New telescope images to boost ESA's Rosetta mission
New images of the nucleus of Comet Wirtanen uncovered by the European southern observatory's (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT) at Paranal, Chile, are set to help refine plans for the European space agency (ESA) Rosetta mission to explore the object. The mission has been described by the ESA as 'one of the most difficult ever to be performed.' The Rosetta spacecraft, to be launched next year, is due to reach Comet Wirtanen in 2011, where it will dispatch a lander to the comet's surface from a height of one kilometre. The observations show the comet at a distance of around 435 million kilometres from the Sun, about the same orbit position it will be in when the Rosetta spacecraft arrives in 9 years' time. They indicate that the comet has a low degree of activity at this point in its orbit, with little dust around the nucleus to hamper the landing. Rosetta project scientist Gerhard Schwehm said: 'Rosetta is certainly a very challenging space mission. No one has ever tried to land on a comet before. We need to learn as much as possible about our target. The new VLT data will allow us to improve our models and make decisions once we get there.' 'It is a pleasure to help our colleagues at ESA,' said ESO astronomer and comet specialist Hermann Boenhardt. 'We will continue to keep an eye on this comet, in particular when Rosetta is approaching its target. We can then provide the spacecraft controllers and the astronomers with very useful, regular updates, for example about the 'cometary weather' at the time of arrival.'