The first robot-comet rodeo happens here this week. European Space Agency
It’s going to be history’s first cosmic rodeo. The European Space Agency’s Rosetta
spacecraft is set on Wednesday to deploy its Philae lander, which will
attempt a difficult landing on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The
whole maneuver will last much more than 8 seconds and you can follow it
all live via the video at the bottom of the post, and chat with us about
it on Twitter @crave and @EricCMack.
Philae is currently scheduled to
separate from Rosetta at 1:03 a.m. PT time on Wednesday, and touch down
on the comet should happen just under seven hours later at 8:02 a.m.
Rosetta’s long journey from here to a comet (pictures)
On November 12, the European
Space Agency is set to detach the Philae lander from the Rosetta
spacecraft to attempt the first-ever landing on a comet.
The journey to this moment is
more than a decade in the making. This picture from 2002 shows Rosetta
receiving vibration tests in the months leading up to launch. Back then,
the plan was an eight-year flight to comet 46P/Wirtanen. But when
launch was delayed, the mission had to be re-focused on its current
target, 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Click through this gallery to follow
Rosetta’s remarkable road trip across the cosmos.
Related article: Follow history’s first comet landing live
Drifting through open space, it
can be hard to get a sense of scale. This shot (above) of Rosetta’s
solar collecting wings from June 2002 actually shows just how big this
comet-conquering craft is.
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