The Philae lander of the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft is finally set to land on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on November 12.

Once on the surface of the oddly shaped comet, Philae will deploy a space lab to study the comet's composition and terrain. This first landing on a comet by a spacecraft will be a landmark moment for history and mankind.

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Rosetta hurtled through deep space for 10 years until it finally caught up with comet 67P last month. Rosetta will hover in the comet's orbit as Philae takes rock samples and studies the comet's temperature.

Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko has an odd shape similar to a rubber duck. It's zipping through space towards the Sun at a speed of 10.4 miles per second.

Philae will land at site J at 0835 GMT on November 12. It will emerge from Rosetta at a distance of 22.5 kilometers from the comet and will land several hours later.

There will be a delay of 28 minutes and 20 seconds until the landing is confirmed on home base Earth.

If the backup site C were used, Rosetta will release Philae at 1304 GMT from a distance of 12.5 kilometers. The lander will touch down four hours later. Confirmation of this landing scenario will reach Earth around 1730 GMT.

Rosetta is equipped with sensors and 11 cameras to capture Comet 67P's remarkable terrain. Philae is carrying 10 instruments to analyze the comet and unlock some new discoveries for scientists.

Once Philae lands, it will attach itself to the comet by drilling 18 inches into the surface.  The debris from this drilling will be chemically analyzed.

Scientists hope 67P will solve some mysteries regarding the early formation of the solar system. 

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