Surface of comet revealed by Rosetta spacecraft

Following its orbital insertion manoeuvre on August 6, the European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft has beamed back the first ever close-up images of a comet.

Taken from a distance of 130 kilometres, the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is shown to be littered with small boulders and shaped by steep cliffs.

Several craters of varying size also pock-mark the surface of the comet, which could indicate a violent history of collisions with other objects in space.

Launched in March 2004, the Rosetta spacecraft has taken over ten years to reach its target, performing several close encounters with the Earth and Mars as it fine-tuned its course to meet up with the comet.

Comets are leftover fragments from the early days of the solar system, and scientists believe that they may hold clues as to how the planets formed, and perhaps how life began on Earth.

The orbiting Rosetta spacecraft will launch a small robotic probe, called Philae, towards Churyumov-Gerasimenko in November, which will provide earthlings with the first images ever from the surface of a comet. 

Reporting by: Chris Wilkinson