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Probe lands on comet in space first

A handout picture made available by the ESA on 12 November 2014 shows people reacting in the main control room at ESA's operations centre, ESOC in Darmstadt, Germany, after the separation of the Philae lander from ESA Rosetta orbiter was confirmed. The Philae lander has separated from ESA's Rosetta orbiter, and is on its way to becoming the first spacecraft to touch down on a comet. Separation was confirmed at ESA?s Space Operation Centre, ESOC, in Darmstadt, Germany at 09:03 GMT / 10:03 CET. It takes the radio signals from the transmitter on Rosetta 28 minutes and 20 seconds to reach Earth, so separation actually occurred in space at 08:35 GMT / 09:35 CET. MANDATORY CREDIT: Handout - PHOTO: ESA/J. MAI/NurPhoto

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