Rosetta's grand finale

The spacecraft will perform tonight a controlled descent to the surface of the comet 67P, during which it will continue collecting data

29/09/2016

Today, at 22:50, Rosetta mission (ESA) will receive the commands to execute the collision maneuver that will make it collide into the nucleus of comet 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The spacecraft will descend to a region in the smaller lobe of the comet known as Ma'at, which shows cavities similar to natural wells. The OSIRIS camera, in which the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia (IAA-CSIC) participates, will have a leading role, as it will take images of the comet from a unique perspective and send the last picture of the mission. The European Space Agency will retransmit the end of the mission through its web.

"In my opinion, here ends one of the most complete space missions of our history, full of success without precedent -indicates Pedro J. Gutiérrez, researcher at the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia (IAA-CSIC) that participates in the mission-. Now we must be able to decipher all the information and data that Rosetta has left us to understand, at last, the origin and formation of our planetary system. "

The mission, launched in 2014, has given us the most detailed image of a comet nucleus and has offered exciting moments, such as the maneuver to place the spacedraft in orbit around the comet 67P or the landing of Philae on its surface. The spacecraft, which has accompanied the comet on its path around the Sun, does not receive enough energy to continue operating, but  this controlled descent maneuver will allow to add a new milestone in studying the comet from a unique proximity.

Contact: 

Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA-CSIC)
Unidad de Divulgación y Comunicación
Silbia López de Lacalle - sll[arroba]iaa.es - 958230532
http://www.iaa.es
http://www-divulgacion.iaa.es