After traveling 6.5 billion miles since leaving Earth in 2004, the European probe Rosetta and Philae passenger little robot, joined the comet "Tchoury" early August.
Time to leap approach to Philae. On Wednesday, the European Space Agency (ESA) will attempt to ensure that the lander 100 kg arises correctly on the core of the celestial body. During the seven-hour descent, Philae will begin its analysis of dust and gas expelled from the comet. Scientists hope that the data collected above the surface of the comet will enable them to better understand the emergence of life on Earth.
Jeremy Wilks, euronews:
"We believe that in reality, comets bring water to the land. The water in our bodies, or the water we drink, can come from comets. It would also be the case for some complex molecules, some amino acids could also come from comets. So if we want to understand the origins of our solar system and the origins of the Earth, the origin of our life here, we need to understand comets. "
Philae should run until March, four months after his landing, condemned to die "hot" when the comet will approach the sun. But Rosetta continue her, her escort at least until the comet passes closest to the sun in August.
Jeremy Wilks, euronews:
"The scientific results of the Rosetta mission will be known in the next few months and years to come. In the coming decades, so we may learn a lot from these data and this is really important because it will help us understand who we are. "
