|
|
Rosetta Steins fly-by confirmed   ESA’s Rosetta spacecraft flew by asteroid (2867) Steins on 5 September 2008 at 20:58 CEST, ground received time (= spacecraft time CEST + 20 minutes), with a closest approach distance of 800 km. Steins was Rosetta’s first nominal scientific target. The spacecraft encountered the asteroid in the course of its first incursion into the main asteroid belt located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, while on its way to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
The study of asteroids is extremely important because they represent samples of Solar System material at different stages of evolution – key to understanding the origin of our own planet and of our planetary neighbourhood.  An animation of asteroid (2867) Steins, which was encountered by ESA’s Rosetta on 5 September 2008 at a distance of 800 km. The spacecraft is now on its way to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko via asteroid Lutetia.
Steins, the first nominal scientific target of Rosetta, is known to be a relatively rare type of asteroid (E-type) about 5 km across, but its properties were not yet known in detail before Rosetta’s encounter. Rosetta pre-imaged Steins on 10 March 2006 from a large distance, and obtained a few preliminary data about rotation and shape of the asteroid. The Steins fly-by campaign in 2008 was intended to provide a detailed description of this body and of its near environment from a closer distance.  This animated diagram shows the approach of Rosetta’s spacecraft to asteroid (2867) Steins on 5 September 2008. Steins is located in the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. The encounter took place during Rosetta’s first incursion into the main asteroid belt while on its way to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.   Release date: 6 November 2009 |