14 DAY TRIAL // Less than an hour ago, at 08:35 GMT / 09:35 CET, the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft and the lander Philae parted ways.
The spacecraft is now back to orbiting Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko and the lander is on its way to the surface of this celestial body.
“SEPARATION CONFIRMED #SEP ESA confirms @Philae2014 Lander has separated from @ESA_Rosetta. Lander now enroute to #CometLanding,” the European Space Agency wrote in a Twitter post released just minutes ago.
In a statement released earlier today, scientists explain that, having reached the comet, the lander Philae will use screws that each of its feet is fitted with and a harpoon system to lock itself in place.
The lander was supposed to also use a descent system to thrust its body into the comet in order to avoid rebound when landing.
However, seeing how this descent systems appears to no longer be working, the lander will rely on the screws and the harpoon system alone to make a safe landing.
Just to put things into perspective, it need be said that today, November 12, 2014, Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, the Rosetta spacecraft and the lander Philae find themselves at a distance of nearly 510 million kilometers (about 317 million miles) from Earth.
What's more, the comet is estimated to be traveling through space at a speed of over 18 kilometers per second (a little over 11 miles per second).
Simply put, today might be just an ordinary day for regular folks here on Earth, but a heck lot of commotion is happening in space.
Update: Philae makes it to target comet, lands on its surface.
The lander Philae is expected to reach Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko later today, some 7 hours after it separated from the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft.
The moment the lander reaches the comet's surface will be a historic one, so stay tuned for updates.
