Free Astronomy Magazine September-October 2014

SMALL BODIES other decade (precisely 10 years, 5 months and 4 days) had to go by before the probe could reach its target. As can be imagined, nearly all of the technology with which the probe is equipped appears today rather an- tiquated, but it is nonetheless all in good working order and perfectly capable of producing high-performance results. On board the probe (which measures 2.8×2.1×2.0 meter –excluding its two solar panels– and weighs 2,900 kg) there are 11 scientific in- struments capable of examining the com- et at different wavelengths, from its sub- soil to its faintest gaseous emission. Among these instruments there is the OSIRIS imag- ing system, consisting of two cameras, one wide-angle (WAC), and one narrow-angle (NAC) for high-resolution imaging, both designed to produce the most spectacular results. Another set of 10 scientific instru- D iagram of the long journey made by Rosetta, showing the most important stages and the orbits of the principal players. [ESA] O n 2 August, from a distance of 550 km, the OSIRIS WAC saturated with a long expo- sure (330 seconds) the nucleus of 67P/Churyu- mov-Gerasimenko, to highlight its cometary activity. Resolution: 55 metres/pixel. [ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/ LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA]