Rosetta's Long Trip

The European Space Agency's Rosetta mission launched 10 years ago to rendezvous with comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. In August, the spacecraft finally caught the comet and went into orbit around it. And on November 12, the Philae lander will detach from the main craft and attempt to land on the comet. Ten years ago, we spoke with Prof. Ian Wright, a planetary scientist at the Open University in England, and Principal Investigator on the Ptolemy instrument on the lander. On the eve of the landing, we speak with him again about the long wait, the nerve-racking descent and landing on the comet, and the investigations that will then begin. Rosetta will continue to orbit the comet as it approaches the Sun and develops its tail.

Related Links

• ESA Rosetta mission
• NASA JPL Rosetta page