that it could 'land' gently on the surface

The Rosetta probe may be sent crashing into comet 67P at the end of its lifetime next year.

The dramatic end to the mission would see the spacecraft sent lower and lower until it slammed into the surface, returning important science in its dying moments.

But there is also a possibility the spacecraft could land on the surface, returning unprecedented images and data about the comet.

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The proposal has been put forward to the European Space Agency. It would see Rosetta (artist's impression shown) slammed into the surface in September 2016. By this point it will be too low on fuel for the mission to continue, but there is also the possibility that it could 'land' gently on the surface

At the moment, European-led Rosetta is just two months away from the climax of its mission on 13 August, when the comet will make its closest approach to the sun.

During this time, the spacecraft will observe the comet at its most active but, eventually, the mission will have to come to an end when Rosetta runs out of fuel and power.

ROSETTA: THE STORY SO FAR The Rosetta probe, which was carrying Philae, launched into space in 2004, using the gravity of Earth and Mars to slingshot its way towards comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. It chased the comet through space for more than ten years, entering orbit in August 2014. After a four-billion-mile (6.4 billion km) journey, the probe then successfully released the Philae lander from its grip to land on the comet on November 12, 2014, travelling at 3.3ft (one metre) a second relative to the comet. But when it first made contact with the surface it failed to fire harpoons that would have kept it attached to the comet. This resulted in it bouncing to a height of 0.62 miles (1km) above the comet before again landing on the surface. It then bounced again, but to a much lower altitude. Philae managed to perform more than 90 per cent of its goals before running out of power. Rosetta, meanwhile, is continuing to orbit and study the comet. From data collected by the two probes, Esa said that water on the comet was different to that on Earth - suggesting water on our world came from an asteroid, not a comet. Advertisement

This is expected to occur in September 2016.

Currently, the mission will officially end in December this year, but scientists are hopeful of getting an extension.

At the moment, the current plan at the end of the mission is to shut the spacecraft down, and leave it drifting in space.

But a proposal to crash Rosetta into the surface was apparently put to Esa by Rosetta project scientist Dr Matt Taylor, from the UK, this week.

Speaking to Sen, he said that such a finale was appealing because of the science it could glean.

‘The proposal to put the probe on the comet’s surface provides us with unique, close comet observations that we could not have if we don’t do this,’ Dr Taylor said.

‘Also, I feel from a "personal" perspective, there is something rather fitting in putting Rosetta down on the surface, re-uniting it with Philae.'

The Philae lander is currently dormant on the surface after going into hibernation in November 2014, although repeated attempts are now being made to wake it up.

It’s unknown at what speed the Rosetta spacecraft would impact, and what sort of science would be returned. However, the proposal is likely to be an appealing one.

Nasa recently performed a similar maneouvre with its Messenger spacecraft, which was sent slamming into the surface of Mercury on 30 April 2015.

And on 4 July 2005, Nasa's Deep Impact spacecraft launched an impactor into the surface of the comet Tempel 1 and observed the results.

The impact released an unexpectedly large and bright cloud of dust, and also left behind a noticeable crater on the surface.

European-led Rosetta is currently just two months away from the climax of its mission on 13 August, when comet 67P (pictured) will make its closest approach to the sun. During this time the spacecraft will observe the comet at its most active before the mission comes to an end, probably in September 2016

Impacting the surface would not be unprecedented. On 30 April 2015, Nasa sent the Messenger spacecraft (illustrated left) slamming into the surface of Mercury. Previously, on 12 February 2001, Nasa’s Near Shoemaker spacecraft (illustrated right) touched down on the comet Eros

This would not be the first comet impact. That honour is reserved for Nasa's Deep Impact spacecraft, which launched an impactor into the surface of the comet Tempel 1 on 4 July 2005 and observed the results (shown). The impact released an unexpectedly large and bright cloud of dust

But there also exists an intriguing alternative. In an email to MailOnline, Dr Taylor said that while the orbiter wasn’t designed to land, there was a possibility it could touch down gently on the surface.

This would allow it to study the surface in unprecedented detail, and return incredible up-close images to Earth.

Communication with Earth would be difficult, though, as the antenna must be pointed towards our planet to make contact.

‘It’s not expected [to be possible], it’s a bumpy terrain,’ Dr Taylor said.

‘But then Rosetta tends to surprise us, so let’s see.’

Wish you were here? At the moment, the Philae lander is lying dormant on the surface of comet 67P. Repeated attempts are currently being made to wake it up, which is expected to occur in the next few weeks as it receives more sun. Shown is one of the images it returned from the surface in November 2014

Such a landing would not be unprecedented; on 12 February 2001, Nasa’s Near Shoemaker spacecraft touched down on the asteroid Eros.

It was the first time a spacecraft had ever soft-landed on an asteroid, and the scientists at the time were surprised the craft could handle the landing.