Philae lands on Comet 67P
The ESA lands a probe 500 M Km from Earth
Science Fiction Becomes Reality
Philae is a robotic European Space Agency lander that accompanied the Rosetta spacecraft until its designated landing on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, more than ten years after departing Earth. On 12 November 2014, the lander achieved the first-ever controlled touchdown on a comet nucleus. Its instruments obtained the first images from a comet's surface and are expected to make the first in situ analysis to determine its composition. Philae is tracked and operated from the European Space Operations Centre at Darmstadt, Germany.
Dean Ilyas
The Europeans have successfully landed a probe on a comet. They are the first in history to do such a thing. This project was ten plus years in the making. They had to first synchronize the orbit of the probe to the orbit of the comet. Now there are many opportunities that are possible. It is significant because now we may be able to discover the source of the Earth's water and the possible source of how life on Earth began.
Van Hayes
Philae, a European Space Agency probe, has successfully attempted a landing on Comet 67P. This is the first time that a man made spacecraft has landed on a comet. This is a very significant accomplishment for human civilization. The information we gain from the comet can mean the difference to human civilization being limited to planet Earth or traveling to foreign celestial bodies.