The spacecraft's Philae lander began the final leg of its journey this morning when it separated from its mother ship and made a seven-hour journey to land on 67P shortly after 11 a.m. ET. The rubber duck shaped comet is less than three miles wide, making the landing an even more impressive feat.

The Rosetta Lander Imaging System, a camera attached to Philae, took a breathtaking photo of the comet less than two miles away from its surface, providing an incredible close-up look.

Scientists at the ESA will now spend the coming days and months analyzing data they receive from Philae's instruments.

For some perspective on how long communications can take: When Rosetta phoned home today to the ESA's mission control in Darmstadt, Germany, during the final stretch of the journey, it took 28 minutes for the signal to reach Earth, traveling more than 317 million miles.

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