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Ecstatic reaction as Rosetta spacecraft mission lands on comet –
The Rosetta spaceship, which was launched in 2004, has landed on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in a mission which could reveal the origins of life on Earth. The spacecraft’s thrusters failed to work during the mission prompting fears that the lander could simply bounce off the comet and back into space. But the Philae landing craft managed to land safely. The small probe took pictures as it descended as well as monitored chemical levels. The European Space Agency’s ground-breaking £1 billion mission to chase, orbit, and execute a soft landing on a moving comet has been called one of the most extraordinary achievements in space history. [Daily Telegraph] See Video of the Day
Artist’s impression of the Philae lander
Video of the Day –
Philae Lands On Comet! – Mission Control Celebrates | Video
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- al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen
- A U.S. drone strike kills seven al-Qaeda militants in the south. (Reuters)
- Houthi rebellion
- Azerbaijan shoots down an Armenian Mil Mi-24 military helicopter. (Bloomberg)
- Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
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- Islamist unrest in Egypt (2013–14)
- Gunmen attack an Egyptian Navy ship on the Mediterranean Sea with eight sailors missing and four injured after the attack. Thirty-two of the gunmen have been captured with four reported as dead. (Voice of America)
- International relations
- The 25th ASEAN Summit is held in the city of Naypyidaw, the capital of Myanmar. (AP via Daily Mail)
- Chinese leader Xi Jinping and President of the United States Barack Obama reach a deal to limit greenhouse gases. (Washington Post)
- Law and crime
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- Protesters attack the State Congress building in Mexico‘s Guerrero state setting alight five vehicles. (BBC)
- Science
- The European Space Agency‘s Rosetta lands the Philae probe on the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. (Washington Post) (BBC)
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