On September 30, 2016, the ESA Rosetta spacecraft approached its goal, which it had studied for more than two years, completing the mission with a controlled strike at the surface of comet 67P / Churyumov-Gerasimenko. This was the second landing after the descent of the Phila probe, which became the first landing gear to land on a comet (November 12, 2014).
Thanks to a set of 11 scientific instruments, Rosetta received an impressive number of images and other data from this signic comet, viewing its surface, interior, examining gas and dust, as well as analyzing the plasma environment. Scientists have used these measurements to improve our understanding of comets and the history of the solar system. This image shows a part of comet 67P studied by Rosetta on September 22, 2014 (1.5 months after approaching). At that time, the ship was located 28.2 km from the center of the comet (26.2 km from the surface).
In the center and to the left is Seth - one of the geological features of the greater part of the two segments of the comet, which falls towards the smoother Hapi region. The landscape in the background shows hints of the Babi and Aker regions. The sharp profile in the lower part depicted the Aswan rock - a 134-meter ledge separating Seth and Hapi. The observations were made before the comet's perihelion (August 13, 2015), showing that the crash occurred due to approaching the Sun on the orbital path.
