Rosetta : advancing cometary science

Date: Fri, Sep 09, 2016 | 06:30 - 06:45 GMT | 08:30 - 08:45 CEST

Replay: Fri, Sep 09, 2016 | 15:00 - 15:15 GMT | 17:00 - 17:15 CEST

Type: ESA TV Exchange

Format: 16:9

During more than 2 years Rosetta’s 21 instruments - 11 on the orbiter, 10 on the lander - have been busy with Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.  

Rosetta has transformed our understanding of cometary science.

It was the first mission to orbit a comet and the first to land on a comet and to observe its evolution during its journey to the sun and out of it.

This film showcases some of the Rosetta’s scientific highlights before the orbiter shuts down operations and joins Philae on the surface of the comet on September 30th. This includes findings by the OSIRIS, VIRTIS, ROSINA and ALICE instruments. The mission results so far have made scientists rethink our picture of comets as dirty snowballs due to a lack of strong evidence for ice on the comet surface. Instead the ice is buried beneath the surface, covered by a layer of dust. This dust layer means that the comet is very dark, only reflecting a few per cent of the light that falls on it.

The film includes interviews with Joel PARKER, Principal Investigator, ALICE instrument (English); Laurence O’ROURKE, Rosetta downlink science operations manager, European Space Astronomy Centre, ESA (English).

 

 

 

 

 

More information at: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta

Preview and download:
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos/2016/09/Rosetta_-_advancing_cometary_science

Script:
EbSI-125759.doc

Satellite Parameters: Eutelsat 9A at 9 degrees E, transponder 59, downlink frequency 11900.1 horizontally polarised, symbol rate 27,500 FEC 2/3.