The Final Touchdown<br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /><br /> The European Space Agency says its Rosetta spacecraft has finally crash-landed on its comet.<br /><br /> Scientists at the control centre in Darmstadt clapped and hugged after screens showed the loss of signal when Rosetta touched down on the space rock, known as “67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko”.<br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /><br /> Leaving the empire of the Sun<br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /><br /> The ESA is ending the mission because 67P is racing toward the outer solar system, out of range for the solar-powered spacecraft.<br /><br /> Rosetta has also been subjected to the harsh radiation and extreme temperatures of space since launching in March 2004 and is unlikely to last too much longer.<br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /><br /> A not-so-brief encounter<br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /><br /> Rosetta has spent an historic 12 years chasing the comet across more than six billion kilometres of space.<br /><br /> The spacecraft has collected a treasure trove of information on comets that will keep scientists busy for the next decade.<br /><br /> The mission managed several historic firsts, such as getting a spacecraft into orbit around a comet and the unprecedented landing of a probe on its surface.<br /><br /> A handful of previous spacecraft had snapped pictures and collected data, but only as they flew past their targets.<br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /><br /> Philae<br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /><br /> The installation of the Philae probe on the comet’s surface did not go as planned, however.<br /><br /> The 100 kg instrument bounced several times on landing before getting stuck against a cliff wall.<br /><br /> This left it unable to perform any more experiments beyond its first three days on the comet, which is when its solar-powered batteries ran out.<br /><br /> Rosetta’s cameras finally located the missing Philae just a few weeks ago.<br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /><br /> Big Data<br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /><br /> The data collected by Rosetta and Philae is already helping scientists better understand how the Earth and other planets formed.<br /><br /> For example, scientists now believe that asteroids, not comets, were primarily responsible for delivering water to Earth and other planets in the inner solar system.<br /><br /> This could have set the stage for life systems to develop.<br /><br /> Before reaching the surface and shutting down, Rosetta’s instruments and camera relayed back data and images.<br /><br /> This has given scientists insight into the structure of the comet.<br /><br /> It is hoped the data will reveal:<br /><br /> <br /><br /> crucial information on the formation of the comet’s walls <br /><br /> information on 100-metre wide pits, thought to release gas and dust when warmed by the sun <br /><br /> <br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /><br /> The Last Goodbye – in tweets<br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /><br /> Landing site targetted for ESA_Rosetta #cometlanding https://t.co/LHGuw2hZF8 pic.twitter.com/sQLdolVIbc— ESA (esa) September 30, 2016<br /> <br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /><br /> LOSS OF SIGNAL #LOS European Space Agency confirms end of contact w/ ESA_Rosetta. Operations complete at 720mn km from Earth #CometLanding pic.twitter.com/ehzQ5gMf1W— ESA Operations (esaoperations) September 30, 2016<br /> <br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /><br /> Before & after: ESA_Rosetta signal peak just prior to #cometlanding - then it was gone pic.twitter.com/kSnvApCaCi— ESA Operations (esaoperations) Sept
