SpaceWeekly.com

OSIRIS wide-angle camera image taken at 11:49 GMT on 29 September 2016, when Rosetta was 22.9 km from Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.

On 30 September, Rosetta descends to the surface of the comet, targeting a region on the small comet's lobe.

For live updates follow @ESA_Rosetta, @esaoperations and rosetta.esa.int.

Besides its scientific and operational successes, the Rosetta mission has captured the imagination of many people worldwide, stimulating them to produce art and music, and undertake other creative activities with friends and families. Many even made further education or career choices inspired by the mission.

This video features a selection of contributions that were shared on the Rosetta Legacy tumblr in September 2016.

Sam Leakey, a young scientist from the UK, tells the story of how the Rosetta mission inspired him to choose a research project in planetary science, leading to his current position as a Young Graduate Trainee at ESA in the Netherlands.

After her long, arduous training, our young Apprentice is now a fully fledged Master of cosmic origins, exploring an alien planet rich with water and life. But something familiar crosses her mind. Memories from her training, and Rosetta’s historic journey to catch a comet. She returns to the archives.

Once again, ESA and Fish Ladder / Platige Image blur the lines between science fiction and science fact in this epilogue to their award-winning 2014 short film, Ambition, which portrayed the scientific questions and technical challenges, and above all, the human determination that make exploration of the Universe such a compelling theme.

The epilogue is directed by Maciej Jackiewicz and stars Aisling Franciosi (The Fall, Game of Thrones).