Goodnight, Sweet Philae: Bid to Reawaken Rosetta's Lander Near Impossible

By Emily Carney, on February 14th, 2016

From ESA, “Welcome to a Comet”: “Philae’s view of the cliffs at Abydos. One of the lander’s three feet can be seen in the foreground.” Image Credit: ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA

It would have been a heroic coda to an already ambitious, historic mission, but alas, it was not meant to be. For the past few […]

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Rosetta Detects Molecular Oxygen at Comet 67P, Adding to Year of Firsts

By Emily Carney, on October 29th, 2015

From ESA: “This single frame Rosetta navigation camera image of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko was taken on 18 October 2015 from a distance of 433 km from the comet centre. The image has a resolution of 36.9 m/pixel and measures 37.8 km across.” Image Credit: ESA/Rosetta/NavCam (Note: This image has been cropped.)

The European Space […]

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Rosetta Makes First Detection of Cometary Molecular Nitrogen, Seeks Signals From Philae Lander

By Ken Kremer, on March 28th, 2015

Rosetta has made the first detection of molecular nitrogen at a comet. The results provide clues about the temperature environment in which Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko formed. Credit: ESA/ATG medialab; comet: ESA/Rosetta/NavCam – CC BY-SA IGO 3.0

Rosetta, humankind’s first spacecraft to orbit a comet, has now made the first detection of molecular nitrogen (N2) […]

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Rosetta Reveals Cracked Comet Covered With Dust and Spewing Pits

By Ken Kremer, on February 4th, 2015

Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko regional maps The 19 regions identified on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko are separated by distinct geomorphological boundaries. Following the ancient Egyptian theme of the Rosetta mission, they are named for Egyptian deities. Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA

Scientists leading Europe’s Rosetta orbiter mission have discovered a wondrous array of rugged surface terrain, […]

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Rosetta Team Focusing on Upcoming Comet and Lander Science, Planning Ultra Close Flyby

By Ken Kremer, on December 21st, 2014

From the location where it came to rest after bounces, the Philae lander of the European Space Agency’s Rosetta mission captured this view of a cliff on the nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The feature is called “Perihelion Cliff.” The image is from the lander’s CIVA camera. Credit: ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA

The team guiding Europe’s history-making […]

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Rosetta Observations Spark Debate on Origin of Earth's Water

By Ken Kremer, on December 12th, 2014

Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on 20 November 2014. This mosaic comprises four individual NAVCAM images taken from 30.8 km from the centre of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on 20 November 2014. Credit: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM – CC BY-SA IGO 3.0

Comets? Asteroids? Or what?

One of the most basic questions driving Astronomy and Space Exploration is: Where did the […]

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