Rosetta First Earth Flyby

This 7:44 minute video describes the Rosetta mission and how the opportunity of a fly-by of Earth on 4 March 2005 was used to test its fly-by mode and ensure the spacecraft was behaving correctly. During Rosetta's long journey to the comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the spacecraft will pass twice through the asteroid belt to make detailed close-up studies of two asteroids. The successful flyby of the Earth showed how scientists can use long distance space travel to deliver bonus science as well as concentrate on long-term-objectives.