Historic comet landing promises to reveal a dynamic and violent alien landscape in the coming weeks and months

Robotic lander Philae made history today, successfully touching down on the surface of a high-speed comet over 500 million kilometres from Earth, marking a cosmic first for humankind.

Rosetta mission control room in Darmstadt, Germany burst into cheers and hugs as the washing machine-sized robotic probe relayed back to Earth that it had arrived at 11:02 am EST today after a nerve-wracking seven-hour descent onto the craggy, barren surface of the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

Hopes were high early today, as within minutes after being released from its Rosetta mothership on at 3:35 am EST, Philae was photographed with its landing legs splayed out as it lazily began its 30-kilometre drop down.

Up until mission control received the first signals from Philae on the comet’s surface, however, there were real fears that it may not make it safely. Making the situation even more tense was the fact that the signal from the spacecraft took just over 28 minutes to travel the gulf of interplanetary space to arrive on Earth.

Possibilities for disasters included that the ground may have been too hard for the probe, which could just bounce off the comet’s surface. Too many boulders on the surface and it could topple over. And because the gravity is weak around the 4-kilometre wide icy comet, it may not have been able to anchor itself properly.

Now that we have confirmed that it has soft-landed and we believe that the harpoons and anchors fired properly, Philae can get down to the business of surveying its alien surroundings.

Philae will immediately begin to take a panoramic high-definition photographic survey of its landing site. It will then begin to analyze the ice, organic material and chemicals that make up the comet’s nucleus by drilling into the surface down to 20 centimetres – another first for space exploration. An on-board chemistry lab will analyze the composition of the comet.

The lander’s batteries will allow it to conduct science experiments for up to three days. However, if its solar panels function properly and don’t get covered with cometary dust, its life may be extended for months and well into 2015.

Beyond the cool factor of landing on a rotating 4-kilometre wide frozen snowball that is traveling at speeds of 60,000 km/h, astronomers are excited to study the comet up close and personal to touch and and taste one of these ancient objects believed to be be remnants from the time the solar system was born 4.5 billion years ago.

For the first time in history we will get our first glimpse of the DNA of a comet. These giant snowballs may also hold the key to understanding where Earth’s water and even life may have originated.

But time is of essence, as the comet is barreling through the inner solar system and approaching the sun. Over the course of the upcoming weeks and months, the comet will begin to heat up and melt, violently releasing pockets of gas and dust into space. Expectations are that the landscape will change over time, with possible geysers going off randomly, and ice flakes raining back down around the lander. So if Philae does manage to stay intact and keep its solar panels functioning, we are going to have a quite a dramatic show developing into next year.

Stay tuned, because the best is yet to come.