Rosetta Spacecraft
is a robotic space probe built and launched by the European Space Agency to perform a detailed study of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. Comet 67P was formed at the birth of the Solar System 4.6 bya. After a 10 year journey. on 6 August 2014 it entered into the orbit of 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko and became the first manmade spacecraft to orbit a comet.    Rosetta was launched in March 2004 on an Ariane 5 rocket and landed its probe on the comet's surface on 12 Nov 2014.    The spacecraft consists of two main elements: the Rosetta space probe orbiter, which features 12 instruments, and the Philae robotic lander, with an additional nine instruments.
back                               Philae	The lander will approached Comet 67P at a speed around 1 m/s (2.2 mph) and on contact, two harpoons were to fire into it to prevent it from bouncing off. Additional drills are used to further secure the lander on the comet. However, it failed, tumbled and had 60 hours to collect data. Once attached to the comet the lander will begin its science mission:   1.  characterization of the comet's surface... a fluff akin to cigar ash   2.  the core nucleus seems solid and rock-like   2.  determine chemical compounds present, including enantiomers   3.  study of comet activities and developments over time Results:  detected a suite of 16 organic molecules, water ice, CO,        CO2, & a deuterium composition that does NOT matches Earth's....