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ESA Prepares to Wake Up Comet-Lander Rosetta and Wants You to Get Involved

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The European Space Agency's (ESA) Rosetta satellite is set to end a three-year sleep Monday and begin a mission to land on a comet as it whips around the sun.

ESA scientists are encouraging the general public to get involved by submitting videos for a chance to win prizes, CNN reported. The competition is called the "Wake Up, Rosetta!" Campaign and entrants should record themselves shouting at the comet-chaser to wake up.

According to an ESA news release, the possible prizes are as follows:

"Each of the top ten videos will be transmitted with 20 000 Watts of power towards Rosetta and out into the Universe via one of ESA's deep-space tracking stations.

"Each eligible participant submitting one of the top ten videos will receive a complimentary gift bag comprising a selection of ESA-branded souvenirs.

"Two of the eligible top ten video authors will be invited to ESOC, our control centre in Darmstadt, Germany, for the VIP event celebrating the first-ever landing on a comet, in November 2014."

The campaign ends Jan. 20 when Rosetta will awaken, entrants can submit their videos to the Facebook page dedicated to the satellite's mission. On the page, visitors can also vote for their favorite entries.

If successful, Rosetta will be the first satellite to orbit and land on a comet, CNN reported. The ESA said it intends to learn more about the solar system in general and also how comets have helped provide Earth with water.

"There's apprehension and excitement. Some people have put their lives into this," Matt Taylor, of ESA's Netherlands division and Rosetta project scientist told the Guardian. "But it's a bit like a teenager waking up. It takes some time to get out of bed."

After the wakeup, project managers will have Rosetta perform a series of system and instrument tests to ensure the probe is in working order. This three-month process will be crucial since the expected level of difficulty for landing something on a comet is going to be extremely high.

"Comets are time capsules from the origin of the solar system. It is still a big mystery exactly how the planets formed, but when you start looking at comets, you start to get an idea how it all happened," said Taylor. "This is difficult, but I am confident. It is going to be amazing."

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