Really, did you have any doubt about which space story would clinch the #1 spot? The touch-down of the Rosetta missions Philae lander on the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on Nov. 12 was nothing short of epic. After catching up with the icy cometary mass, Rosetta carried out a series of maneuvers that set the mission up for its dramatic attempt to make a soft landing on a comet for the first time in history. But Rosetta wouldnt be landing on the comet itself. Attached to the spacecraft was Philae, a small lander. With the help of ESAs expertise on social media and continuous blog updates, Philae quickly captivated the world as the little lander that was about to conquer a massive comet. And conquer it did, but not before one of the most dramatic landings in space history. After analyzing Philaes telemetry, mission scientists realized that Philae had bounced three times before coming to rest against the slope of a crater rim. Although the lander had enough batter power for a couple of days, for the lander to survive any longer, its solar panels needed to be correctly positioned so they could charge. Sadly, Philae was caught in a shadow and after several attempts to optimize the sunlight across the solar array, Philaes batteries drained and the lander dropped into hibernation. However, Philae feverishly collected as much data as it could before power loss and scientists will be busy for some time understanding the nature of Comet 67P, the first comet a robot has ever grabbed.

MORE:

Rosetta's Landing: When Philae Grabbed a Comet

Rosetta's Philae Bounced on Landing, But Seems Healthy

Philae's Batteries Have Drained, Comet Lander Sleeps

Follow this link:

Top 10 Space Stories of 2014: Readers' Choice