Hey, good-lookin'. You come here often?
The European Space Agency's
Rosetta mission was launched back in 2004. Its goal: to intercept, orbit, and land on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. It has been a long, cold, dark, lonely 10 years for plucky little Rosetta (including 3 years in system hibernation, from which it only recently re-awakened as mission controllers held their breath), but now the lovers are dancing together in orbit around each other like Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire. Next, the obviously treacherous surface of the comet will be carefully mapped by Rosetta, in preparation for a November attempt to lower a lander to its surface for some
real face-time together.
If Rosetta isn't the coolest thing ever, I'm darned if I know what is. Way to go, ESA! You go, Rosey!