Comet Landing: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

The Philae probe has landed on a comet. The spacecraft, which is controlled by the European Space Agency in London, made its landing just before noon ET on November 12. The landing marked the end of a seven hour long wait by scientists after the Philae broke off from its mothership, Rosetta.

It is the first time a soft landing has ever been made on a comet. You can watch a demonstration of how the craft landed on the comet above.

Here’s what you need to know:

1. A Mechanical Problem Nearly Aborted the Mission Just Prior to the Landing

Although the comet has landed, tweets from the ESA say that the craft’s anchors are not working properly but scientists are working on the problem. The Guardian reports that the thruster failed to respond to commands from earth prior to its landing with on the comet, 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. That failure threatened to abort the mission.

The Philae on its way to the comet. (Getty)

2. It’s Been Called a ‘Big Step’ for Humanity

Andrea Accomazzo (C), Rosetta flight operations director celebrating with European Space Agency (ESA) scientists after the announcement of the first-ever landing on a comet. (Getty)

Speaking to CNN, ESA director Jean-Jacques Dordain explained what a big day this is:

This is a big step for human civilization. The biggest problem with success is it looks easy.

NASA astronaut and administrator John Grunsfeld released a statement on the landing:

We congratulate ESA on their successful landing on a comet today. This achievement represents a breakthrough moment in the exploration of our solar system and a milestone for international cooperation. We are proud to be a part of this historic day and look forward to receiving valuable data from the three NASA instruments on board Rosetta that will map the comet’s nucleus and examine it for signs of water.

The data collected by Rosetta will provide the scientific community, and the world, with a treasure-trove of data. Small bodies in our solar system like comets and asteroids help us understand how the solar system formed and provide opportunities to advance exploration. We look forward to building on Rosetta’s success exploring our solar system through our studies of near earth asteroids and NASA’s upcoming asteroid sample return mission OSIRIS-REx. It’s a great day for space exploration.

You can read about NASA’s role in the mission here.

An illustration of the Philae landing on the comet. (Getty)

3. We’re Trying to Learn More About Solar Wind

The first pictures of the comet, which were beamed back to London. (Getty)

The purpose of the mission is to learn more about comets, specifically their interaction with solar wind. The Guardian reports that the ship will be able to “study from the surface what happens as its activity ramps up as it gets closer to the sun.” It will also study how comets carry water throughout space.

4. The Philae Has Been in Space for 10 Years

The Philae has been attached to the Rosetta mothership for the past 10 years. It finally broke off at 3:30 a.m. on November 12 to begin its descent toward the comet. The Philae cannot be steered from earth so it had to be dropped in exactly the right position to make sure it landed on the comet. The craft was launched in March 2004 from French Guinea.

Captain Kirk aka William Shatner, is impressed with the Philae.

The European Union Science Chief Anne Glover said, “I think Europe just boldly went where no one else has gone before.” One of the scientist was so confident the Philae would make it to the comet, he got an illustration of it tattooed on his leg.

5. The Mission Cost $1.5 Billion

The joint effort between various international agencies cost between $1.4 and $1.5 billion, reports The Guardian. The breakdown of the costs is addressed on the ESA website:

The mission cost covers development and construction of the spacecraft and all of its instruments, including the lander, together with launch and operations.

Though the total cost is high, this should be put in perspective. The figure is barely half the price of a modern submarine, or three Airbus 380 jumbo jets, and covers a period of almost 20 years, from the start of the project in 1996 through the end of the mission in 2015.