Mission Rosetta | Face à l'Univers

Summary

The European Space Agency's Rosetta mission, launched in 2004, aimed to analyze the composition of Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko's nucleus to understand Earth's water and life origins. The probe embarked on a decade-long journey, achieving the first-ever orbit around a comet and landing Philae, a small lander. French laboratories contributed to the development of 21 onboard instruments. The mission revealed the comet's ice-rich composition, including water, organic molecules, and amino acids like glycine, suggesting comets may have delivered life's building blocks to Earth. Despite a challenging landing, Philae provided valuable data on the comet's organic material. Rosetta observed the comet's activity as it approached the sun, revealing powerful jets and analyzing ejected material. The mission concluded in 2016 with Rosetta's landing on the comet, providing unique insights into these celestial bodies.

Takeaways

• 🚀 The European Space Agency launched the Rosetta mission on March 2, 2004, with the primary goal of analyzing the composition of comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko's nucleus to better understand the origin of water and life on Earth.
• ☄️ Rosetta's journey lasted ten years, traversing the solar system before achieving two world firsts: orbiting a comet and landing a small lander named Philae on its nucleus.
• 🔬 Nine French laboratories, including IA (Institut d'Astrophysique), LESIA (Laboratoire d'Etudes Spatiales et d'Instrumentation en Astrophysique), and LATMOS (Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géophysique), were involved in developing the 21 instruments onboard Rosetta and Philae.
• 🕒 The development of the instruments took over eleven years, reflecting the anticipation of studying comets that have remained relatively unchanged since the formation of the solar system.
• 🌌 Comets are believed to have preserved the original conditions of the early solar system, including organic molecules that could have contributed to the emergence of complex carbon-based structures on Earth.
• 🧊 The icy composition of comets, when exposed to the sun, sublimates, creating a coma and the characteristic tail seen in comets.
• 📸 In June 2014, Rosetta captured the first images of the comet's nucleus, revealing a bilobate shape resembling a rubber duck, and a surface rich in geological features formed by ice sublimation.
• 🧪 The instruments on Rosetta, including the VIRTIS spectrometer, analyzed the surface of the comet, finding it to be rich in water ice, organic materials, and complex organic molecules, including amino acids.
• 🔍 The discovery of glycine, an amino acid essential to life, among other complex organic molecules, suggests that comets may have contributed organic molecules to Earth, potentially playing a role in the origin of life.
• 🛰️ On November 12, 2014, Philae attempted to land on the comet but ended up in an uncomfortable position, limiting its ability to perform certain scientific tasks.
• 🔬 Despite the landing difficulties, instruments on Philae, such as KOSAC (Comet Nucleus Sample Analyzer), were able to analyze the composition of the comet's material, confirming the presence of complex organic molecules.
• 🌞 As the comet approached the sun from December 2014, Rosetta observed the comet's increasing activity, including powerful jets of material, providing insights into the comet's subsurface structure.
• 🏔️ In September 2016, as the comet moved away from the sun, Rosetta ended its mission by landing on the comet, capturing unique final images of the surface.

Q & A

What was the primary objective of the Rosetta mission launched by the European Space Agency?

The primary objective of the Rosetta mission was to analyze the composition of the nucleus of comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko to better understand the origin of water and life on Earth.

How long did the Rosetta spacecraft travel through the solar system before it could achieve its firsts?

The Rosetta spacecraft traveled for ten years through the solar system before it could achieve its firsts, which included orbiting a comet and landing a small lander on its nucleus.

What was the name of the small lander that was placed on the comet's nucleus?

The small lander that was placed on the comet's nucleus was named Philae.

How many French laboratories were involved in the development of the instruments carried by the Rosetta spacecraft and its lander?

Nine French laboratories were involved in the development of the 21 instruments carried by the Rosetta spacecraft and its lander.

What were the comets believed to have preserved from the early solar system?

Comets were believed to have preserved the original conditions of the early solar system's evolution, including the dynamics of the ingredients themselves and those that progressively arrived.

What is the significance of studying the material from the comet's nucleus?

Studying the material from the comet's nucleus is significant because it is believed to contain organic molecules that could have contributed to the emergence of complex carbon-based structures and potentially life on Earth.

What phenomenon shapes the landscape and surface of a comet?

The landscape and surface of a comet are shaped primarily by the sublimation of ice, which forms the coma, or the atmosphere surrounding the nucleus, and the characteristic tail.

What type of molecules were discovered within the complex organic molecules on the comet?

Among the complex organic molecules discovered on the comet were amino acids, including glycine, which is significant for life as it is a building block of DNA.

What happened during Philae's landing on the comet on November 12, 2014?

On November 12, 2014, Philae detached from Rosetta and began a free fall towards the comet. It touched down but did not secure itself with its harpoons and retrothrusters, causing it to rebound and eventually land in an uncomfortable position more than a kilometer from the intended landing site.

What were the two types of activities detected on the comet as it approached the sun?

Two types of activities were detected: a diffuse activity with a general outgassing across the surface, and intermittent powerful jets that ejected matter with great violence.

What did the Rosetta mission conclude with in September 2016?

In September 2016, the Rosetta mission concluded with the spacecraft joining the comet and providing the last images of its surface as it descended, marking the end of two years of observations.