESA Science & Technology - Rosetta, ESA's 'sleeping beauty' wakes up from deep space hibernation
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