Rosetta ’s clock is tick , but the investigation is using its concluding weeks around comet 67P / Churyumov - Gerasimenko to snap the best pictures yet of the comet .
The European Space Agency ’s ( ESA ) investigation is scheduled to purposefully clang kingdom on September 30 , bringing the hugely successful mission to an end . Rosetta , which entered orbit around the comet in August 2014 , will be draw a bead on to descend very closely to an unbelievable feature , named Deir el - Medina , that could offer new insights on how comets organise .
Deir el - Medina is a large pit on the comet ’s smaller lobe that is more than 130 meters ( 430 feet ) across and 50 to 60 meters ( 165 to 200 feet ) deep . The midland surface of the pit is covered in lumpy meter - sized structures . The odd geological formation , nicknamed " gooseflesh " , is believed to be a signature tune of the early cometesimal , the small-scale structure that early in the Solar System ’s history conflate into spring the comet .
Deir el - Medina , named after a pit inancient Egypt , is one of several pit in the part known as Ma’at where Rosetta will be landing . These pit are the active sites where the rubble of the comet originates , and close - up datum could give us even more clues on how comet change over time .
" Last month we celebrate two thrilling years since go far at the comet , and also a year since the comet ’s closest plan of attack to the Sun along its orbit , " say Matt Taylor , ESA ’s Rosetta labor scientist , in astatement .
" It ’s tough to trust that Rosetta ’s incredible 12.5 - class odyssey is almost over , and we ’re planning the final set of scientific discipline mathematical operation , but we are certainly looking forrad to focusing on analyzing the ream of data for many decade to come . "
The impressive suite of pawn onboard of Rosetta will proceed to collect data point during the last descent , although which unity will be operational is yet to be decided , and it will depend on the net flight and the data pace available for the day .
Rosetta has been flying pretty tight to the comet , and it may be nonplus nigher still in the upcoming days , mayhap even just 1 kilometer ( 0.6 miles ) from the surface . Being so near the surface makes it unmanageable to exactly diagram trajectories , so the net details will not be known until after September 24 , when the investigation completes a post - flyover maneuver . Afterward , the team will proceed to castigate the flight until the spacecraft is put on its final plummet on September 30 at around 6.40am EDT ( 11.40am BST ) .
