The Rosetta Mission Is Over! Was It Worth the Wait?

In November, the European Space Agency (ESA) made galactic history by successfully landing their £1bn space probe on a comet.

The Rosetta Mission was approved in 1993 and was one of four Cornerstone missions (large, long-term missions) by the space agency. The other three missions included an observatory to study the sun based in space (SOHO), a group of probes to study the magnetosphere (Cluster II), and an X-ray observatory satellite which would partake in the Cosmic Evolution Survey (XMM-Newton).

Having travelled for 10 years over 6bn km to reach comet 67P, the mission controllers released the robotic lander, Philae, from the Rosetta probe on a 20km descent to the comet’s surface early Wednesday morning. Although the Philae experienced some difficulties on the way down, mission control are reporting that they are now receiving data from the probe as it begins to conduct experiments, sending back scientific measurements about the composition of the comet’s surface. For more information about the landing, read: How Did the Philae Lander Land on an 18km/s Comet?

What is the Rosetta Mission’s goal?

The mission takes its name from the Rosetta Stone: an engraved slab of volcanic basalt uncovered in Egypt in 1799 from which historians were able to decipher the hieroglyphs; a key to unlocking the mysteries of a lost ancient civilisation. In the same manner, ESA’s Rosetta Mission will aid scientists in deciphering the origins of the solar system, and hopefully life on earth.

The ESA’s primary goals for the mission are to:

• Study and document a comet’s environment, nucleus and coma over an extended period of time
• Measure any increase in cometary activity when the sun-orbiting comet comes closest to the sun (at its perihelion point)
• Observe changes on the comet when its seasons change as it leaves the inner solar system

The Rosetta Mission also had a number of goals during its journey to comet 67P, including assisting with observations of the Deep Impact Mission in 2005, observing Mars during the Mars Gravity Assist maneuver in 2007, and observing the asteroids Steins in 2008, and Lutetia in 2010. Some of these missions also served a dual purpose, providing valuable gravity assisted acceleration as the probe flew past large celestial bodies.

Why is the Rosetta Mission important?

The Rosetta Mission will accomplish a number of ‘firsts’ in space. As one of the most complex space missions in history, it is the first mission to land a spacecraft on a comet, and also the first time a comet’s activity will be observed at close proximity as it approaches the Sun’s radiation up close.

Holding great scientific interest, comets are believed to be the oldest celestial bodies in the solar system, and scientists hope that they will gain insight into materials from the nebula from which our solar system was formed.

Still not convinced? Take a look at this: 4 Incredible Facts about the Rosetta Mission.