& ESA's Comet-Chaser Rosetta

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1 & ESA's Comet-Chaser Rosetta Source: Photo by: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/ SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA Contributors : Greg Hough, Fall 2015 James Loo, Spring 2015 ASTR101, Montgomery College, Germantown Dr. Mike Chu

2 History Who is Churyumov? Who is Gerasimenko? Klim Churyumov Churyumov is a Soviet and Ukrainian astronomer. Director of the Kiev Planetarium and member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine the International Astronomical Union. Svetlana Gerasimenko Source: Photo By: ESA/C.Carreau Gerasimenko is a Soviet Ukrainian and Tajikistani astronomer. Source: Photo by: Michael Bause In 1969 both astronomers discovered the comet 67P/Churyumov Gerasimenko and on November 12 th 2014 the Rosetta space mission successfully landed its Philae spacecraft on its surface.

3 What is Churyumov-Gerasimenko? This 4.6 billion year old comet is originally from the Kuiper belt, with a current orbital period of 6.45 years. Source: Photo by: ESA/DLR Source: Photo by: ESA/ Rosetta/NAVCAM/CC BY-SA IGO 3.0. The Comet has a rotation period of approximately 12.4 hours a maximum velocity of 84,000 mph and is 2.7 by 2.5 miles at its longest and widest dimensions. It was first observed in 1969 by Soviet astronomers Klim Ivanovych Churyumov and Svetlana Ivanovna Gerasimenko in Alma-Ata, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union.

4 SHAPE AND SIZE. The comet is a two-lobe shape resulting in collision from two objects. Layers of the interior have been exposed by the partial stripping of outer layers from collision. In Earth terms, this comet is very large, it s about the size of lower Manhattan but in the scheme of the universe it s a needle in a big haystack. Source: Photo by: Rosetta spacecraft Source:

5 The Rosetta Mission Launch Rosetta was launched in 2004 on March 2 nd from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana on an Ariane 5 rocket. It s one of ESA's Horizon 2000 cornerstone missions and consists of the Rosetta orbiter featuring 12 instruments, and the Philae lander, with nine additional instruments. It s mission is to complete the most detailed study of a comet ever. The spacecraft is controlled from the European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany. Source: Photo by: ESA/CNES/ ARIANESPACE-Service Optique CSG, 2004 Source: Photo by: ESA

6 Rosetta & Specifications Rosetta has a ft central frame and aluminium honeycomb platform. Its total mass is approximately 6,180 lbs. Source: The main structure of Philae is made from carbon fiber, shaped into a plate, it s a hexagonal shape holding scientific instruments. The total mass is about 220 lb. The exterior is covered with solar cells for power generation. The legs were designed to avoid bouncing as the comet's escape velocity is only around 2.2 mph. Electrical power for the spacecraft comes from two solar totaling 690 sq ft. Source:

7 Rosetta Mission Timeline & Trajectory Source:

8 Rosetta Trajectory & Mission in Detail Source: March 4 th First planned close swing-by of Earth. February 25 th Mars Fly by. November 13 th Second Earth swing-by. November 13 th Third & final Earth swing by. July 10 th Flew by and photographed the asteroid 21 Lutetia. July 14 th System returned images of the Comet confirming it s irregular shape. August 6 th Rosetta arrives at the Churyumov-Gerasimenko Comet. November 12 th Philae lands on the surface of the Comet. August 11 th Images of a comet outburst that occurred on July 29 th 2015.

9 Pictures from Rosetta of ChuryumovGerasimenko Source: Rosetta_arrives_at_comet_destination Source: Source:

10 Pictures of Churyumov-Gerasimenko s Surface Source: Source: NAVCAM_top_10_at_10_km_5 Source: Source:

11 The Surface ESA / Rosetta / MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS / UPD / LAM / IAA / SSO / INTA / UPM / DASP / IDA Following the ancient Egyptian theme of the Rosetta mission, they are named for Egyptian deities. They are grouped according to the type of terrain dominant within each region. Five basic categories of terrain types follow as dust-covered (Ma'at, Ash and Babi); brittle materials with pits and circular structures (Seth); large-scale depressions (Hatmehit, Nut and Aten); smooth terrains (Hapi, Imhotep and Anubis), and exposed, more consolidated ('rock-like') surfaces (Maftet, Bastet, Serqet, Hathor, Anuket, Khepry, Aker, Atum and Apis). The surface of the comet is divided into 19 different regions separated by distinct geomorphological boundaries. They range from dust covered, brittle and pitted material, rock-like, largescale depressions and smooth.

12 Results & What did we learn? The magnetic field of 67P oscillates at millihertz. Scientists modified the signal by speeding it up 10,000 times so that people can hear it. It s a natural phenomenon, it has been described as a "song. The composition of water vapor from the comet is substantially different from that found on Earth. Electrons (within 1 km (0.62 mi) above the comet nucleus produced from photo ionization of water molecules by solar radiation, and not photons from the Sun as thought earlier, are responsible for the degradation of water and carbon dioxide molecules released from the comet nucleus into its coma. ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM

13 Future Plans for the Rosetta Mission Source: From this time until December of this year Rosetta will follow the comet around the Sun and will perform treacherous investigations. The mission is scheduled to end in September 2016 when the space craft attempts to land on the comet's surface. Source: Photo By: AP Source: Photo by: AP Ph ESA, C.Carreau

14 Questions! What year was Churyumov Gerasimenko discovered? How old is Churyumov Gerasimenko? In Earth terms, this comet is very large, it s about the size of which New York borough? The total mass of Philae is about 220 lb. The exterior is covered with what for power generation? What s the exact date Rosetta arrived at the Churyumov- Gerasimenko Comet? About how many Millihertz does the magnetic field of Churyumov-Gerasimenko oscillate at? When is the Rosetta mission scheduled to end?