Breathtaking Final View from Rosetta Before It Fell Silent
This breathtaking view of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko was captured during the final descent of the Rosetta spacecraft toward its resting place on the comet’s surface. The image reveals towering cliffs, rugged terrain, and deep shadows across the strangely shaped, duck-like nucleus, with some of the visible formations rising hundreds of meters high. Scenes like this gave humanity an unprecedented close-up look at the dramatic, otherworldly landscape of a comet.The European Space Agency (ESA) launched Rosetta in 2004. After a decade-long journey across the Solar System — including three gravity-assist flybys of Earth and one of Mars — the spacecraft successfully entered orbit around Comet 67P in August 2014. The mission revolutionized our understanding of comets by studying their structure, chemistry, outgassing activity, and interaction with the Sun as 67P journeyed through the inner Solar System. Rosetta also deployed the Philae lander in November 2014, achieving the first-ever soft landing on a comet’s surface.On September 30, 2016, after more than two years of close study, Rosetta performed a controlled impact onto the comet’s surface. During its final descent, the spacecraft continued sending back high-resolution images and scientific data right up until the moment of contact. This deliberate end allowed scientists to gather incredibly detailed close-range measurements that would have been impossible from orbit.
Image Credit: ESA/Rosetta/OSIRIS Team