Photos: Europe's Rosetta Comet Mission in Pictures
Philae Comet Lander Deployed
An artist's illustration of the European Space Agency's Philae lander (left) after being released from its Rosetta spacecraft mothership on Nov. 12, 2014 to begin a seven-hour descent to the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. It is the first time such a soft-landing on a comet has ever been attempted. [See Space.com's full coverage.]
ESA Rosetta Philae Separation
Scientists celebrate in a European Space Agency control room when they get the word that the Philae lander has successfully separated from the Rosetta spacecraft and is on its way down to the surface of a comet. [See Space.com's full coverage.]
Philae Lander on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Artist's concept of the European Space Agency's Philae lander on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Philae's landing attempt is scheduled for Nov. 12, 2014. [See Space.com's full coverage.]
Comet 67P/C-G Dimensions
Comet 67P/C-G's dimensions are shown in these two images.
Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on Oct. 5, 2013
This image shows the most recent observations of the 2-mile-wide (4-kilometer-wide) comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, which is the upcoming target of the European Space Agency's Rosetta mission. Rosetta is expected to rendezvous with the comet in August 2014.
Comet Over Paris
This graphic compares the size of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko with the city of Paris.
Comet 67P-GC Over Rome
This graphic compares the size of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko with the city of Rome.
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Comet 67P-GC Over London
This graphic compares the size of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko with the city of London.
Comet 67P-GC Over Damstadt, Germany
This graphic compares the size of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko with the city of Comparing Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko with the city of Darmstadt, Germany, home of ESA's European Space Operations Centre (ESOC).
Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on Sept. 26, 2014
Rosetta spacecraft's navigation camera obtained this four-image montage consisting of images taken on Sept. 26, 2014, from a distance of 16.3 miles (26.3 km) from Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The comet nucleus stretches about 2.5 miles (4 km across).
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