"Yup. We’re soft landing on a comet today." - Neil deGrasse Tyson

[bananas]

https://twitter.com/neiltyson/status/532539486450638848

Neil deGrasse Tyson
Verified account ‏@neiltyson

Yup. We’re soft landing on a comet today. Normally my “We” means @NASA. But in this case it’s @ESA, the European Space Agency

Retweets 1,695
6:24 AM - 12 Nov 2014

[bananas]

1. Saved in the wayback machine for future generations

http://wayback.archive.org/web/20141112151659/https://twitter.com/neiltyson/status/532539486450638848

[jakeXT]

2. 1m per second sounds rough to me

And landing simulations show that the lander will hit the comet at a speed of 0.95 meters per second, which is well within the lander's operational limits.
http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2014/09151433-a-landing-site-for-philae.html

[Iggo]

3. Thou-sand-one.

That's like one foot per syllable!

[bananas]

4. Bill Shatner: "I think the guy in the hoodie is an actor brought in to look serious and pose."

https://twitter.com/WilliamShatner/status/532560183092727808

William Shatner
Verified account ‏@WilliamShatner

#cometlanding I think the guy in the hoodie is an actor brought in to look serious and pose.

Retweets 61
7:46 AM - 12 Nov 2014

[jakeXT]

6. It's a bit like watching a LAN party, although I've never been to one

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LAN_party

[Warpy]

5. Yes, ouch, except the comet doesn't have enough mass to make it hurt a whole lot

The ESA site just says "waiting for confirmation of landing."

A meter per second is nothing compared to the speed of the comet. Remember, it took five slingshot maneuvers around both Earth and Mars to get it enough speed to rendezvous with the comet.

[bananas]

7. Philae Lander tweets: "Touchdown! My new address: 67P! #CometLanding"

https://twitter.com/Philae2014/status/532564514051735552

Philae Lander
Verified account ‏@Philae2014

Touchdown! My new address: 67P! #CometLanding

Retweets 13,774
8:04 AM - 12 Nov 2014

[jakeXT]

8. Looks like the harpoon did it's job by preventing a bounce away from the comet

[muriel_volestrangler]

9. A very slow walking pace

Car bumpers are designed to survive 5mph, with is over 2 metres per second.

[jakeXT]

10. It worked even with 3 landings

ESA Rosetta MissionVerified account ‏@ESA_Rosetta

Show-off! MT @Philae2014: Yesterday was exhausting! I actually performed 3 landings,15:33, 17:26 & 17:33 UTC. #CometLanding