Out of this world: 5 of the coolest things in space in 2014

The final weeks of 2014 generated some major buzz in the world of space exploration: an unmanned probe landed on a comet, there was a test flight for NASAs newest space vehicle, and 3-D printing went to the next dimension.

Here on Earth, CTVNews.ca has compiled a list of notable space ventures the past 12 months, with a peek at where were going in 2015:

1. Pioneering Philae lands on comet, takes a nap

European Space Agency scientists had smiles as wide as the sun in November. Their Philae probe landed on a comet a first in human-directed space exploration. Dubbed the Rosetta mission, Philae had travelled for 10 years and 6.4 billion-kilometres. Once it landed on the 4-km wide comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, Philae proceeded to collect data, including photos and some haunting space sounds. But Philae soon fell silent, or rather, fell asleep. The probes solar-powered batteries drained after the craft bounced twice and landed in the shadow of a cliff. But stay tuned: the probe has promised itll be back after it catches some zzzzs.

2. Orion completes test flight

NASA ushered in the Mars era, as one space agency administrator put it, when the unmanned Orion completed its first successful test flight in early December. The capsule shot some 5,800 kilometres into the solar system, tooktwo laps around Earth, before splashing down in the Pacific. The four-hour mission brought some scientists to tears, as NASA looks to future Orion fleets to carry humans beyond the confines of Earths orbit. Mars is the best possibility. The buzz the launch generated had not been felt since 2012, when the Curiosity rover made an unprecedented landing on the Red Planet.

3. Comet buzzes by Mars

Astronomers were treated to spectacular views when a comet buzzed by Mars for the first time in more than a million years. In October, the so-called Siding Spring comet came within 140,000 kilometres from Mars surface. By space standards, thats a pretty close shave. Scientists said that there was no danger of a collision with the Red Planet, where various probes now roam, but the flyby did provide scientists an educational opportunity.

See the article here:
Out of this world: 5 of the coolest things in space in 2014