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Rosetta probe set to catch comet after ten year chase


5 August 2014 Last updated at 19:12 BST



Scientists are poised for a key moment in the history of space exploration when Europe's Rosetta spacecraft attempts to rendezvous with a comet on Wednesday.


After a journey lasting more than a decade, the probe is to attempt something unprecedented - going into orbit around the comet as it hurtles through space at more than 34,000 mph.


It is hoped the mission could reveal more about the emergence of life on Earth, as BBC science editor David Shukman reports.