General , Operations  01 July, 2010 17:05

Next update: latest forecast times & distances

Our next update (Friday AM) will include the latest forecasts for times and distances related to Rosetta flyby. -- DGS
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General , Operations , Press Releases  01 July, 2010 16:05

Spacecraft event time, Earth event time and why Einstein is directly involved in spacecraft operations every day

Location of 21 Lutetia on 10 July 2010. Image generated by NASA's Small Body Database:: http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=21;orb=1;cov=0;log=0;cad=0#orb
A query was posted here in the Rosetta blog yesterday by Se7en, who noted that the Rosetta flyby media event programme for 10 July, here at ESOC, cites the closest approach time as 18:10 CEST (16:10 UTC). Se7en pointed out that we had earlier posted that the estimated closest approach time would be 15:44:55 UTC (=17:44:55 CEST).

The source of the difference lies in the fact that we first posted the flyby closest approach time in 'spacecraft event time' - which is to say, the time when the event will happen at Rosetta. The time in the media event programme is cited in Earth event time - which is to say, the time when the event can be detected on Earth.

So, why the difference? (Details after the jump...) -- Daniel

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Stunning image taken by the CIVA imaging instrument on Rosetta's Philae lander just 4 minutes before closest approach at a distance of some 1000 km from Mars. This image was taken by Rosetta’s navigation camera (NAVCAM) right after Rosetta’s closest approach to Earth. The picture was taken at 21:56 CET on 13 November, as Rosetta’s second Earth swing-by concluded, while the spacecraft was flying at a height of about 5500 km from the surface. Credits: ESA This picture of the Moon was taken with the OSIRIS Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) at 07:36 CET on 13 November. This was about nine hours after Rosetta's closest approach to Earth. OSIRIS has been designed to image faint objects, so a neutral density filter was placed in the optical path to reduce the sensitivity of the camera to one fiftieth. The above image was acquired through the far-focus red filter of the camera (750 nanometres). Credits: ESA ©2007 MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/RSSD/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA This picture of the Moon was taken by Rosetta’s navigation camera (NAVCAM) right after the comet chaser’s closest approach to our planet. The picture was taken at 00:10 CET on 14 November, as Rosetta’s second Earth swing-by concluded, while the spacecraft was flying at a height of about 6250 km from the surface. Credits: ESA After its closest approach to Earth, Rosetta looked back and took a number of images using the OSIRIS Narrow Angle Camera (NAC). This particular image was acquired 15 November 2007 at 03:30 CET. The image is a colour composite of the NAC Orange, Green and Blue filters. At the bottom, the continent of Australia can be seen clearly. Credits: ESA ©2005 MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/ RSSD/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA