Rosetta Spacecraft’s Philae Probe Pulls Off Comet Landing
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ESA via Getty Images(DARMSTADT, Germany) — The Rosetta spacecraft’s Philae lander successfully touched down on a speeding comet Wednesday after a 10-year journey through the solar system.
Rosetta already had gone where no other spacecraft has ever attempted to go before, becoming the first to orbit a comet — in this case one that can move at more than 80,000 miles per hour.
The spacecraft’s Philae lander separated from its mother ship and made a seven-hour journey Wednesday morning to land on 67P shortly after 11 a.m. ET. The rubber duck shaped comet is less than three miles wide, making the landing an even more impressive feat.
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When Rosetta phoned home Wednesday to the European Space Agency’s mission control in Darmstadt, Germany, it took 28 minutes for the signal to reach Earth, traveling more than 317 million miles.
Upon contact, Philae fixed itself to the comet using a harpoon and ice screws.
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