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Rosetta reaches its cometary target Fly-by of Mars Rosetta with Earth in the background Rosetta in deep space

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Rosetta wallpaper

Wallpaper instructions:

Click on the link with the required wallpaper image size (1024x768 for most PCs). A separate window with the image will open.
Right-click on the image and select Set As Wallpaper/Background.

Rosetta reaches its cometary target

After entering orbit around Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in 2014, the spacecraft will release a small lander onto the icy nucleus, then spend the next two years orbiting the comet as it heads towards the Sun.

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Fly-by of Mars

Rosetta flies past Mars in February 2007 at a distance of about 200 kilometres, obtaining some science observations. An eclipse of the Earth by Mars lasts for about 37 minutes, causing a communication blackout.

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Rosetta with Earth in the background

Rosetta first travels away from its home planet and then encounters Earth again, a year after launch, in March 2005. After the first fly-by of Earth, Rosetta heads to Mars and then returns to Earth twice in November 2007 and November 2009 for its second and third fly-bys of our planet.

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Rosetta in deep space

Travelling throuhg deep space, the spacecraft goes into hibernation between May 2011 - January 2014. During this period, Rosetta records its maximum distances from the Sun (about 800 million kilometres) and Earth (about 1000 million kilometres).

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Last update: 24 September 2004

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