UPDATED - So we've landed on a comet, what's the big deal? (PHOTOS)

Today, a European Space Agency (ESA) probe will become the first man-made object to land on a comet. The washing machine-sized Philae lander will touch down on the surface of comet 67P/Churymov-Gerasimenko. As the world follows the landing with bated breath, we cannot help but ask, what is the value of these missions?

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UPDATE: Philae has landed successfully on Comet 67P and is transmitting images.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The European Space Agency's Philae lander is making its slow, seven-hour descent to the surface of the peanut-shaped comet 67P/Churymov-Gerasimenko, following a decade-long flight to rendezvous with the intriguing object. If the landing is successful, it will be the first such landing of its kind in history.

The probe is expected to spend at least several hours photographing the surface of the comet and taking measurements. Although its anticipated lifespan is measured in just hours, engineers predict it is possible the probe could last for days, even months, and return a wealth of data providing hard evidence that will confirm our understanding of comets, or challenge it.

St. Dominic de Guzman, patron saint of astronomers.

The parent satellite, Rosetta, will orbit the comet for months to come and will watch the comet as it nears the sun and begins to vent gasses. Both probes will answer several questions about comets, their composition, and how they interact with the sun.

The mission itself is known as the Rosetta Mission and it was launched on March 2, 2004, at a cost of about $1 billion Euros. Space exploration is a costly and dangerous endeavor, and often its aims appear esoteric to most people. Why are we landing on a comet and what is the point of these missions?

Several months ago, I had the opportunity to speak with Berkely professor and renowned astrophysicist, Alex Filippenko and I asked him, "what is the point of all these studies and missions?" Dr. Filippenko acknowledged that it can be difficult to appreciate the value of these studies in the short term, conceding that studies by people like Marie Curie and Albert Einstein were primarily pursuits of curiosity without any practical goals in mind. However, a century later, we rely heavily on their work in our daily lives. He explained that smartphones wouldn't work without some of the esoteric research conducted a century ago.

He's right. And while we might not appreciate the value of the Rosetta mission right away, its value to our grandchildren a century from now could be just as immense.

The Rosetta mission will of course teach us a lot about comets by virtue of its close inspection. Scientists want to study comets because they are believed to be pristine, leftover material from the formation of the solar system. They are also rich in water and organic molecules. Could comets be responsible for the natural origin of life on Earth? Did comets bring the water to Earth that fills our oceans?

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The answers to these questions and others like it will have implications in many disciplines, including astrobiology. The mission will also serve as a practical test of technologies and methods that could be used in similar future missions.

While the price tag of many of these missions may seem steep, it should be remembered that only a fraction of a penny of every tax dollar is spent on space exploration. And yes, the current mission is a European one, so it does not cost the American taxpayers anything.

The Europeans are not the only ones to stage adventurous forays into space. Russia, China, Japan, and India are all launching missions to contribute their talents to the advancement of scientific research. India recently managed to get a space probe to Mars and China has announced plans to land on the Moon. The United States is barely preparing to return to the space race and will test a new rocket and space capsule configuration this December.

The space program gives us microwave ovens, pacemakers, satellite television, GPS, cellular phone service and many more conveniences that we take for granted. It is also likely where the future of humanity lies. Space is part of our past and part of our future, we are well served by learning all we can about the realm beyond Earth's atmosphere.

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