The Rosetta lander.
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Image courtesy NASA.
Rosetta lander instruments
The Rosetta lander has many instruments that it will use to make measurements when it lands on Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
The instruments carried by the lander are described in the table below.
The instruments on the Rosetta orbiter are described on a separate page.
| Instrument |
Purpose |
| ALICE |
Analyzes gases in comet's coma and tail |
| CONSERT |
Uses radio waves to probe comet's
interior |
| COSIMA |
Chemical analysis of dust grains |
| GIADA |
Dust velocity and impact measurement - number, masses, and velocities of
dust grains coming from the comet |
| MIDAS |
Micro-imaging dust analysis - physical analysis (size, shape, etc.) of
dust grains |
| MIRO |
Measures major gases and sub-surface
temperature of the comet |
| OSIRIS |
Wide-angle and narrow-angle cameras |
| ROSINA |
Chemical analysis of comet's
atmosphere |
| RPC |
Plasma measurements - 5 sensors measure physical properties of the
nucleus, the structure of the coma, and the comet's interaction with the solar
wind |
| RSI |
Spacecraft's radio signals are used to measure the mass & density of the
nucleus and to define the comet's orbit |
| VIRTIS |
Maps the temperature on the surface of the nucleus & identifies
gases |
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