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Rosetta: The Remarkable Story of Europe's Comet Explorer

  • Book
  • © 2020

Overview

Authors:
  1. Peter Bond

    1. Cranleigh, UK

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  • An essential reference on ESA’s Rosetta mission
  • Written in a detailed, yet accessible manner for the public
  • Contains striking images of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko

Part of the book series: Springer Praxis Books (PRAXIS)

Part of the book sub series: Space Exploration (SPACEE)

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Table of contents (10 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xiv
    Download chapter PDF

  2. Comets and Asteroids

    • Peter Bond
    Pages 1-30

  3. Beginnings

    • Peter Bond
    Pages 31-42

  4. The Birth of Rosetta

    • Peter Bond
    Pages 43-62

  5. Creating A Comet Chaser

    • Peter Bond
    Pages 63-88

  6. Anatomy of a Mission

    • Peter Bond
    Pages 89-128

  7. Switching Comets

    • Peter Bond
    Pages 129-156

  8. The Long Trek

    • Peter Bond
    Pages 157-218

  9. Unveiling A Cosmic Iceberg

    • Peter Bond
    Pages 219-256

  10. Landing on a Comet

    • Peter Bond
    Pages 257-289

  11. A Scientific Bonanza

    • Peter Bond
    Pages 290-340

  12. Back Matter

    Pages 341-403
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Keywords

About this book

In 2014, Rosetta became the first mission to orbit a comet and to deploy a lander onto its surface. This is the story of ESA’s pioneering comet explorer, following the mission from its initial inception to its historic touchdown.

Read along as the Rosetta orbiter and its lander, Philae, evolve over the years, overcoming early mission hurdles before embarking on their one-way, decade-long voyage to a comet. See how the saga then culminates with Rosetta and Philae at last unveiling their icy target and achieving an unprecedented touchdown on its surface.

Award-winning space writer Peter Bond takes us behind the scenes of this historic endeavor, sharing insights from the international team of scientists and engineers who made the mission possible, describing the remarkable technology that they created, and delving into the treasure trove of scientific discoveries that followed.

Recounting in vivid detail the inner workings of Rosetta, this book is a celebration of the mission that has left a lasting impact on planetary science and space exploration.

Reviews

“I really enjoyed reading Bond’s very detailed account of the mission. … it contains plenty of detail which would be difficult to find in a digestible form anywhere else. … where this book really shines is in the day-to-day descriptions … . Bond has done an excellent job covering that aspect and I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know a bit more ‘behind the scenes’ detail on this mission.” (Nick James, The Journal of the British Astronomical Association, Vol. 132 (1), February, 2022)



“Every instrument is described in detail and the results of each investigation are expertly summarized. The illustrations in the book are superb and I found the detailed referencing especially useful. Bond clearly enjoyed interviewing all the investigators and his biographical section was fascinating. … I enjoyed this book greatly.” (David W. Hughes, The Observatory, Vol. 141 (1285), December, 2021)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Cranleigh, UK

    Peter Bond

About the author

Peter Bond is a lifelong space and astronomy enthusiast. He has written 12 books, including the award-winning “DK Guide to Space”, and has contributed to or acted as consultant / editor for many others. Peter has also written hundreds of articles on space and astronomy for British and American newspapers and magazines, as well as material for the Sunday Times “Window On The Universe” CD-ROM, the Nature-IOP “Encyclopedia of Astronomy and Astrophysics” and the Philips “Encyclopedia of Astronomy and Astrophysics”. He has appeared many times on TV and radio to comment on the latest astronomical discoveries and events. He was Space Science Advisor / Press Officer for the Royal Astronomical Society 1995-2007, and has been a consultant and writer for the European Space Agency for many years. He was consultant editor for “Jane's Space Directory" 2008-2018.

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