Tomorrow, for the first time in the history of humankind, a man-made object will grace the surface of a comet. The European Space Agency commisioned the Rosetta spacecraft for this task. What’s even more amazing is the way that the mission will be completed: the Rosetta spacecraft is going to shoot the Philae Lander towards the surface of the comet.

The lander will then deploy harpoons and a shock-absorbtion system in its legs to land at speeds below 1.1 mph. Anything higher would be above the escape velocity of the comet, called 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

Before its batteries are drained permanently, the lander’s mission is to discover more about comets and their composition.

Regardless of tomorrow’s outcome, this venture will be a defining moment in man’s exploration of the universe.

Written by Sid Menon’17