ROSETTA-ORBITER MIDAS: Cometary Dust Images from Earth Swing-By 2

The Micro-Imaging Dust Analysis System (MIDAS) on the ROSETTA Orbiter captured 3D images and statistical parameters of pristine cometary particles near comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. This dataset from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration includes all data from the EARTH SWING-BY 2 mission phase and supersedes version 2.0.

Use Cases

• Analyze the 3D morphology of cometary dust particles based on the imaging data.
• Study statistical parameters of dust particle distribution in the comet's vicinity.
• Validate and update models of cometary particle behavior using the Earth Swing-By 2 phase data.

Strengths

• Data is from a dedicated scientific instrument (MIDAS) on the ROSETTA Orbiter.
• Dataset supersedes a previous version (2.0), indicating curation.
• Focuses on a specific, defined mission phase (Earth Swing-By 2).

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

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

Time Range

Covers the EARTH SWING-BY 2 mission phase.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 15:08:07.685668; freshness should be verified

Geography

Data collected in the vicinity of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.