ESA Rosetta: Latest Four-image mosaic of Comet 67/P

This four-image mosaic from ESA Rosetta spacecraft comprises images taken from a distance of 28.4 km from the centre of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on 3 January. 

The image resolution is  2.4 m/pixel and the mosaic measures 4.4 x 4.2 km. 

Credit: ESA

This four-image mosaic from ESA Rosetta spacecraft comprises images taken from a distance of 28.4 km from the centre of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on 3 January.

The image resolution at this distance is 2.4 m/pixel and the individual 1024 x 1024 frames measure 2.5 km across.

The mosaic is slightly cropped and rotated and measures about 4.4 x 4.2 km.

Because rotation and translation of the comet during the imaging sequence make it difficult to create an accurate mosaic, always refer to the individual images before drawing conclusions about any strange structures or low intensity extended emission.

The mosaic shows a great view across the Imhotep region, which includes the Cheops boulder on the larger of the two comet lobes.

The name of this region was revealed during the AGU conference in December (see the 17 Dec post).

The smaller of the comet’s lobes is situated to the far left of the mosaic.

The illumination conditions contribute to the interesting view of the features standing out against the shadowed foreground, close to the centre.

Some of the streaks and specks seen around the nucleus will likely be dust grains ejected from the comet, captured in the 4.3 second exposure time.

Reporters Witness NASA's Latest High Tech Exploration Tool Before Testing

NASA workers at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, wearing clean room "bunny suits," prepare the LDSD test article for shipment later this month to Hawaii. 

LDSD will help land bigger space payloads on Mars or return them back to Earth.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL

On April 9 reporters got a chance to don "bunny suits" (protective apparel that sometimes makes people look like large rabbits) and enter a NASA clean room at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

In the room is NASA's latest technology for landing large payloads on planets like Mars or Earth, being processed for shipping prior to testing next June.

NASA's Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD) project will be flying a rocket-powered, saucer-shaped test vehicle into near-space this June from the U.S. Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai, Hawaii.

The LDSD crosscutting demonstration mission will test breakthrough technologies that will enable large payloads to be safely landed on the surface of Mars, or other planetary bodies with atmospheres, including Earth.

These new technologies will not only enable landing of larger payloads on Mars, but also allow access to much more of the planet's surface by enabling landings at higher altitude sites.

The LDSD is one of several crosscutting technologies NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate is developing to create the new knowledge and capabilities necessary to enable our future missions to an asteroid, Mars and beyond.

The directorate is committed to developing the critical technologies required to enable future exploration missions beyond low Earth orbit.

NASA continues to solicit the help of the best and brightest minds in academia, industry, and government to drive innovation and enable solutions in a myriad of important technology thrust areas.

These planned investments are addressing high priority challenges for achieving safe and affordable deep-space exploration.

In fact, NASA's space tech team will launch seven major technology demonstrations in next 24 months.