A European space probe, called Rosetta, is about to reach the comet which it has had its eye on since it was first launched 10 years ago. This will be an exciting moment in scientific history. Once Rosetta reaches the comet, 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, it will attempt to land on its surface, making it the first-ever time a space probe has studied a comet while it is orbiting the sun. The comet has an orbital period of 6.45 years.
European Space Agency (ESA) launched Rosetta in 2004 to try to catch a glimpse of the comet. The probe has been in hibernation since then, until it "woke up" in January of this year, after traveling 4.3 billion miles to get where it is now.
New images which were taken by ORISIS, a computer program aboard the spacecraft, have shown that the comet has a unique shape.
Holger Sierks, the Principal Investigator of OSIRIS, said in a statement, "From what we can discern in these early images, 67P is an irregularly looking body." Sierks works for the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany.
OSIRIS scientist Jean-Baptiste Vincent added, in the same statement, "Seeing 67P now slowly revealing its own unique features is an unprecedented adventure." Vincent also works for the MPS.
The new images were taken on July 4 from 37,000 kilometers away. The image shows the suggestion of three large structures on the comet.
The spacecraft Rosetta is planning to land on the comet, which would make it the first space probe in history to do that. The scientists who designed the ship had to prepare it for the extreme conditions of outer space, such as incredible cold -- negative 300 degrees Fahrenheit. They created new technology to help the probe run on solar energy even in a part of the universe that only receives 4% as much sunlight as we get on Earth. They put the spacecraft into hibernation mode for ten years to save precious energy on the long flight.
The real test of the mission will be whether the probe can successfully land on the comet -- a difficult feat as the icy comet speeds around the sun. It will be exciting to watch the development over the next few months and see whether this probe makes scientific history, or adds to the pile of near-misses that have plagued scientists over the years.
The Rosetta mission has contributions from member states of ESA, and NASA.
