A tenuous path to a comet: the Rosetta mission in photos

Rosetta left earth in 2004, whipped around it three times to gain speed, and caught up to a comet called 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko (both seen above, in a photo taken by Rosetta's lander). On Nov. 12, 2014, the spacecraft dropped a lander onto the comet's surface. Here's the decade-long journey in photographs.

Grid View

• Rosetta at Europe's spaceport September 2002: Rosetta's lander is manipulated at Europe's spaceport
• Liftoff! March 2004: Rosetta lifts off from Kourou, French Guiana
• Moonrise March 4, 2005: The moon rises over the Pacific; a photo from Rosetta on its first earth flyby
• Mars, as photographed by Philae February 2007: Rosetta's lander, Philae, snapped this image of Rosetta over Mars
• Earth, as seen by Rosetta on its second flyby November 2007: Rosetta takes this photo of our blue planet as it uses our gravity to gather speed
• A diamond in the sky September 2008: Asteroid Steins as seen from a distance of 800 km (about 500 miles)
• Just a sliver November 2009: A slice of sunlight illuminates South America and Antarctica
• Asteroid Lutetia July 2010: Observations of asteroid Lutetia during a flyby
• Target acquired March 2014: Rosetta wakes up from its hibernation and takes a photo of 67P, the comet it will orbit
• A rotating view of 67P July 2014: Rosetta's view of 67P from just 12,000 km away
• Candidate landing sites August 2014: Rosetta's images identify potential sites for Philae to touch down
• Philae's landing site September 2014: Philae's landing site is identified on the comet
• Later, Rosetta! November 2014: Philae begins to fall toward 67P and snaps this photo of Rosetta as it drifts
• Philae, adrift November 2014: A photograph of Philae during its 7-hour fall toward 67P — as seen from Rosetta
• Does that comet seem to be getting closer? November 2014: A shot of 67P from Philae as the craft falls toward the comet
• Philae has landed! November 2014: Philae is safely on the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. One of the lander’s three feet can be seen in the foreground.