Rosetta Mission

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Rosetta Mission The European Space Agency (ESA)
By Edwin Vasquez
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Overview

• Rosetta will be the first space craft
  to land on
• a comet.
• Rosetta comprises a large orbiter
  designed
• to operate for a decade at large distance,
• and a small lander.

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Orbiter

• Main structure dimensions 2.8x2.1x2.0 meters.
• Solar arrays 32 meters
• Solar arrays output 850 W at 3.4 AU, 395 W at
  5.25 AU
• Total mass 3,000 kg, including lander and science
  payload.
• Propulsion subsystem is a 24 bipropellant 10N
  thrusters.

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Instruments on the Orbiter

• ALICE Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer
• CONSERT Comet Nucleus Sounding
• COSIMA Cometary Secondary Ion Mass Analyzer
• GIADA Grain Impact Analyzer and Dust Accumulator
• MIDAS Micro-Imaging Analysis System
• MIRO Microwave Instrument for the Rosetta Orbiter
  
• OSIRIS Rosetta Orbiter Imaging System
• ROSINA Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and
  Neutral Analysis
• RPC Rosetta Plasma Consortium
• RSI Radio Science Investigation
• VIRTIS Visible and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer

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Lander

• 100 kg box-shaped lander was built under the
  supervision of the German Aerospace Research
  Institute.
• Made out of carbon fiber.
• Antenna transmits data from surface to the Earth
  via the orbiter.

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Instruments on the lander

• APXS Alpha Proton X-ray Spectrometer
• ÇIVA / ROLIS Rosetta Lander Imaging System
• CONSERT Comet Nucleus Sounding
• COSAC Cometary Sampling and Composition
• experiment
• MODULUS PTOLEMY Evolved Gas Analyzer
• MUPUS Multi-Purpose Sensor for Surface and
• Subsurface Science
• ROMAP RoLand Magnetometer and Plasma Monitor
• SD2 Sample and Distribution Device
• SESAME Surface Electrical and Acoustic Monitoring
• Experiment, Dust Impact Monitor

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Journey

• The Twelve year expedition started on Feb 2004
  from Kourou in French Guiana.
• In order to reach the comet, Rosetta will circle
  the sun almost four times.
• Rosetta will enter the asteroid belt twice, and
  will gain velocity from gravitation kicks from
  close fly-bys of Mars(2007) and
  Earth(2005,2007,and 2009).
• Will collect data from each fly-by and send to
  Earth.
• Rosetta will go into Deep-space Hibernation May
  2011 January 2014.
• Rosetta will arrive on May 2014 where the
  thrusters will then brake the orbiter to match
  the comets orbit.

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The comet
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Comet Rendezvous

• Thrusters will fire for several hours to slow
  down the spacecraft.
• Camera images will improve comets position,
  orbit, size, shape, spin axis orientation,
  angular velocity, and major land marks.
• Relative velocity will gradually be reduced to
  about 2 m/s in a period of 90 days.
• By the time the spacecraft gets into orbit the
  relative velocity will be of a few centimeters
  per second.
• Suitable landing site is chosen, touchdown will
  take place at speed less then one meter per
  second.
• Orbiter continuous orbit analyzing what happens
  to the icy nucleus as approaches the sun.

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References

• http//www.esa.int/esaCP/index.html
• http//www.arianespace.com/site/index2.html
• http//www.space.eads.net/web1/home/index.asp