Rendez-vous with Rosetta


Thursday, 13 November 2014 noon — 1 p.m. MST

AURA Lecture Hall

NOIRLab South Colloquia
COLIN SNODGRASS (The Open University, UK and Gemini South Visiting Astronomer)

The ESA Rosetta mission has successfully put a satellite in orbit around Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and is returning the best images ever obtained of an active comet. During the 12th of November, the Philae Lander will attempt to achieve the first controlled touchdown on a comet nucleus. Its instruments should obtain the first images from a comet's surface and make the first in-situ analysis to find out what it is made of. This talk will cover the successes of the mission so far, the success or near-success of the Philae Lander and the future of the Rosetta mission over the lifetime of the satellite.