Rosette's mission: what does the interplanetary station and Philae probe expect in the near future?

As you know, now the Philae probe has performed about 80-90% of the scientific tasks set by specialists, and went into deep “hibernation” due to lack of energy. The landing of the probe on the comet did not go according to plan, and now its solar panels are in the shade, so the probe itself receives practically no energy required for operation.

Actually, scientists still can not accurately indicate the current location of the probe, although they know in which area Philae is located. To study the location of the probe, photographs taken by the probe itself, the Rosette station, and data from the CONSERT instruments are used to calculate the device’s “bedding” using triangulation.
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As soon as the scientists discover the probe, it will become clearer how to resume the work of Philae. Anyway, the chances of resuming the operation of the probe are very high. The comet is approaching the Sun, its position relative to the star is changing and on the comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko the summer will soon come. With a high degree of probability, we can say that the sun's rays will begin to fall directly on the photocells of the probe, and the latter will receive the necessary amount of energy for work. Before Philae turned off, scientists managed to turn the probe 35 degrees, orienting the batteries directly to the light source.

Now all you can do is wait. “I am confident that we will re-establish contact with Philae and will be able to use scientific instruments,” says the head of the Rosetta mission, Stefan Ulamek.

Of course, it’s impossible to be 100% likely to return the probe to life, but the probability of resuming work is quite high. “In this case, we must be optimistic,” Stefan comments on the situation.


Illustration showing the probable position of the probe at the present time.

Preliminary results

Despite the probe's triple landing and its current “dream,” Philae did almost everything he had to. He drilled, “smelled”, “listened” and even rattled a comet. In 60 hours, a lot was done, and all the data was transmitted to Earth, where scientists are now analyzing them.

Preliminary results show that organic molecules are found on the comet. Scientists are going to study in detail all traces of organic compounds, because it will help to understand how and in what quantity organic compounds fell on our planet at the very beginning of its history (we are not talking about traces of life or something like that, I remind you that it is also an organic compound). Zelenyikot has written very well about organic compounds in space.

One of the instruments of the probe could penetrate the soil of the comet's core. It turned out that under the surface layer is another layer, surprisingly hard (most likely it is ice). Philae also measured the mechanical vibrations that occurred during the first landing (an audio recording of the landing was then made). Analysis of the record also confirmed that under the surface soft layer there is a hard ice surface.

Unfortunately, it is unclear whether the probe has managed to drill the comet surface or not. In the tweet of specialists who were responsible for drilling, it is indicated that the furnace where the sample was supposed to go was heated, but there are no results. This most likely indicates that the sample was not received by the auger.



Unfortunately, the harpoons did not work either, so the thermometers with accelerometers, located at the ends of the harpoons, did not start working either.

Observation of changes in the comet's nucleus

In the days preceding the landing of the probe on the surface of the comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the interplanetary station Rosetta performed mainly the functions of supporting the probe. These include delivery of the probe to the comet, examination of the landing site, photos of the comet's core, observation of the landing of the probe. Now the real scientific mission for Rosetta has begun.

So, on December 3, the station should reach a 20-kilometer orbit. Rosette will remain in this orbit for a long time, watching the change in the nucleus as it approaches the Sun. In August, the comet will get as close as possible to the Sun. The ice will begin to melt, sublimating into the gases leaving the space. The comet will have a bright and long “tail”, stretching to the side opposite to the Sun under the pressure of the solar wind.

And Rosetta will see and fix all this.



Previously, various vehicles had already come closer to comets (a total of 7 different comets were visited). But the mission to the comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko is unique, this is the most detailed study of the comet in the entire history of mankind.


NASA's EPOXI mission brought a lot of information about comets, namely, Hartley 2 comet. The photo was taken from 700 kilometers away

Rosetta will analyze the dynamics of the size and shape of the comet's nucleus during the rendezvous with the Sun. Perhaps this time the comet will be divided into two parts, since the “isthmus” between the two parts of the nucleus is not so big.

The station will accompany the comet until December 2015. Scientists hope for the station to work in 2016. But it will depend on how the comet Churyumov Gerasimenko itself will behave. Particles can escape from the core, which can damage the station. And the station itself is already quite “elderly” - after all, it is 10 years old! Nevertheless, the state of the station is rated as “excellent”.

Future missions

Well, the landing on the comet was, one might say, successful. Coming into orbit, the comet was also successful. What's next? There are several suggestions for future missions. One of them is to send a probe that is capable of moving from place to place on the nucleus to one of the most promising in terms of the study of comets. The goal is to study the types of surface of the nucleus. The project of one of the missions is called Comet Hopper.


Photo of Comet Tempel 1, taken 67 seconds after the impact of the Deep Impact module on the comet

Scientists would like to send to one of the comets apparatus, which could return with samples of the substance of the nucleus of the comet. This is a much more difficult task than the Rosetta mission, which in itself was extremely difficult to implement. One of the tasks facing the researchers is to build a cryogenic capsule that will bring the cooled substance of the comet (more precisely, it will keep the temperature of the comet's substance normal for open space). To do this, breaking the atmosphere of the Earth upon return, is almost unbelievable.

Future missions are very important and very necessary. Despite the fact that the Rosetta mission answered many questions, more questions arose as a result of the research.

But while the show is going on, and we are all watching the interplanetary station and its work.

Via wired