Why Landing on a Comet is a Really Big Deal For Mankind [VIDEO]
Nov 13, 2014 23:21
Man has landed on a comet. The European Space Agency landed their robotic probe on a comet marking it the first time ever this has been done. The whole mission took 10 years. This is a really big deal.
It took 10 years for the Rosetta spacecraft to reach Comet 67P.Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
To do so, it had to run on solar power.
It had to make sure everything was correct to land on a comet moving over 83,000 miles per hour. The Philae lander would contain the comet probe.
Rosetta traveled 3 billion miles and even had to hibernate for three years.
The comet they landed on was named after Klim Churyumov and Svetlana Gerasimenko.
It could provide clues as to how our solar system came to be and help us understand why our planet is the only one we know covered in water.
Philae had less than 75 percent chance of landing on the comet.
It had to land on a spot that was just over half a mile wide. If it didn't, it would have toppled over. The mission would be over.
There's also close to no gravity on the comet's surface, so Philae had to use thrusters and a harpoon to secure itself on the comet.
Now, Philae will perform experiments on the surface.
Here's a picture of the comet.
