TOUCHDOWN for @Philae2014! #CometLanding pic.twitter.com/ZMBeB8ng3h
— ESA Rosetta Mission (@ESA_Rosetta) November 12, 2014
The European Space Agency today made history by landing a spacecraft on a comet. But the celebratory image has given rise to a new question: who took this picture?
Now, there's a really good chance everyone on Twitter is "in" on the joke (i.e. please don't harass anyone), but for those who still aren't sure, the answer is decidedly less interesting than a second spacecraft, an extraterrestrial lifeform, or even a specialized selfie stick (that was my hope).
Here's the original image, posted on the ESA's website last Friday, November 7th — a render that shows how the Philae lander would pull off the landing by way of thrusters, harpoons, and a drill in its foot. We don't yet have any pictures from Philae since it landed, but if you're curious, here's an actual Philae selfie taken October 7th and published October 14th. As you can see, the lighting and camera quality is no match for the render.
Got it? Now, on to the real mystery here — who thought it was a good idea to use the Chalkduster font? Is it a requirement that every branch of science has its own goofy font choice?