ESA - Rosetta - Once a myth, now an object of study

About Rosetta

Rosetta at a glance Europe's comet chaser Why 'Rosetta'?

About the spacecraft

The Rosetta orbiter Orbiter: Instruments The Rosetta lander Lander: Instruments

About the journey

The long trek Debris of the Solar System: Asteroids Asteroid (2867) Steins: a portrait Life and survival in deep space Long-distance communication The Rosetta ground segment

About the arrival

Comets - an introduction Comet 67P/Churyumov- Gerasimenko Comet rendezvous Giotto - ESA's first comet mission

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Once a myth, now an object of study

23 February 2004

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An image of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Our Solar System is home to one star, nine planets and dozens of planetary satellites. It also contains millions of asteroids and comets – the left-over debris from the cosmic construction site that created the planets and their moons.

Rosetta’s task is to study these primitive building blocks at close quarters so that scientists may gain new insights into the events that took place 4600 million years ago, during the birth of Earth and its planetary neighbours.

Credits: ESA and European Southern Observatory

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A 1:4 scale model of the Rosetta lander at ILA2002. The Rosetta lander will study the composition and structure of a comet nucleus material, when landing on the comet in 2014. Measurement goals include the determination of the elemental, molecular, mineralogical, and isotopic composition of the comet's surface and subsurface material. Comets are believed to be the most primitive objects in the Solar System, holding many clues about our Sun and its planets.

Credits: ESA - P.Nielsen

Halley discovers an elliptical orbit

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Comet Halley's nucleus as seen by Giotto

In 1986, Giotto's encounter with Comet Halley provided the first ever opportunity to take images of a comet nucleus. The images were obtained with the Halley Multicolour Camera on Giotto.

Credits: Halley Multicolor Camera Team, Giotto Project, ESA

About Rosetta

Rosetta Rosetta at a glance

ESA's Rosetta comet chaser ready for lift-off Hi-tech in space - Rosetta - a space sophisticate Unlocking the secrets of the universe: Rosetta lander named Philae The Rosetta space probe’s long trek to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko Rosetta – a new target to solve planetary mysteries