The Microwave Instrument for Rosetta Orbiter (MIRO) has discovered a comet that is releasing water vapor into space every second.
Rosetta is a robotic spacecraft designed by the European Space Agency to monitor Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko for a detailed study. The spacecraft was launched in 2004 and is expected to reach the comet in August 2014. Scientists anticipate Rosetta will orbit the comet for 17 months to observe its nucleus up close.
MIRO first discovered the water vapor when Rosetta approached at a close distance of 217,000 miles on June 6. During that time, the comet was approximately 583 million kilometers away from the Sun. Scientists noted that the comet was releasing at least two glasses of water into space per second.
"We always knew we would see water vapor outgassing from the comet, but we were surprised at how early we detected it," said Sam Gulkis, principal investigator of the MIRO instrument at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.
The researchers continued their observations to gather data on the amount of water, its production rate and the global gas production rate as a function of the comet's position relative to the Sun. Data on gas production would also enable scientists to draw conclusions about the comet's evolution as it orbits around the Sun. In addition, the gas production rate of the comet might affect the spacecraft's trajectory as it nears the comet.
Gulkis also explained that the comet 67P/ Churyumov-Gerasimenko is capable of producing enough water to fill in an Olympic-size swimming pool in just 100 days.
Scientists believe this discovery is vital not only for cometary research but also for future space mission planning. The Rosetta team reportedly has plans to use their spacecraft to orbit a comet. If they succeed, they will be the first spacecraft to orbit around the comet.
