The image provided by the European Space Agency ESA on Thursday, Sept. 28, 2017 shows the reconstructed last image from Rosetta space probe. The final image from Rosetta, shortly before it made a controlled impact onto Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko on Sept. 30, 2016 was reconstructed from residual telemetry. (ESA/Rosetta via AP)
September 28, 2017 - 8:15 AM
BERLIN - The European Space Agency says scientists have pieced together a final image of a comet's surface taken by its Rosetta probe just before its mission ended in a slow-motion crash a year ago.
ESA guided Rosetta to the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on Sept. 30 last year, ending its 12-year mission. Rosetta had previously sent a separate lander to the surface and collected vast amounts of data.
The agency said Thursday that scientists have worked with the very last data Rosetta sent to piece together a final image of the touchdown site, showing details of the rocky surface.
Scientists decided to crash-land the probe on the comet because Rosetta's solar panels wouldn't have been able to collect enough energy as it flew away from the sun along 67P's elliptical orbit.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017