Avi Blizovsky
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The European spacecraft that is on its long way to rendezvous and exploratory landing on the nucleus of a comet is not wasting its time in vain. This week it performed its first scientific mission: an observation of Comet C/2002 T7, or Linar. Rosetta conducted the observations and scientific measurements of the comet from a safe distance of 95 million kilometers.
The scientists were even able to detect with the spacecraft the presence of water molecules and a thin atmosphere around the comet.
The spacecraft, which is worth about 900 million dollars, is at the beginning of a journey of 7 billion kilometers to meet another target: the comet Churimov-Grasimenko.
When it orbits the 4-kilometer-diameter ball of ice, it will launch a small lander called Philae to the comet's surface to study its chemistry.
Mission scientists have almost completed the first phase of the current round of activities on the spacecraft, which includes individual activation of all instruments aboard Rosetta and Philae. Initial testing has so far proven that all devices are working properly.
On April 30, Rosetta took a high-resolution image of the comet Linar using the Osiris camera (optical, spectroscopic and infrared). Later that day, three additional instruments aboard the spacecraft were activated simultaneously to take measurements of the comet.
The four instruments photographed the spectra of the comet Linar in order to study its aura - the cloud of water and carbon dioxide that surrounds the comet's nucleus and tail at different wavelengths from the ultraviolet to the microwaves.
A detailed analysis of the data will be required to complete the calibration of the instruments, which will be carried out over the next few months. No more simultaneous operation of the devices is planned until almost the end of the year. However, the Rosetta team decided that this could be done without risk in order to move forward with the overall experiment of the spacecraft.
The first phase of the inspection should be completed in the first week of June. Rosetta will then enter a quiet period of cruise mode until September, when the second phase of testing is expected to begin.
They knew the asteroids and comets
For news at the BBC
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