Our dream scenario for Philae – and mission finale for #Rosetta - space - 17 June 2015 - New Scientist
▻http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn27736-our-dream-scenario-for-philae--and-mission-finale-for-rosetta.
What happens when the comet leaves the sun far behind?
We expect Rosetta to finish its mission in September or October 2016. After that, the distance between Rosetta and the sun will be so great that it would have to go into hibernation. We have decided to stop the mission before that happens, though, since it doesn’t have enough fuel to come back from such a hibernation.
How will Rosetta end its active service?
At the end of the mission, we are now intending to park Rosetta on 67P. The plan is for it to slowly spiral down towards the comet, doing science until the very last moment, before getting lost on the surface somewhere. We have started to calculate how to execute this final manoeuvre. It should be an interesting finale.