Rosetta-Philae
Overview
Rosetta was an ESA orbiter that rendezvoused with Comet 67P in 2014 after chasing it for 10 years. Rosetta's lander, Philae, landed on the comet. Rosetta studied the environment of the comet, including the organic molecules it contained.RAL Space involvement
Engineered the PTOLEMY instrument aboard the Philae Lander. PTOLEMY is an evolved gas analyser, which obtains accurate measurements of isotopic ratios of light elements.
Artists impression of Rosetta Credit: ESA/ATG medialab; Comet image: ESA/Rosetta/Navcam
Instrument Highlight
Ptolemy
Designed and built by teams from RAL Space and the Open University, Ptolemy combined gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy to measure the isotope ratios of Hydrogen, Carbon, Nitrogen and Oxygen. Key project challenges tackled were the miniaturisation of the mass spectrometer with its high-voltage control electronics, the many gas valves and high temperature reactors of the complex chemical analysis system, and the supply of ultra-high purity helium to flush the evolved gases through the instrument. Overall, the severe constrains on size, mass and power available required the miniaturisation and space-qualification of every component – either with significant modifications of existing components or the development of completely new technologies.
