The Rosetta mission team has selected a landing site and a back-up for the challenging attempt to land the Philae robot on the surface of Comet 67P scheduled for 11 November.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-29203284
They have chosen what is believed to be a relatively smooth region, identified as J, on the smaller of the comet's two lobes. This site also has good lighting conditions, which means some periods of darkness to cool Philae's systems.
The back-up location is on the larger lobe, identified as C, with a range of interesting surface features including cliffs and hills, but also many smooth plains.
The above photo of Comet 67P shows the region of landing site J.
More detailed mapping of J and C is taking place. A final decision will be made in mid-October.
Comment: The proposed landing attempt with Philae seems an extremely risky and spectacular operation. If the landing is successful it could lead to great advances in our understanding of cometary science.
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