After 10 years of travelling through space to reach its destination and two years of providing back data to the scientists on Earth, Rosetta space probe's journey has finally reached an end.
According to Tech Times, Rosetta's course will be changed to help it land on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the space probe's mission. For two years, it has observed and sent back valuable data. Now, the comet will be Rosetta's final destination until its power runs out.
"It is transforming our understanding of the way the solar system was put together," European Space Agency senior adviser Mark McCaughrean told The Guardian. They are only beginning to analyze the data that Rosetta has sent them but the significance of it is undeniable.
Rosetta space probe was a project that cost ESA $995 million to build and launch. The purpose was to understand how the Earth is as it is now. The theory was that the planet was too hot to have water but comets like Comet 67P may have landed and bombarded Earth and let its ice, dust, and other parts melt and create water.
Though the scientists studying the data sent back by Rosetta have concluded that the water did not come from the likes of Comet 67P, it doesn't make the information any less relevant. With luck and further research, scientists hope to reach a more conclusive data on how the solar system came to be.
The end of Rosetta is set on Sept. 30 and it is expected to sustain damage upon landing on Comet 67P. There, the space probe will continue to gather and send back data up close. The descent will be as slow as possible to enable Rosetta to take pictures and geographical information on the comet.
"That will be the end of Rosetta. It will be an emotional moment," said McCaughrean.
Though it will be an emotional farewell from the ESA team who put the project together, the data Rosetta gave will not go to waste and is expected to be filled to the brim with interesting information.
