Multi-instrument modeling across the Rosetta project: Preparations for the prime mission

The International Rosetta Mission, a cornerstone mission of the European Space Agency (ESA), will both land on, and study the nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and its environment, for a period of 17 months starting in August 2014. Measurements will begin at a heliocentric distance of about 3.25 AU, after which a Lander (designated ‘Philae’) will be deployed. The Lander mission will last approximately 7 days after which the orbiter will escort the comet through perihelion, to a post-perihelion distance of about 2 AU. The prime scientific objectives of the Rosetta mission include complete characterization of the nucleus, its topography and composition, determination of the drivers of jet activity, and the relationship between cometary and interstellar material and its implications with regard to the origin of the Solar System. Understanding the science at the comet will call for the interpretation of the payload's in situ and remote sensing measurements with robust 3D environment models. In this paper, we examine the modeling challenges, and summarize the status of interdisciplinary, cross-cutting, multi-instrument preparations for modeling the environment surrounding the comet.