Dr. Gerhard Schwehm (former Rosetta Mission Manager, ESA), Dr. Gerhard Drolshagen (ESA’s SSA Programme Manager), and Dr. Norbert Pailer (Airbus Defence and Space, Friedrichshafen, Germany) talking about Rosetta, comets and asteroids with moderator Monika Jones. (image (c) ESA/J.Mai)
Comets have inspired awe and curiosity, and even some anxiety, on Earth for as long as they have been observed. A panel of experts on the unpredictable nature of comets answered some questions about “dirty snowballs”.
“We saw before Christmas with comet ISON how the fascination with comets has not died,” said Gerhard Schwehm of ESA, the former project manager of Rosetta. “Comets were very important historically and bring to us the most primitive materials from the beginning of the Solar System. For me, Rosetta is a dream come true scientifically.”
“Comets are like fossils for our whole planet,” said Gerhard Drolshagen, ESA Space Situational Awareness Programme Manager, who emphasized the role of comets in revealing more about the history of planetary formation in the Solar System. But in terms of space situational awareness, comets could also be a threat for the future.
When it comes to near-Earth objects, relatively few are comets, but they cannot be overlooked. “Comets come very close, sometimes too close to Earth and in the Space Situational Awareness programme, we look at the comets from the point of view if there is some risk from an object coming close to Earth,” said Gerhard Drolshagen.
“Asteroids are more plentiful, but they tend to be small. Comets are bigger and faster moving than asteroids and completely unpredictable,” said Norbert Pailer, of Airbus Defence and Space. “So for one individual object, comets are more dangerous.”
The panel said a great deal had been learned from the impact of a meteorite in Chelyabinsk, Russia in 2013. But for now, the focus returns to Rosetta and what can be learned from 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
“For me scientifically comets are more fun but they are not as dangerous as asteroids,” said Gerhard Schwehm. “The impact the mission will have on science will be felt for decades. It depends on the scientists to work hard on the results.
“When Rosetta was designed it was built to last for twelve years. The solar arrays were designed so that even if they break over the ten years, they can provide enough power. The importance of Rosetta has not changed. Everyone agrees that this is the next big step in cometary research.
“We try to answer our big questions, including the new questions we get as we go along.”
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