IRON AND ICE
Last Visit Home For ESA's Comet Chaser

As it closes in on Earth next month, Rosetta will have travelled almost 4500 million km since launch.
by Staff Writers
 Paris, France (ESA) Oct 21, 2009
 ESA's Rosetta comet chaser will swing by Earth on 13 November to pick up orbital energy and begin the final leg of its 10-year journey to the outer Solar System. Several observations of the Earth-Moon system are planned before the spacecraft heads out to study comet 67/P Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

This will be the third Earth swingby, the last of Rosetta's four planetary gravity assists. Closest approach to Earth is expected at 08:45 CET. The swingby will provide exactly the boost Rosetta needs to continue into the outer Solar System. The craft is scheduled for a close encounter with asteroid 21 Lutetia in July next year.

Rosetta is expected to arrive at its final destination in May 2014. There, it will release the Philae lander for in-situ studies on the surface. The spacecraft will then escort the comet on its journey toward the Sun, studying it closely for up to two years.

As it closes in on Earth next month, Rosetta will have travelled almost 4500 million km since launch. It will speed past Earth at 13.3 km/s, passing above the Indian Ocean at 109 degrees E, 8 degrees S, just south of the Indonesian island of Java. The gravity-assist will increase the spacecraft's speed by 3.6 km/s with respect to the Sun.

Instruments in action
 While the swingby is critical for achieving the velocity required to reach its ultimate destination, the close encounter will also be used to study the Earth-Moon system from Rosetta's unique perspective.

Several instruments that usually hibernate during the long trek will be turned on in the week before the swingby.

Follow the swingby live
 The Rosetta Blog will be updated regularly for this final planetary swingby. Follow crucial events live via the blog and the dedicated ESA Rosetta mission website.

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 Rosetta Blog
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 Asteroid and Comet Mission News, Science and Technology

IRON AND ICE
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