Tag: Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

  • Rosetta probe disoriented by comet dust

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    This view of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko was taken by Rosetta’s navigation camera on March 22, showing a cloud of dust and gas surrounding the nucleus. Credit: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM Ground controllers are analyzing a fault aboard Europe’s Rosetta spacecraft after an encounter with comet dust confused the probe’s navigation system, leaving the robot explorer in a temporary safe…

  • Rosetta begins listening for signs of life from comet lander

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    Artist’s concept of the Philae comet lander. Credit: DLR Europe’s Rosetta spacecraft is trying to contact the Philae landing probe for the first time since the robot fell silent after a bouncy landing on a comet in November. Although there are slim odds of hearing from Philae in the first communications window this month, scientists…

  • Rosetta glimpses its own shadow on comet 67P

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    Close view of a 228 x 228 m region on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, as seen by the OSIRIS narrow-angle camera during Rosetta’s flyby at 12:39 UT on 14 February 2015. The image was taken six kilometers above the comet’s surface, and the image resolution is just 11 cm/pixel. Rosetta’s fuzzy shadow, measuring approximately 20 x 50…

  • Photos from Rosetta’s Valentine’s Day comet close-up

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    Europe’s Rosetta spacecraft — six months into its mission at comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko — made its closest flyby of the comet’s boulder-strewn nucleus Saturday, capturing photos and measurements to help scientists unravel how the duck-shaped body is evolving on its path around the sun. Rosetta flew just six kilometers — about 3.7 miles — from the…

  • Rosetta approaches comet 67P for a closer look

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    A single-frame image of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko from Rosetta’s navigation camera taken Feb. 9 at a range of 105 km, showing part of the nucleus enveloped in jets of dust and gas. Credit: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM The Rosetta spacecraft neared its comet Saturday, targeting a close flyby within four miles of the tiny world’s jagged nucleus to gain…

  • New discoveries from Rosetta put comet 67P in focus

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    This image from Rosetta’s OSIRIS narrow-angle camera shows part of a large fracture in the neck of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA Scientists have released new findings from the European Space Agency’s Rosetta mission, adding fresh pages to a catalog of comet data that officials promise will swell with more discoveries over the…

  • 2014’s top stories in spaceflight

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    The year ended with a deluge of big news, reminding us of the risks of spaceflight and the thin margins between success and failure on the final frontier. 2014 was also a year of breakthroughs in the exploration of the solar system and the future of human spaceflight. The Spaceflight Now editorial team has ranked…

  • Scientific riches await Philae comet lander, if it wakes up

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    This four-image mosaic comprises images taken from a distance of 20.1 kilometers (12.5 miles) from the center of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on Dec. 10. Credit: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM Optimistic Europe’s hibernating Philae comet lander can be revived, mission controllers plan to try and contact the spacecraft as soon as January as the search narrows for the probe’s final…

  • Rosetta raises questions on how water got to Earth

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    A four-image mosaic of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko using images taken by Rosetta’s navigation camera on Dec. 7 at a distance of 19.7 kilometers (12.2 miles) from the center of the comet. Credit: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM New readings from the European Space Agency’s Rosetta mission have challenged the theory that comets brought water to Earth in a series of…

  • Comet lander powered up after electronics glitch

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    DARMSTADT, Germany — Europe’s Philae lander — still latched inside its mothership — has been activated and should be ready for release Wednesday to begin a daring first-ever descent to a comet, the mission’s flight director said Tuesday. The power-up of Philae is the first of several key milestones planned in the days leading up…