While you were sleeping last night the European Space Agency maneuvered its Rosetta spacecraft to within 60 miles of Comet 67P.
The spacecraft and comet are about 250 million miles from Earth, half way between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars
While you were sleeping last night the European Space Agency maneuvered its Rosetta spacecraft to within 60 miles of Comet 67P.
The spacecraft and comet are about 250 million miles from Earth, half way between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars, rushing towards the inner Solar System at about 35,000 mph.
As the spacecraft made its approach it revealed stunning features in the comet, including cliffs and boulders and its dark, dusty surface.
During the next couple of months Rosetta will move to within about 30 miles of the comet’s surface, scoping out possible landing sites. Then, in November, it will send its Philae lander to the comet’s surface, making the first soft landing by a spacecraft on the surface of a comet.
It’s taken 10 years for Rosetta to reach this comet, and so far the mission has gone nearly flawlessly. Let’s hope the same can be said of the next three months.