The Rosetta mission is an ongoing plan by the European Space Agency to land a robotic probe on the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. On the 12th of November this year, the Rosetta spacecraft successfully delivered the Philae lander, even after a series of technical difficulties. As a result of the successful landing of Philae, we have obtained the first ever images taken from the surface of a comet, and the hope is that the ESA will also gain valuable data from samples of the comet itself. As of writing, the future of the Philae lander is still uncertain, due to fading battery levels of the craft, but the landing itself is still a momentous landmark in the history of space exploration. Thanks to the incredible nature of the mission, the comet landing has been one of the most widely reported space exploration stories in history. This list takes a look at ten incredible facts about the Philae comet landing, that really put into perspective just how significant this scientific event is. From the technical details of the landing itself, to the truth behind the interesting naming conventions of the ESA, these entries serve to demonstrate just how fascinating the journey to reach the comet has been.
