Free Essay On Astronomy

Rosetta Mission

It was March 2, 2004, and the European Space Agency launched Rosetta, a robotic space probe with the task to orbit the comet 67P/Churyumunove-Gerasimeno. The Rosetta Mission was designed with the intent of being the first undertaking to orbit, land and endeavor to study the features of a comet in detail. The objective of the operation is to attempt to thoroughly study the comet, and come up with a scientific understanding of the origin and development of the solar system. It was believed by those behind the launching of the Rosetta that the data collected from the targeted comet can provide indispensable information that can be used as a basis to decipher the evolution of the solar system.
After the approval of the International Rosetta Mission in 1993, the scientists and other experts from countries such as the United States and Europe combined their effort in what later turned out to be the first space journey that aims to untangle the unknown behind a comet. It was originally set to launch in January 2003, but was delayed due to setbacks on the Ariane rocket that was supposed to propel the spacecraft into space. It was in 2004 when the venture finally materialized as the European Ariane-5 rocket kicks off, and the decade long journey started. The plan was for the Rosetta to travel across the asteroid belt and reach its destination, the 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The spacecraft will stay close enough to the comet, while the lander will have to be dispatched from the Rosetta and land on the surface of the comet. The process allows the lander’s devices to get hold of information about the comet (Rosetta).
The complex Rosetta mission was directed to achieve historic firsts. During the staging of the journey, the people behind the mission endeavors to land the first space craft to orbit a comet’s nucleus and fly in close proximity with a comet as it lead its way to the inner part of the solar system. In addition to that, the spacecraft was sent to observe how a frozen comet was developed from the heat of the sun. The plan to dispatch a lander is also the first in the scientists attempt to land a robotic to collect data from a comet nucleus.
The spacecraft was expected to arrive near the comet by May 2014, almost a decade after the take- off, and on November 12 2014, the mission was able to do the first historic landing on a comet. The utmost trouble that was encountered by the Rosetta mission was the ultimate meeting with the comet 67P, and the attempt to have a successful landing of the lander. After the successful landing, the lander was able to gather data and samples from the comet and analyze its components. The built-in instruments were able to examine the nuclear characteristics such as thermal properties and porosity. The lander is also equipped with micro-camera’s that was able to catch images at high resolution. The spacecraft as a powerful built in memory that it can be able to store and communicate data back to earth.
The Rosetta mission is a profound astronomical achievement that can inspire the future of further mission to space. Scientists from around the world should endeavor to go with further studies of the solar system as what the people behind the Rosetta have dared to do. While the mission was the first of its kind, there is hope that their journey that aims to study the composition of the comet will be seconded by further scientific studies.

References

Rosetta: Europe’s Comet Chaser. Retrieved from ttp://www.geo.fu-berlinde/geo