ERIK VIKTOR / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY ERIK VIKTOR / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Philae probe. Computer artwork of the Philae probe on the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The probe is part of the Rosetta mission of the European Space Agency (ESA), scheduled to launch in February 2004. The mission aims to rendezvous with the comet in 2018. Philae will land on the surface of the comet and perform measurements on the chemical and physical characteristics of its nucleus, which is composed of material from the early history of the Solar System. The results of Philae's investigation will be relayed to Earth via the Rosetta spacecraft, which will orbit the comet. The Sun (white, upper left) is also seen.
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