The Rosetta spacecraft, currently hundreds of millions of miles from Earth as it prepares to drop a lander onto Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, has taken this fascinating photograph of parts of itself, with the comet some 30 miles in the background. (Click the image for a much larger view.)
And here’s a closer look at the comet’s surface, taken from only a few miles away. Again, click the picture for a larger view.
(All images are courtesy of the European Space Agency mission Web site.)
It’s going to be a tough job finding a spot smooth enough for the lander to put down safely. My hat’s off to the mission crew, and all involved in the ten-year-long mission to get Rosetta to its destination. If all goes well, we’ll learn a great deal about our solar system.
Peter
Remember back when the U.S. had the best space program?
If I recall, the Bible says that a mountain will fall into the sea. Well, we can see from this picture that that's what a comet is–rock and ice. A mountain floating in space.