The journey of Rosetta and its lander Philae is a huge scientific triumph.
Although Rosetta was not able to send pictures when it touched the surface of Comet 67P, scientists believe that its death dive was a slow-motion collision and not a violent crash because the comet is porous and has low gravity.
Experts from the European Space Agency (ESA) said the impact would be about 23.2km/h. The spacecraft's final maneuver started around 6:00 p.m. EDT; 2200 GMT on September 29. The controlled collision allowed Rosetta to send a final photo featuring the comet's surface. Its final resting place is a smooth surface of the comet called the Ma'at region.
"I can announce the full success of this historic descent...Farewell Rosetta, you've done the job. That was pure science at its best," said Patrick Martin, Rosetta mission manager, declaring the end of the mission.
The spacecraft started circling Comet 67P in 2014. It was launched in 2004, but it cruised the inner part of the solar system for 10 years. Immediately after orbiting the comet, Rosetta deployed the robotic lander, Philae, which crashed in the Abydos region. Rosetta spotted it earlier this month.
Comets are among the oldest celestial objects in the universe. Studying them could give scientists ideas about the birth of the solar system, and perhaps, shed light on how the seed of life came to Earth. This is the reason why billions of dollars are spent to explore these icy bodies. Rosetta's mission alone costs $1.5-billion (1.4-billion-euro).
Comet 67P was first spotted in 1969. It spans 4 kilometers wide and orbits the sun, between the Earth and Jupiter, every 6.5 years. ESA decided to end the mission when the comet headed back to Jupiter, and the solar-powered Rosetta did not have enough energy to continue.
Although Rosetta is not the first mission for comet exploration, it is the first to orbit a comet and the first to send a probe to its surface.
Rosetta's historic mission gives scientists numerous things to study. Through Rosetta, scientists discovered that the Comet 67P has molecular oxygen, big grains of water ice, a fluffy core, and diverse landscapes.
"The mission has spanned entire careers, and the data returned will keep generations of scientist busy for decades to come," said Alvaro Giménez, ESA's Director of Science.
It is the end for the spacecraft Rosetta, but with all the data it gathered, it is just the beginning for scientists in ESA.
