The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
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Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
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On 20 January 2014, after 957 days of hibernation in deep space, ESA’s comet-chasing Rosetta spacecraft is set to wake up automatically en route to the destination it has been travelling towards for nearly a decade. In preparation for the critical activation and the challenges that lie ahead for Rosetta, members of the media were invited to a briefing by ESA’s science and mission control experts and partners on Tuesday, 10 December 2013, at ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany.
Speakers and presentations:
Jocelyne Landeau-Constantin, ESOC Head of Communication
10:05 Comets as cosmic time capsules: Rosetta’s scientific goals
Mark McCaughrean, Senior Scientific Advisor, Directorate of Science and Robotic Exploration
10:20 Rosetta’s year of living dangerously: critical challenges in catching a comet
Paolo Ferri, Head of Mission Operations
Philippe Gaudon, CNES Rosetta Project Manager
Koen Geurts, DLR Rosetta Lander Technical Manager
10:55 ESA’s Rosetta communication campaign
Markus Bauer, Science Communication Officer