ROSETTA-ORBITER 67P: Radio Science Gravity Measurements at Comet 67P

Radio Science data from the Rosetta orbiter's PRELANDING phase measured the global gravity field of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. The dataset covers a specific observation window from 2014-10-18T04:27:05.000 to 2014-10-18T15:00:42.500. It was collected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Rosetta mission.

Use Cases

• Modeling the internal mass distribution of comet 67P based on gravity field measurements.
• Analyzing spacecraft trajectory perturbations to infer comet density and porosity.
• Studying temporal changes in the comet's activity and its effect on the local gravity environment during the pre-landing phase.

Strengths

• Data originates from a flagship interplanetary mission (Rosetta) operated by NASA.
• Covers a defined 10.5-hour observation period on 2014-10-18, providing a focused gravity measurement.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and file formats are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Collected via the Rosetta orbiter's Radio Science Investigation (RSI) instrument.

Time Range

2014-10-18T04:27:05.000 to 2014-10-18T15:00:42.500 (observation); mission phase from 2014-01-21 to 2014-11-18.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 19:37:35.056041; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko