Gerhard Schwehm
Encyclopedia
Dr Gerhard Schwehm PhD is Head of Solar System Science Operations Division for the European Space Agency
(ESA), and Mission Manager for the Rosetta
mission.
in Applied Physics
from the Ruhr University
, Bochum
, Germany.
He worked at the European Space Operations Centre
(ESOC) modelling the dust environment for Halley's comet. He then became ESA’s first planetary scientist, working on the Giotto mission
that provided the first close-up images of a comet
nucleus, Halley's Comet.
Schwehm became lead scientist on ESA's Rosetta mission in 1985, that will culminate in Rosetta looping around the Sun
with comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
in 2014-2015.
He was mission manager for ESA's Smart-1
mission that impacted the Moon
in September 2006 ending three years surveying the Moon.
European Space Agency
The European Space Agency , established in 1975, is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 18 member states...
(ESA), and Mission Manager for the Rosetta
Rosetta (spacecraft)
Rosetta is a robotic spacecraft of the European Space Agency on a mission to study the comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. Rosetta consists of two main elements: the Rosetta space probe and the Philae lander. The spacecraft was launched on 2 March 2004 on an Ariane 5 rocket and will reach the comet by...
mission.
Education and work
Schwehm gained his PhDPHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in Applied Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
from the Ruhr University
Ruhr University
Ruhr University Bochum , located on the southern hills of central Ruhr area Bochum, was founded in 1962 as the first new public university in Germany since World War II...
, Bochum
Bochum
Bochum is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area and is surrounded by the cities of Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Herne, Castrop-Rauxel, Dortmund, Witten and Hattingen.-History:...
, Germany.
He worked at the European Space Operations Centre
European Space Operations Centre
The European Space Operations Centre is responsible for controlling ESA satellites and space probes. The centre is located in Darmstadt, Germany. It is Mission Control for most of the space projects of the ESA. Since its creation in 1967, the centre has operated 60 European space missions...
(ESOC) modelling the dust environment for Halley's comet. He then became ESA’s first planetary scientist, working on the Giotto mission
Giotto mission
Giotto was a European robotic spacecraft mission from the European Space Agency, intended to fly by and study Halley's Comet. On 13 March 1986, the mission succeeded in approaching Halley's nucleus at a distance of 596 kilometers....
that provided the first close-up images of a comet
Comet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
nucleus, Halley's Comet.
Schwehm became lead scientist on ESA's Rosetta mission in 1985, that will culminate in Rosetta looping around the Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
with comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Comet Churyumov–Gerasimenko, officially designated 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, is a comet with a current orbital period of 6.6 years. It is the destination of the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft mission, launched on March 2, 2004....
in 2014-2015.
He was mission manager for ESA's Smart-1
SMART-1
SMART-1 was a Swedish-designed European Space Agency satellite that orbited around the Moon. It was launched on September 27, 2003 at 23:14 UTC from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana. "SMART" stands for Small Missions for Advanced Research in Technology...
mission that impacted the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
in September 2006 ending three years surveying the Moon.