[meteorite-list] New Destination For Rosetta, Europe's Comet Chaser

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:25:46 2004
Message-ID: <200305292144.OAA07046_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

ESA Science News
http://sci.esa.int

28 May 2003

New destination for Rosetta, Europe's comet chaser

Comet-chasing mission Rosetta will now set its sights on Comet
Churyumov-Gerasimenko. During its meeting on 13-14th May 2003, ESA's Science
Programme Committee decided Rosetta's new mission baseline. The spacecraft will
be launched in February 2004 from Kourou, French Guiana, using an Ariane-5 G+
launcher. The rendezvous with the new target comet is expected in November 2014.

The choice of a new comet has required intensive efforts, including observations
by telescopes such as the Hubble Space Telescope and the ESO Very Large
Telescope to ensure we know as much as we can about the new target. The cost of
the Rosetta launch delay is estimated at round 70 million Euros. The ESA
Ministerial Council has resolved the financial issue by approving financial
flexibility at Agency level.

Scientists will now investigate an alternative launch to this comet, in February
2005, as a back-up plan. Rendezvous with the comet is expected in November 2014.

Once again, Europe is set to try to do something no-one has ever done before --
to chase and catch a comet.

For more information, please contact:

ESA - Communication Department
Media Relations Office
Paris, France
Tel: +33 (0)1 5369 7155
Fax: +33 (0)1 5369 7690

USEFUL LINKS FOR THIS STORY

* More about Rosetta
   http://sci.esa.int/rosetta/

IMAGE CAPTIONS:

[Image 1:
http://sci.esa.int/content/searchimage/searchresult.cfm?aid=13&cid=12&oid=32381&ooid=32382]
Rosetta approaches a fiery comet's tail. The spacecraft will be launched in
February 2004 from Kourou, French Guiana. The rendezvous with the new target
comet, Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko, is expected in November 2014.

[Image 2:
http://sci.esa.int/content/searchimage/searchresult.cfm?aid=13&cid=12&oid=32381&ooid=28459]
Rosetta leaves home to catch a comet.
Received on Thu 29 May 2003 05:44:48 PM PDT