Rosetta Explores a Comet European Space Agency ESA

Rosetta Explores a Comet • • European Space Agency (ESA) Launched 10 years ago, 5 Earth flybys to save fuel and

Rosetta Explores a Comet • • • Comet 67 P or Churyumov-Gerasimenko (after who found it) 4 x 4. 5 km – here with Los Angeles for scale Very low density (0. 05 g/cm 3!) like talcum powder

• • Made of ice (the ridges? ) and fine dust from the birth of the solar system One of the blackest objects in the solar system – stretched here so you can see it Lots of varied geology – blocks, dust, plateaus, ridges You could walk across it in a few hours/day, but if you walk faster than a

• Dunes? ?

• • • Jets!! Ices in comets vaporize as they approach the sun ESA decided not to put the lander in the “neck” region – why?

• • • Philae lander detached from Rosetta last week Designed to secure landing with overhead rocket, screws on landing pads and grappling hooks 10 instruments on board to study structure and composition of the comet

• All landing systems failed! Philae landed once (off image to far left), was in the first bounce for 2 HOURS. • Second bounce just off image to left, then drifted (caught by Rosetta imager) to landing spot in upper right.

• Philae rested right side up (!), is now on a cliff (2 pads on, one off), at a 30 degree angle, IN THE DARK. • Batteries need the sun to charge, only had 40 hours of life. Artist rendition with actual surface images

• Philae rested right side up (!), is now on a cliff (2 pads on, one off), at a 30 degree angle, IN THE DARK. Battery dying… • All TEN instruments sent their data back before Philae went to sleep. Now working through the results – looks like cliff is solid ice, with organic (C-H) molecules. May wake back up when the comet rotates into • Batteries need the sun to charge, only had 40 hours of life. Artist rendition with actual surface images

• Philae rested right side up (!), is now on a cliff (2 pads on, one off), at a 30 degree angle, IN THE DARK. • Batteries need the sun to charge, only had 40 hours of life. Artist rendition with actual surface images Battery dying… • All TEN instruments sent their data back before Philae went to sleep. Now working through the results – looks like cliff is solid ice, with organic (C-H) molecules. May wake back up when the comet rotates into • @Philae 2014: @ESA_Rosetta I’m feeling a bit tired, did you get all my data? I might take a nap…