Later this year, Rosetta will complete its cruise towards the comet, meeting with it in August, before putting its Philae lander onto the comet's surface in November
Scientists have no idea whether the comet’s surface will be as soft as snow or hard as ice. And unlike the Moon or a planet, the comet is too small, at 2.5 miles across, to have a significant gravity. So the lander will fire a harpoon into the surface to keep it anchored. Lead scientist Jean Pierre Bibring said: "The risks are huge. We had to develop something to land on something that was unpredictable and unknown." Both Rosetta and the lander will be able to take images of the comet, as well as use their many onboard instruments to analyse samples. Scientists hope the probe’s findings will help them understand the composition of comets and thereby discover more about the origins and evolution of our solar system.
They have speculated that comets - which are essentially giant, dirty snowballs - may be responsible for the water found on some planets. And like asteroids, comets also pose a theoretical threat to life on Earth. I'm just extremely happy, and relieved, that Rosetta has woken up, said Dr Ferri. "What comes next will be incredibly exciting."
