FRANCE-SPACE-EUROPE-ASTRONOMY-COMET

Scientists look on a computer screen at the first picture transmitted by the European Space Agency's (ESA) robot craft Philae, in the scientific mission observation centre of the French space agency Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) in Toulouse, southern France, on November 12, 2014, as Philae carries out a 20-kms (12-mile) descent toward the Churyumov-Gerasimenko comet after being launched from space probe Rosetta, following a 10-year journey. Europe's Rosetta spacecraft made contact with its robot craft Philae soon after the lander embarked on November 12 on a solo, seven-hour descent to a comet, ground controllers said. Astrophysicists hope Philae will unlock knowledge about the origins of the Solar System and even life on Earth, which some believe may have started with comets "seeding" the planet with life-giving carbon molecules and water. AFP PHOTO / REMY GABALDA (Photo credit should read REMY GABALDA/AFP via Getty Images)