Rendezvous in space — Rosetta & the comet

Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko as seen from the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft
Credit: European Space Agency/Twitter

As Douglas Adams wisely wrote, "... you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space ..."¹

Case in point: the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft. After 10 years & 3.7 billion miles (6 billion kilometres), it has finally caught up to comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenk. Rosetta is now in orbit around the comet, & the pair continue to orbit the Sun at 34,000 miles per hour (54,700 kph, 9.4 miles per second, 15.2 km per second).

Further study will include an attempted landing on the surface of the asteroid in November, by a robotic probe named Philae. If you are thinking that part will be easy, think again. There are still many unknowns. One member of the European Space Agency's team recently pointed out that the hardness of the asteroid is, "... somewhere between cement & candyfloss."

http://news.discovery.com/space/asteroids-meteors-meteorites/rosetta-probe-makes-historic-comet-rendezvous-140806.htm

http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21611028-european-space-probe-has-just-arrived-its-destination-rosettas-stone
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¹ Douglas Adams: “The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy”, Chapter 8, 1979

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