One of Europe’s exciting cornerstone missions is Rosetta. Rosetta has been traveling through the Solar System since 2004, and is slated to meet up with comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko in 2014. From orbit and with a lander (named Philae), the comet will be studied as it becomes more active and swings around the Sun. Here’s a short description & a NASA sciencecast about the mission.

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/02feb_rosetta/

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoePrO4-fGQ?wmode=transparent]