Tag: cometary science

ESA Euronews: Rosetta heads for glorious crash-landing

In just a few days’ time ESA’s Rosetta mission is going to come to a close in a most extraordinary fashion, because the spacecraft is going to slowly, and deliberately crash-land into the comet that it has been orbiting for the past two years.

Euronews is with the team as they prepare for this dramatic finale.

This video is available in the following languages:
English https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_7u71Lu3S4
German https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MX7SYFWzUp8
French https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXTn3mDWH-Y
Spanish https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjenXVAFTTw
Italian https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32nyF3IkzU8
Portuguese https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_CTvNZfXxc
Greek https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdUgVQibZWo
Hungarian https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3OTRPHckSM

September 23, 2016
ESA Euronews: El final programado de Rosetta

En pocos días, la misión Rosetta de la Agencia Espacial Europea (ESA) tocará a su fin. Y lo hará de la forma más extraordinaria, porque la nave espacial irá a chocar, lenta y deliberadamente, contra el cometa alrededor del cual ha estado orbitando durante los últimos dos años. Nos reunimos con el equipo mientras preparan este dramático final.

September 23, 2016
ESA Euronews: Rosetta se prépare au choc fatal sur la comète Tchouri

Le 30 septembre prochain, la sonde Rosetta s’écrasera lentement et délibérément sur la comète autour de laquelle elle orbite depuis deux ans. Or elle n’a pas été conçue pour cela. L’issue sera fatale. Mais avant cette dernière manoeuvre, les scientifiques ont prévu d’effectuer des relevés inédits à l’approche de “Tchouri”.

September 23, 2016
Rosetta status

Rosetta has another three months of science to collect before its historic mission comes to an end. But the mission is not resting on its laurels. It has just broken a new record by flying an orbit 7 kms from the comet’s centre – just 5 kms from the surface – and there are more breathtaking manoeuvres to come.

This film describes the orbits that Rosetta will undertake around comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the changes in the amount of gas coming off the comet, and examines the importance of finding phosphorus and glycine – an amino acid that is essential for life.

It also discusses the mission’s most recent discoveries of Xenon and Krypton, together with most of their isotopes. These noble gases were detected by the ROSINA instrument during the period when Rosetta was flying extremely close to the comet. More important science is expected to be released during the next few months.

More about Rosetta:
http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta

June 28, 2016
Rosetta Philae landing: one year

It’s been an extraordinary year for the Rosetta comet mission since Philae landed on the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on 12 November 2014.

Continual data from the orbiter, together with information collected over several days from the lander, is providing a comprehensive picture of a remnant from our Solar System.

This film covers the most recent science news from the Rosetta mission, as well as selected scientific highlights from the last year. It includes the comet’s unusual surface terrace structure, its formation from two colliding objects producing the unusual rubber duck shape, how water is transported from inside the comet towards the surface, and the surprising detection of molecular oxygen – familiar on Earth but not on a comet.

Find out more about the Rosetta mission: http://rosetta.esa.int/

November 11, 2015
ESA Euronews: Rosetta’s quest for the origin of life

The Rosetta Mission has been writing a new chapter in what we know about the formation of life. The ESA teams involved are now preparing for the last part of this amazing journey.

Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko has recently reached the perihelion – that’s the closest point to the Sun in its six and a half year orbit. It’s an important scientific step – as increasing solar energy warms the comet’s frozen ices, turning them to gas and dust. To stay safe, Rosetta has been forced to move further from the comet.

The Rosetta mission has been extended by nine months – until September next year. It’s hoped this will further boost the enormous amount of data that’s already been collected.

This video is also available in the following languages:
Spanish https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1S7lYxNMbUU
Portuguese https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jrEaaFOo18
German https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ah774y94sEA
French https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j49w_F9O1Fc
Italian https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjI4-DbCCtk
Greek https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSVZtTADnmc
Hungarian https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFc-W4xE0Z0

August 28, 2015