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now in news akin to a science fiction movie ...
the comet-chasing rosetta spacecraft has aw oken from its 31-month hibernation to prepare
for its daring mission -- meeting up with and then attaching a small robotic lander
to the surface of a comet as it cruises through our solar system.
a signal confirming its alert status was received by controllers at the european space agency
and nasa on monday. originally launched in 2004 rosetta has spent
the last decade building up enough speed to reach its ultimate target comet 67p/chury
umov-gerasimenko . rosetta should meet up with the comet in august
. scientists say the mission should offer a
unique insight into a comet's behavior and ultimately help them decipher comets' role
in the formation of the solar system.