欧洲航天器为彗星软着陆做准备
A European spacecraft is a big step closer to attempting a first-ever soft landing on a comet.
欧洲一架航天器向首次在彗星上软着陆迈进了一大步。
This photo released by the European Space Agency on December 20, 2013 shows an artist impression of Rosetta\s lander Philae (back view) on the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
The European Space Agency's Rosetta probe is currently orbiting Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in deep space.
It has been given the "all clear" to continue on with its maneuvers later on this Wednesday.
Rosetta will drop a lander on the comet from an altitude of 20 kilometers.
If all goes according to plan, the lander will touch down about seven hours later, deploying screws and harpoons to secure its position.
It will then start photographing and studying samples of the comet as Rosetta continues to hover alongside it.
"A landing has never been tried on such a small body so everything is new for us. The critical thing is for us to fly very accurately. We need an extremely accurate precision of navigation so that we can separate the lander at the right time, in the right direction, with the right velocity," said mission leader Paolo Ferri.
Rosetta has become the first-ever space craft to catch up with a comet.
European scientists are hoping the Rosetta mission will help unlock some of the secrets of our solar system.