1/7Smiles in the Main Control Room at ESA's Operations Center, as separation of the Philae lander from ESA Rosetta orbiter is confirmed and the Philae lander on its way to becoming the first spacecraft to touch down on a comet, Nov. 12, 2014. (Courtesy: Euro
2/7A handout photo released on November 13, 2014 by the European Space Agency, and taken by the Rosetta Lander Imaging System instrument, shows the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko during Philae's descent, from a distance of approximately 40 meters above the surface. (Courtesy: European Space Agency)
3/7Receipt of signal from comet surface just after Philae landed, Nov. 12, 2014. (Courtesy: European Space Agency)
4/7Trajectory of Rosetta’s orbit, focusing on the maneuvers of Nov. 12. (Courtesy: European Space Agency)
5/7Comparing the size of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko with the city of Darmstadt, Germany, home to the European Space Operations Center. (Courtesy: European Space Agency, Google maps)
6/7Artist impression showing Philae separating from Rosetta and descending to the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. (Courtesy: European Space Agency)
7/7This image from Rosetta’s OSIRIS narrow-angle camera is marked to show the location of the first touchdown point of the Philae lander. It is thought that Philae bounced twice before settling on the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, Nov. 12, 2014. (Courtesy: European Space Agency)
