Rosetta Space Probe And Philae Module, 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko Comet, European Space Agency

Search for organic compounds
Previous observations have shown that comets contain complex organic compounds. These are molecules that are rich in carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. These are the elements that make up nucleic acids and amino acids, essential ingredients for life as we know it. Comets are thought to have delivered a vast quantity of water to Earth, and they may have also seeded Earth with organic molecules. Rosetta and Philae will also search for organic molecules, nucleic acids (the building blocks of DNA and RNA) and amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) by sampling and analysing the comet's nucleus and coma cloud of gas and dust, helping assess the contribution comets made to the beginnings of life on Earth.