NEW : Scientists give first ' go - ahead ' for an attempted landing on Comet 67P . The landing craft Philae is about the size of a domestic washing machine . It is equipped with nine instruments including a drill to sample the comet and test in an on - board oven . O'Rourke explained that hours before separation , Philae 's on-board batteries are prepared and a fly wheel is started to give the probe stability on its journey to the comet surface . The comet 's gravity is so weak that engineers have come up with ingenious solutions to keep Philae in place .
NEW : Scientists give first ' go - ahead ' for an attempted landing on Comet 67P . The landing craft Philae is about the size of a domestic washing machine . It is equipped with nine instruments including a drill to sample the comet and test in an on - board oven . The comet 's gravity is so weak that engineers have come up with ingenious solutions to keep Philae in place .