MISSION accomplished? As 快猫短视频 went to press, mission controllers with the European Space Agency were making final preparations for their probe to touch down on a comet, the first time such a landing has been tried.
If all has gone to plan, by the time you read this the Philae probe will have sunk its harpoons into comet 67P/Churyumov鈥揋erasimenko and sent back images from the surface, after a nail-biting 7 hour descent from the orbiting Rosetta spacecraft.
Philae has just over two days to drill into the comet and analyse the pristine material below the surface before its batteries run out. ESA is hopeful the probe will survive for many months longer using its solar panels, but there is no guarantee they will receive enough sunlight to work.
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Whatever happens to Philae, Rosetta will continue orbiting 67P until the comet reaches its closest approach to the sun in August next year. For updates on Philae鈥檚 progress and the Rosetta mission, visit .
This article appeared in print under the headline 鈥淭ouching distance鈥�