Astronomers at QueenÂ’s University Belfast have been assisting the first ever landing by a spacecraft - on an icy comet - later this morning.
Shortly after 8.30am, a robotic lander called 'Philae' (PRO-FEEL-A) will be released from the European Space Agency Rosetta spacecraft, and spend the next 7 hours descending to the comet.
It's hoped a successful touchdown signal will be received on Earth at around 4pm, along with the first pictures from a cometÂ’s surface.
Professor Alan Fitzsimmons from the Astrophysics Research Centre at QueenÂ’s University has spent over a decade studying the comet.
