Rare photos of spaceship before it hit comet revealed

Image credit: ESA/Twitter

New Delhi: The European Space Agency (ESA) has shared a hidden image from Rosetta spacecraft, moments before it struck a comet.

It has been nearly an year (30th September, 2016) since it crashed into the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and the researchers till now thought they had collected all the pictures related to the probe during the two years it spent investigating the comet.

But on Thursday, they unveiled its last surprise, which turns out to be a treat for all the space enthusiasts around the world.

The probe ended its 12-year mission last year and transmitted scientific data and images of the comet before colliding on its surface.

The image was taken at an altitude of 20 metres above the surface of comet 67P, as per reports.

A look back at our #space week in images - from IAC to #67P: #IAC2017 #Adelaide #Greenland https://t.co/Bkuhvrka7G pic.twitter.com/oYZmKq5EZJ

— ESA (@esa) September 30, 2017

The space probe performed a detailed study of the comet, apprising us about its shape, composition, and behaviour.

But scientists decided to end the decade-long journey by assigning Rosetta a suicide mission due to diminishing solar power.