This week the pod Philae orbiting the comet at 37,000mph, 300 million miles away will touch down on its surface
Scientists will attempt one giant leap for land-kind this week by putting a probe on the surface of a comet.
It is hoped the pod, called Philae, will touch down on Wednesday after being released by the Rosetta spacecraft. It is orbiting the comet at 37,000mph, 300 million miles away.
Before releasing the robot, Rosetta will “dive-bomb” the comet, known as 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, to make sure Philae stays on target.
The seven-hour descent will see the dishwasher-sized landing craft anchor itself in place with two harpoons and ice screws attached to its three legs.
Mission controllers at European Space Agency will then receive a radio message confirming the landing, which will reach Earth at 4pm on Wednesday having taken 30 minutes to travel across space.
If the descent is successful, it will be the first time a man-made object has made a controlled landing on a comet.
Philae, which is covered in solar cells and equipped with cameras, will extract and analyse samples from the 2.8-mile wide lump of ice and dust. It is thought this could shed light on the origin of comets and their links to the creation of planets.
Space scientist Professor Ian Wright said: “The comet is very old. Analysing its material is like looking back in history – it acts like a time capsule.”
Astrophysicist Dr Fred Jansen said: “The comet and Rosetta are flying at 37,000mph. This is an absolute first.”
