Aug 05, 2014 11:50 PM EDT By Russell Westerholm, UniversityHerald Reporter

Rosetta is going to rendezvouses with Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko early Wednesday morning, marking one of the mission's largest milestones.

According to Space.com, Rosetta will launch itself into the comet's orbit around 4:45 a.m. EDT. The European Space Agency (ESA) probe could become the first satellite to ever track a comet from a close distance.

CLICK HERE to see a live stream of the historic maneuver. Coverage on the ESA's website starts at 4 a.m. EDT.

"It's the first time we have ever done this," Matt Taylor, a Netherlands-based ESA project scientist for Rosetta, told the Guardian. "Even the smallest maneuver can go wrong. Nothing is straightforward in spaceflight."

The comet has an unpredictable gravitational field due to an odd shape, but it is also weak. Rosetta will spend the rest of Aug. rotating around the comet to get a lay of the land and to determine the gravitational field's strength.

Past reports have likened the comet's shape to that of a rubber duck. At first, Rosetta's orbit will be triangular, the Guardian reported, and will then transition into a traditional circular one.

"The time pressure at the moment is phenomenal. It's a race against the clock to learn about the comet and select a landing site. We have to land before the comet becomes too active," Taylor said. "We'll get an inference of what's possible in September, but we won't want to land near the neck of these two parts of the comet. We need the best communications with the orbiter and also to maximize the sunlight the lander receives to give it the best chance to survive as long as possible."

Come Nov., Rosetta will attempt to land its Philae anchor into the flying lump of dust and ice. Rosetta will then get the most front-row view possible when the comet zooms inot the solar system en route to the sun.

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