13 | February | 2015 | Rosetta

Last stop before close flyby – CometWatch 9 February | Rosetta - ESA’s comet chaser
►http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/02/13/last-stop-before-close-flyby-cometwatch-9-february

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/files/2015/02/ESA_Rosetta_NAVCAM_20150209_LR.jpg

In this orientation, the comet’s small lobe is the foreground and the large lobe is in the background. Particularly stunning is the delicate, ethereal glow of activity that contrasts against the shadowed region between the two lobes. From this viewing position the outflowing material seems to take the shape of a broader fan, rather than the more collimated jet-like features seen at other angles.

As seen in previous images, the sharp vertical shadows seem to be a result of the large lobe casting shadows down across the neck of the comet and towards the head. There is very little back-scatter illumination around the neck itself, but a diffuse ‘glow’ can be seen against these dark shadows where a broader ‘atmosphere’ is visible above the surface of the small lobe.

Rosetta is now less than 24 hours from its close 6 km flyby of the comet – closest approach tomorrow occurs at 12:41 GMT (13:41 CET) above the Imhotep region. The NAVCAM is scheduled to take images 1-2 hours before and after closest approach, when the spacecraft will be between about 8.5 and 11 km above the comet surface. These NAVCAM images will be downlinked to Earth Sunday/Monday and – depending on availability – we hope to be able to share one of these images with you as Monday’s CometWatch entry.

Mission control at closest approach
▻http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/02/13/mission-control-at-closest-approach

Rosetta is preparing to make a close encounter with its comet tomorrow, on 14 February, passing just 6 km from the surface. On 4 February, Rosetta began manoeuvring onto a series of new trajectories that will align the spacecraft for this week’s encounter. The series of thruster burns are happening (or have happened) as follows (distances are indicated from comet surface): 4 Feb – Depart from 26-km terminator orbit 7 Feb – Achieve 142 km from comet, then turn back 11 Feb – Arc back down to 101 km 14 Feb – Reach 50 km stand-off distance; turn and burn for the closest flyby arc 14 Feb – Conduct 6 km flyby at 12:40:50c GMT The closest pass occurs over the comet’s larger lobe, above the Imhotep region (click on the image below to watch). Note that, in the main science phase, Rosetta’s trajectory (...)

Last stop before close flyby – #CometWatch 9 February
►http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/02/13/last-stop-before-close-flyby-cometwatch-9-february

Today’s CometWatch entry is a single frame #navcam image taken on 9 February from a distance of 105 km from the #comet centre. The image resolution is 8.9 m/pixel; the processed image below has been slightly cropped to eliminate vignetting in the upper corners, and measures 8.5 x 8.5 km (the original, provided at the end of the post, measures 9.1 x 9.1 km). In this orientation, the comet’s small lobe is the foreground and the large lobe is in the background. Particularly stunning is the delicate, ethereal glow of activity that contrasts against the shadowed region between the two lobes. From this viewing position the outflowing material seems to take the shape of a broader fan, rather than the more collimated jet-like features seen at other angles. As seen in previous #Images, the sharp (...)

#Comet_67P #Rosetta #manoeuvre #rosetta