Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




IRON AND ICE
Controllers prepare to awaken comet hunter from deep-space sleep
by Staff Writers
Paris (UPI) Oct 11, 2013


disclaimer: image is for illustration purposes only

European space mission controllers say they're preparing to wake a comet-hunting spacecraft from a two-year deep-space hibernation as it nears its cosmic goal.

The European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft is headed toward a comet knows as 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko to both orbit it and place a lander on it to study the role of comets in the evolution of the Solar System, an ESA release said Friday.

Rosetta, launched in March 2004, has had a long voyage including a complex series of flybys -- three times past Earth and once past Mars -- on its voyage toward its destination and an expected arrival in August 2014.

In July 2011 Rosetta was put into deep-space hibernation for the coldest, most distant leg of the journey as it traveled some 500 million miles from the Sun, close to the orbit of Jupiter.

Controllers set Rosetta's internal "alarm clock" to awaken the sleeping spacecraft in 100 days, on January 20, 2014.

Once it wakes up, Rosetta will warm up its navigation instruments and then halt its spin to point its main antenna at Earth, to let ground controllers know it is still alive.

"We are very excited to have this important milestone in sight, but we will be anxious to assess the health of the spacecraft after Rosetta has spent nearly 10 years in space," ESA Rosetta mission manager Fred Jansen said.

When it wakes up Rosetta will still be 6 million miles from the comet; its first images of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko are expected in May, the ESA said.

.


Related Links
Asteroid and Comet Mission News, Science and Technology






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








IRON AND ICE
First ever evidence of a comet striking Earth
Johannesburg, South Africa (SPX) Oct 10, 2013
The first ever evidence of a comet entering Earth's atmosphere and exploding, raining down a shock wave of fire which obliterated every life form in its path, has been discovered by a team of South African scientists and international collaborators. The discovery has not only provided the first definitive proof of a comet striking Earth, millions of years ago, but it could also help us to ... read more


IRON AND ICE
NASA's moon landing remembered as a promise of a 'future which never happened'

Russia could build manned lunar base

China unveils its first and unnamed moon rover

Mission to moon will boost research and awareness

IRON AND ICE
Martian settlement site to be printed on a printer

Spacecraft snaps dramatic images of giant scar on the surface of Mars

NAU researcher's closer look at Mars reveals new type of impact crater

ESA's test rover begins exploring Atacama Desert

IRON AND ICE
Iran plans new monkey space launch

Scott Carpenter, second American in orbit, dies at 88

NASA ban on Chinese scientists 'inaccurate': lawmaker

Naval Institute History Conference: From Mercury to the Shuttle

IRON AND ICE
China criticises US space agency over 'discrimination'

NASA ban on Chinese scientists 'inaccurate': lawmaker

What's Next, Tiangong?

Onward and upward as China marks 10 years of manned spaceflight

IRON AND ICE
Aerojet Rocketdyne Thrusters Help Cygnus Spacecraft Berth at the International Space Station

First CASIS Funded Payloads Berthed to the ISS

Unmanned cargo ship docks with orbiting Space Station

New space crew joins ISS on Olympic torch mission

IRON AND ICE
Sunshield preparations bring Gaia closer to deep-space Soyuz launch

SES-8 Arrives At Cape Canaveral For SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch

Spaceport Colorado and S3 Sign Memorandum of Understanding

Milky Way-mapping Gaia receives its sunshield

IRON AND ICE
Space 'graveyard' reveals bits of an Earth-like planet

Scientists generate first map of clouds on an exoplanet

Diamond 'super-earth' may not be quite as precious

Lonely planet without a star discovered wandering our galaxy

IRON AND ICE
Ultraviolet light to the extreme

Quantum computers: Trust is good, proof is better

Ultrasound system gives virtual feeling of objects in mid-air

Himawari and Mitsubishi Electric Complete Facilities For Weather Satellite Ops




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement