Posted on Friday, July 3, 02009 by Laura Welcher Stewart
forwards this beautifully detailed rendering of the Rosetta
Mission by artist Erik Viktor, showing the landing craft on the
icy surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasiamenko and the sun
beyond. The main spacecraft above is the orbiter, with 14 meter
solar panels on each side. The orbiter has eleven groups of
scientific instruments, intended to take readings from the
lander, and relay them back to earth. The prototype Rosetta Disk
is also on the orbiter, located on the exterior underneath
thermal blankets. The orbiter is due to rendezvous with the
comet in 02014.