ROSETTA

The International Rosetta Mission was approved in November 1993 by ESA's Science Programme Committee as the Planetary Cornerstone Mission in ESA's long-term space science program. The mission goal is a rendezvous with comet 46 P/Wirtanen. On its eight-year journey to the comet, the spacecraft will pass close to two asteroids, (Otawara and Siwa are now the planned targets)

Rosetta will study the nucleus of comet Wirtanen and its environment in great detail for a period of nearly two years, the near-nucleus phase starting at a heliocentric distance of about 3.25 AU, with far-observation activities leading ultimately to close observation (from about one km distance).

TiNi Pinpusher to be used as a launch lock for a Camera Shutter and Cover Door assembly.

http://sci.esa.int/rosetta/


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