Wake up, Rosetta!

[Drone]

Rosetta measures comet's temperature

The first temperature measurements of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko were made when Rosetta closed in from 14000 km to the comet to just over 5000 km. The observations were made by the spacecraft's visible, infrared and thermal imaging spectrometer, VIRTIS, and revealed an average surface temperature of -70ºC. This implies the surface is predominantly covered in dust rather than ice, which would yield a lower temperature. The finding does not exclude localised patches of ice. The observations were made when the comet was ~553.5 million km from the Sun.

 

[FreedomEclipse]

I once dated an italian chick called Rosetta....

 

[Drone]

Closing in:

Rosetta closed in from 3000 km to the comet to just 1327 km.

 

[Drone]

BEHOLD!!!! 500 KM

 

[Drone]

Update!!! 300 KM (different angle)

 

[Drone]

234 KM

 

[BiggieShady]

This is so awesome can't wait for the landing!

 

[Drone]

Ok, this is it. It's there!

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_arrives_at_comet_destination

 

[rtwjunkie]

Damn that's cool!!! what's going to be interesting over the next year is as the comet approaches sun and the tail starts activating, and Rosetta is in the plume.

 

[Ahhzz]

Anyone think that looks like a Firefly class transport?

Mal!!!!!!!

 

[Drone]

Damn that's cool!!! what's going to be interesting over the next year is as the comet approaches sun and the tail starts activating, and Rosetta is in the plume.

And in 2016 they send another probe to Bennu asteroid (which is even more exciting). It'll get there before 2019. But this time it's not one way trip. The probe will return to Earth with samples!

Back on topic: new closeup pics of the surface

and diagram

 

[Drone]

different angle

 

[Drone]

New image:

Offtopic:

In the meanwhile New Horizons spacecraft took pictures of Pluto and Charon orbiting each other

Pluto and Charon are seen circling a central gravitational point known as the barycenter, which accounts for the wobbling motion. Since Charon is 1/12th the mass of Pluto the center of mass between the two actually lies a bit outside Pluto’s radius, making their little gravitational “dance” readily apparent.

 

[Drone]

Today's shots

 

[Drone]

 

[Drone]

New 2D and 3D images

 

[Drone]

New shots and video

 

[Drone]

New image made by nav cam

 

[Drone]

new close-up

 

[Drone]

New

 

[Drone]

 

[Drone]

Impressive probe selfie

 

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[Drone]

New hires image

 

[HossHuge]

The date has been fixed for Europe's daring attempt to land on a comet: Wednesday 12 November

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-29380448