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Paper: ESA's Comet Orbiter Rosetta and Lander Philae
Volume: 484, Outstanding Problems in Heliophysics: From Coronal Heating to the Edge of the Heliosphere
Page: 149
Authors: McKenna-Lawlor, S.; Schwehm, G.; Schulz, R.; Ulamec, S.
Abstract: Rosetta is the first mission designed to orbit, and deploy a Lander onto the surface of, a comet, 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P/C-G). After an active Cruise Phase, which included three swingbys at the Earth, one at Mars and two flybys at Main Belt asteroids, the spacecraft is scheduled to orbit the comet nucleus and, after careful reconnaissance, deliver to the surface, while still at a distance of about 3 AU from the Sun, its Lander (Philae). The Lander payload, which comprises ten onboard experiments, will investigate the physical properties of the cometary surface/subsurface, measuring in particular their chemical, mineralogical and isotopic compositions. The lifetime of the Lander will depend on the prevailing cometary environment. The spacecraft will meanwhile continue to orbit and map the comet as it advances along its trajectory toward the Sun, utilizing eleven payload experiments to investigate how the comet becomes gradually more active and how its interactions with the solar wind develop. Post-perihelion Rosetta will continue to orbit, and make observations of the gradually declining comet environment out to a distance of ∼ 2 AU.
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