Rosetta spacecraft sent to crash on comet its has been chasing
BERLIN- The Rosetta spacecraft is nearing the end of its historic, 12-year comet chase, slowly falling towards the surface of the dusty, icy body in a mission that has provided insight into the early days of the solar system and captured the public's imagination.
The spacecraft has stalked comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko across more than 6 billion km (3.7 billion miles) of space, collecting a treasure trove of information on comets that will keep scientists busy for the next decade.
On Friday morning, the European Space Agency said the "collision manoeuvre" started last night was on track and the point of no return had been reached, putting Rosetta on course to crash into the comet at 1038 GMT. Confirmation will be received on Earth about 40 minutes later.
"We want to go out at the peak of capability. We don't want a comeback tour that's rubbish. We will end in a very rock-and-roll fashion," project scientist Matt Taylor said ahead of the final descent.
