European probe flies by Mars

[Judi Lynn]

European probe flies by Mars
POSTED: 10:21 p.m. EST, February 24, 2007

DARMSTADT, Germany (AP) -- A European spacecraft executed a close flyby of Mars on Sunday, a crucial maneuver in its meandering, 10-year voyage through the solar system to make the first soft landing on a comet.

Applause broke out in the European Space Agency's mission control center in western Germany as the Rosetta comet probe's radio signal was picked up after 15 tense minutes of silence as the craft passed behind the Red Planet.

The maneuver sends the craft toward two similar flybys of Earth this year and in 2009, which will accelerate it toward its distant target comet.

"Rosetta is on its way," said Manfred Warhaut, head of mission operations.
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http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/space/02/24/rosetta.mars.ap/index.html