Throughout human history, comets have been distant, mysterious heavenly bodies. The hunks of rock and ice streak through the sky, streaming bright tails of gas as the sun warms them.

On Wednesday, humankind finally made contact with one. The Rosetta spacecraft defied all odds and dropped its payload, a comet-sniffing probe named Philae, on a cold, speeding target more than 480 million kilometres from Earth.

Although scientists aren't yet sure that the probe will be able to anchor itself securely, for now its systems are operational and responsive. This comes as the climax of a decade-long mission.

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A first for space exploration and the climax of a decade-long mission as a probe lands successfully on a comet to get samples from what are the remnants of the birth of Earth's solar system.

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Age-old dream fulfilled as humans finally make contact with comet