“Rosetta”: Scientists chose the landing probe on a comet – BBC Russian

The European spacecraft “Rosetta” will try to send a comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko probe “Philae” to take soil samples.

Employees of the European Space Agency chose the relatively flat portion of the surface of the comet, named in honor of the scientists who discovered it in 1969 – Klim Churyumov and Svetlana Gerasimenko.

But to carry out the landing on the comet’s surface will not be easy.

Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko, which hurtles through space at distance of 440 million km from Earth, -nepravilnoy form and even at its flat surface may be potentially dangerous boulders and cracks.

According to preliminary data, the probability of a successful landing is 70-75%. According to the plan, the probe “Rosetta” must land on a comet on November 11.

Spider walking pace

“Rosetta” send probe “Philae” comet at a distance of about 10 kilometers. Device, its appearance resembling a spider will move over the surface of “walking pace”.

Of the five potential sites for planting now there are only two

“Philae” will cling to the surface of the comet with the help of screws and harpoons – on the comet is very small gravitational pull.

The distance from Earth to the “Rosetta” is so great that the operational management of the spacecraft and the probe “Philae” is impossible, and the whole operation “landing” on the comet 67P will take place in the automatic mode, the last team “Rosetta” and “Philae” will give a few days before the operation.

“historic moment”

Landing probe “Philae” discussed at the weekend in Toulouse. Scientists and engineers in a few weeks studying “ice mountain”, also known as the comet, in search of a relatively flat area, for which they will be able to land a robot.

The device, its appearance resembling a spider will move over the surface of “walking pace”

Of the five potential landing sites now there are only two – the main and spare. Over the coming weeks, the researchers will decide which one is more appropriate, and take a final decision in mid-October.

The whole process of separation, descent and landing, is expected to take seven o’clock. If “Philae” successfully sit on the surface of the comet, it will be a historic moment in space exploration.

“Philae” is equipped with a drill, the robot will be able to take soil samples from a comet in his laboratory. “If we get a few measurements and a few samples, it will be a success,” – says Dan-Pierre Bibring, one of the leading researchers in this project.

But no matter whether the landing will take place successfully or not, ” Rosetta “will follow the comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko at least for a year.

The device receives the image of the comet, which on the surface as it approaches the sun will evaporate the ice, throwing gas flows and a huge cloud of dust into space .

“I believe that this is a truly historic moment in science. This is unprecedented, it is a quantum step in the science of comets,” – said the BBC BBC Holger Sierks, principal investigator for the camera system unit “Osiris” . – We obtain centimeter resolution, coming closer to understanding the origin of the solar system and its components 4.5 million years ago “.

Journey” Rosetta “in space has been going on for over 10 years.