Philae: Pictures of Space Prob Detaching From Rosetta to Land on Comet

November 12, 2014 11:19 AM EST

A space probe landed on a speeding comet for the first time ever on Wednesday morning. More than a decade ago, Rosetta and a lander called Philae set off to find the commit 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. The European Space Agency’s Philae lander separated from the Rosetta orbiter at 09:03 GMT on Tuesday and touched down on the speeding comet around 4:00 GMT.

Scientists hope that exploring the comet will answer questions about how planets are formed.

See the Rosetta Spacecraft's Best Photos of Comet 67P

ROLIS's (Rosetta Lander Imaging System) first photo of Comet 67P, taken as Philae lander approached its touchdown on the comet's surface. — This image shows comet 67P/CG and was acquired by the ROLIS instrument on the Philae lander during descent on Nov. 12, 2014, 14:38:41 UT from a distance of approximately 3 km from the surface.ESA/Rosetta/Philae/ROLIS/DLR/H

Selfie spacecraft and comet — A 'selfie' composite image from a camera on the Rosetta mission’s Philae comet lander shows Comet 67P.ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM

The comet on Oct. 28, 2014. — Comet 67P on Oct. 28, 2014.ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM

The comet in a photo released on Aug. 6, 2014. — Comet 67P in a photo released on Aug. 6, 2014.ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM

The comet on Sept. 26, 2014. — Comet 67P on Sept. 26, 2014.ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM

The comet on Oct. 18, 2014 — Comet 67P on Oct. 18, 2014ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM

The comet on Nov. 4, 2014. — Comet 67P on Nov. 4, 2014.ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM

The comet on Aug. 3, 2014. — Comet 67P on Aug. 3, 2014.ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM

See Pictures of Philae Detaching From Rosetta

See the Rosetta Spacecraft's Best Photos of Comet 67P

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