ESA lands probe on comet flying through deep space

In a scientific first, the European Space Agency has successfully landed a probe on a moving comet.

The ESA announced the successful landing Nov. 12, 2014. The landing comes after 10 years of painstaking mathematical work and attention to detail. The gravitational pull of a number of astronomical bodies had to be utilized to position the satellite and its probe properly for the landing.

The probe that landed on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is named Philae, and was launched from a satellite known as Rosetta.

Alvaro Giménez, ESA's Director of Science and Robotic Exploration said, "Decades of preparation have paved the way for today's success, ensuring that Rosetta continues to be a game-changer in cometary science and space exploration."

The Rosetta satellite first left Earth on March 2, 2004. It arrived at Comet 67P Aug. 6, after traveling 6.4 billion kilometers. The time from Aug. 6 until the landing was spent determining the safest and most suitable landing position and approach. This information was collected as the satellite orbited around the comet at distances ranging from 30 to 100 km.

The landing site has been named Agilkia, according to the ESA. The site is surrounded by enormous cliffs and precipices as well jets of gas and dust.

The descent of the Philae probe to the comet's service took seven hours and was accomplished with just the natural force of gravity. The probe was not guided or controlled by scientists back on Earth.

Philae will conduct its primary mission over the next two and a half days. Matt Taylor, ESA Rosetta project scientist said a major focus of that mission will be, "...trying to answer the very big questions about the history of our Solar System. What were the conditions like at its infancy and how did it evolve? What role did comets play in this evolution? How do comets work?"