Europe’s Rosetta Spacecraft Measures Comet At 10 Billion Tons
- 10 years ago
After a 10-year chase Europe’s Rosetta spacecraft caught up with and recently analyzed the comet it’s been hunting down.
After a 10-year chase, Europe’s Rosetta spacecraft has caught up with the comet it’s been hunting down.
Recent measurements taken show that the Comet 67P weighs in at approximately 10 billion tons.
Yet, based on how porous it is, scientists say that if it ended up in a large body of water the comet would float.
It landing in, say, central London would, of course, create a different scenario as it could possibly make waste of everything in a 25-mile radius.
There’s no reason to fear that outcome, however, as the comet isn’t headed towards Earth.
One of the reasons for studying it is to learn more about how to stop one that is approaching our planet from making contact.
Comets are also considered to be integral in the spreading of water on Earth and may have even provided essential building blocks for the formation of life.
The ultimate goal for Rosetta is to land the craft on the comet’s surface, and its handlers are currently assessing the new information to find the best means of doing so.
After a 10-year chase, Europe’s Rosetta spacecraft has caught up with the comet it’s been hunting down.
Recent measurements taken show that the Comet 67P weighs in at approximately 10 billion tons.
Yet, based on how porous it is, scientists say that if it ended up in a large body of water the comet would float.
It landing in, say, central London would, of course, create a different scenario as it could possibly make waste of everything in a 25-mile radius.
There’s no reason to fear that outcome, however, as the comet isn’t headed towards Earth.
One of the reasons for studying it is to learn more about how to stop one that is approaching our planet from making contact.
Comets are also considered to be integral in the spreading of water on Earth and may have even provided essential building blocks for the formation of life.
The ultimate goal for Rosetta is to land the craft on the comet’s surface, and its handlers are currently assessing the new information to find the best means of doing so.