The mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) “Rosetta” is in full swing: ten years after the start of the device, he finally made friends with the comet 67P / Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Now on-board camera probe studies celestial body from all sides. According to images and other data mission managers must select the landing site for the lander “fillet” (Philae).
Historical landing of man-made device on the comet’s surface to be held in November 2014. Place that falls “fillet”, should be chosen with great care, since it is in this location will be collected soil samples from a comet-the same age as the solar system.
In late August – early September 2014 ESA astronomers plan to organize formal meeting at which constitute the long list of possible candidates for the touchdown. In this “long list”, however, will have to enter no more than five points. It is not surprising, given that the diameter of 67P / Churyumov-Gerasimenko is only about four kilometers.
Another two weeks after the first meeting, in mid-September 2014, astronomers announced the short-list, which will include only two options landing site – the main and reserve.
The main tool by which scientists are now exploring the comet’s surface, it’s narrow-angle camera onboard OSIRIS . It was her pictures published on the official website of the European Space Agency. Even as a 12-thousand miles from their goal, the camera took pictures of pretty clear to define a complex irregular shape of the comet, which reminded the media rubber duck.
Now astrophysicists have discovered that in the “neck” at the ducks there unusual place, as shown by instruments, somewhat cooler than the rest of the comet. Scientists have suggested that in this location may be deposits of ice closer to the surface than in all other regions of the comet.
Specialists of the Institute for Solar System Research Max Planck Society (Max Planck Institut für Sonnensystemforschung), which belongs to the development of camera OSIRIS, created a three-dimensional computer model of the comet’s nucleus, which can be considered in detail, wearing stereoscopic glasses with red, blue and green filters. Two images used to create the model, were made with a difference of 17 minutes of August 7, 2014.
” to select the landing module “fillet” we should have not only two-dimensional images, but also three-dimensional model. In addition, we are working on Mapping the reflectivity of the comet to get an idea of the composition of the surface, as well as counting on the possible obstacles that may be encountered on the way lander “- says Holger Zirks (Holger Sierks), principal investigator of the project OSIRIS.
Meanwhile, ESA scientists summarize the data obtained with the help of ten other vehicles “Rosetta”. Instrument for the analysis of dust GIADA reported on the determination of the first dust particles on the surface of the comet – until there were only four of them. Later, astronomers hope to catch a storm, which will cause the landing of Philae.
So far, the 67P / Churyumov-Gerasimenko is moving relatively slowly at a distance of 530 million kilometers from the sun, but as you get closer to the star, it will accelerate. So scientists can study the life of a comet in different states and at different temperatures.
Also on the topic:
New Images probe “Rosetta” showed an unusual form of ancient comet
probe comet chaser is about to wake up
Europe plans to land a spacecraft on the surface of the comet
After 10 years of flight station “Rosetta” entered the orbit of the comet 67P
Rosetta woke up after a long sleep
A week after the final convergence of the probe “Rosetta” and the comet 67P / Churyumov-Gerasimenko, mission managers have started the most important phase of its work. Now they have to carefully study the pictures and choose the machine landing module “fillet”.
No comments:
Post a Comment