The European Space Agency's (ESA) Rosetta spacecraft, which was launched along with the Philae lander to conduct a closer study of Comet 67P/ Churyumov-Gerasimenko, has provided scientists a great deal of information about comets, which could eventually help shed light on the mysteries of the solar system.
Over the course of time since its first rendezvous with Comet 67P in August 2014, the space probe captured images of comet 67P in close proximity. The probe also relayed data that suggest the Earth's waters did not originate from comets and revealed the presence of oxygen in the extraterrestrial rock.
After two years of sending scientific data to scientists on Earth, the Rosetta spacecraft is set to retire later this month but even during its last hours, Rosetta will continue collecting crucial scientific data.
In what can be considered as its final suicide mission, the probe will document its own death as it will send close up images of the comet's surface back to Earth before impact. A "suicide software" will be uploaded to the computers of the spacecraft to prompt the probe into crashing into its target comet.
Its final hours of descent into Comet 67P will give Rosetta a once-in-a-lifetime chance to gather crucial scientific data, which include analyzing gas and dust closer to the comet's surface. It will also take high resolution images of the comet's nucleus, which include the open pits of the Ma'at region where it is anticipated to make a controlled impact.
These data need to be relayed during the descent until the final moment of the final impact, after which scientists will no longer be able to communicate with the spacecraft.
"Faced with a significant reduction in solar power that it needs to operate, Rosetta's destiny has been set: it will follow Philae down onto the surface of the comet," ESA said.
Rosetta's comet lander Philae, managed to land on the comet's surface but technical problems caused it to shut down much earlier than planned. Despite this, it was able to gather 60 hours' worth of scientific data. Earlier this month, images from its mother ship revealed its graveyard, which helped explain why scientists had difficulty locating it.
"Confirmation of the end of mission is expected from ESA's main control room at 11:20 GMT or 13:20 CEST +/- 20 minutes (Earth time) on 30 September, with the spacecraft set on a collision course with the comet the evening before."
