ROSETTA-ORBITER MIDAS: Comet 67P Dust Particle Images and Statistics

The Micro-Imaging Dust Analysis System (MIDAS) on the ROSETTA Orbiter captured 3D images and statistical parameters of pristine cometary particles collected near comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. This data set includes all data from the ROSETTA EXTENSION 2 mission phase, with the current release superseding version 1.0 based on Comet Science Reviews held in February 2016 and October 2017.

Use Cases

• Analyze the 3D morphology of cometary dust particles based on the micro-imaging data.
• Calculate statistical parameters of particle size and shape distributions.
• Study pristine cometary material collected in the vicinity of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
• Validate and update models of cometary composition using the reviewed data from the EXTENSION 2 mission phase.

Strengths

• Data is from a dedicated space mission instrument (MIDAS) designed for high-resolution particle analysis.
• The release supersedes version 1.0 based on formal Comet Science Reviews in 2016 and 2017.
• Data is associated with a specific comet (67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko) and mission phase (EXTENSION 2).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and file size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Collected by the Micro-Imaging Dust Analysis System (MIDAS) instrument on the ROSETTA Orbiter.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 17:12:23.452397; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Vicinity of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.