©ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA
Today humanity watched as the ESA broadcasted the first-ever touchdown of a lander on a comet nucleus. This is an unprecedented, beautiful and historic moment for Mankind.
Philae is a lander carried by the Rosetta Orbiter some 500 million kilometers away to comet 67P/C-G. Its purpose is to excavate the site for the building-blocks of life.
The beauty of this historic endeavor lies in the collaborative efforts of humans across the Earth to understand the nature of our existence through space exploration. ESA’s Rosetta Mission will reveal scrolls of new data that will greatly enhance our knowledge of the universe– and appreciation for life.
This is a most exhilarating and exciting time for our species. It is the awakening of a new era. A mist of awe engulfs my imagination with dreams of exploring even further. The ambition of our species never ceases to astonish me.
Curiosity built as I watched with inquisitive eyes, the unfolding of the ESA’s Rosetta Mission team gingerly surveying their computer screens for data. The legs on Philae were out and the harpooning began. I thought of Ishmael’s account of the Great White Whale, and hoped that the courage that got us so far from Earth, would be enlightened by a new tale.
The ESA announced that the telemetry from Philae confirmed successful mounting on comet 67p/C-G at 17:03 CET!!
I sat in gratitude for the hard work and courage of the dreamers of the ESA. The next two years of the Rosetta Mission will yield outstanding data– data, that may further change the course of human history and possibly reveal the seeding of life. May every generation witness, as Neil Armstrong interestingly put it, the landing of an Eagle.
we sense the stirring of a breeze.
— Carl Sagan
Let us revel in another leap!
©ESA: ROLIS descent image of Comet 67P/C-G. Credits: ESA/Rosetta/Philae/ROLIS/DLR
Photo Credit to ESA for the stunning header image of Philae’s descend to comet 67p/C-G.