LONDON, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- UPDATE: Philae has landed on Comet 76P
The European Space Agency is preparing to make history. The space agency's Rosetta probe is only hours away from releasing Philae, the mini lander that will attempt to descend safely to the surface of a speeding comet.
Spacecraft have been purposely smashed into the the surface of comets, but never before has a landing been attempted. Rosetta, which has been orbiting 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko since August, will release its 220-pound robotic lander just after 4 a.m. EST Wednesday morning.
"Following the final full orbit determination before separation, the Flight Dynamics Team at ESOC confirm that Rosetta and Philae are on the correct orbit and that Rosetta can achieve the delivery trajectory, i.e., it can be at the correct point in space at the correct time so as to deliver the lander onto the surface as planned," ESA officials confirmed on the mission's blog Tuesday.
Once released, Rosetta will thrust back out to a wider orbit and watch Philae make its descent. There's very little of the comet that isn't craggy and scarred, but scientists did the best they could to pinpoint a landing spot featuring minimal geologic treachery and maximum scientific potential. Last week, ESA scientists renamed the landing spot Agilkia -- changed from the less imaginative "J."
Philae's descent will take seven hours. On its way down, the lander will be taking a variety of scientific readings and measurements, as well as capturing images of the comet. As it nears the comet's surface it will shoot out a series of harpoons that will allow it to anchor to the surface of the space rock that ESA engineers estimate weighs roughly 10 trillion kilograms.
If Philae doesn't tumble down a canyon or get tipped over by a stray boulder as it anchors itself -- in other words, if it lands safely -- the lander will be come rover, and begin utilizing its full array of instruments to study the comet, including radar, magnetometer, temperature sensors and more.
Best of all, perhaps, is the fact that the Rosetta mission's much-anticipated culmination will all be live to watch online via Livestream.
