Posted: Wed, Nov 14, 2007, 7:17 AM ET (1217 GMT)
ESA's Rosetta spacecraft flew past Earth on Tuesday, a flyby that keeps the spacecraft on course for its ultimate destination, a comet. Rosetta made its closest approach to Earth at 3:57 pm EST (2057 GMT), passing 5,295 km about the Pacific Ocean southwest of Chile. The flyby is the second of Earth since its launch in March 2004, with a third scheduled for November 2009; Rosetta also flew past Mars in February 2007. The flybys are designed to put the spacecraft on course for its primary destination, 67/P Churyumov-Gerasimenko, where it will arrive in mid-2014.

Related Links:

•  BBC article
•  Sky and Telescope article
•  ESA press release