Rosetta by Ben Farrow

Artist StatementThe Rosetta and Philae mission was one I followed right from the start. It was a great achievement, even if it didn't quite go according to plan. This year, the Rosetta orbiter is to perform a controlled landing on the comet 67P Churyumov–Gerasimenko, ending the mission. The first observations from orbit around, and from the surface of, a comet make this mission a great moment in space travel history. I wanted to design a patch for this mission, and had the idea for the shape of it first. It is designed to match the shape of the Rosetta Stone, after which the orbiter is named. I used the lines to create the idea of a comet with its tail, and the circular design to show Rosetta orbiting, and a small mark between the two rings to represent Philae. — Ben Farrow