The Rosetta spacecraft on its fueling stand.
Click on image for full size
Courtesy of the European Space Agency
Rosetta Mission Page
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be able to visit (and even ride on!) a comet? There is a new space mission that is going to do just that!
The Rosetta Mission will travel to visit a comet. When it gets there, one part of the spacecraft will begin to orbit the comet. The other part of the spacecraft will actually crash into the surface of the comet! It will remain on the comet (basically riding the comet through the solar system!)
Scientists are going to use different instruments on Rosetta to learn all about comets. They will study the comet's nucleus, coma and tail.
The Rosetta spacecraft is named after the Rosetta stone, a famous stone that allowed us to figure out what Egyptian hieroglyphics say.
Rosetta will launch on February 26, 2004.
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