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Photograph/ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA
Just when we think we explored every arena we possibly could, an event occurs which completely turns everything around. This is what happened when the European Space Agency managed to land a probe on a comet on 12 November 2014, for the first time in history. In March 2004, the European Space Agency launched Rosetta, a space probe, to study the comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. Philae, an orbiter and lander module accompanied Rosetta, until its designated landing on the comet. Philae and Rosetta have been following preplanned orbits around the sun for more than 10 years, in an epic, ongoing journey, with the intent of making the final rendezvous with 67P.
On 12 November 2014, Rosetta got in position and deployed Philae, and the probe made its way to the comet. Seven hours later, Philae landed on 67P, and history was made. While Philae was unable to deploy its harpoons, it managed to stay on.
Philae then beamed the first image from 67P to the European Space Agency, shot with the lander’s CIVA (Comet Infrared and Visible Analyser) camera. The image itself is a mosaic of two images, which show the comet’s surface, in all its cracked and monochromatic glory.
Philae’s journey has only just begun. Over the coming months, its mission is to analyse the surface of the comet intermittently. In the course of time, it will help humanity uncover secrets to questions we have often wondered about and provide concrete proof and evidence to researchers in their study of how the world came to be.
This article originally appeared in the December 2014 issue of Better Photography.
