Ambition

Apprentice

When the Master starts telling the Rosetta mission story, he begins with the common phrase "Once upon a time..." before being interrupted by the Apprentice. This is a continuity nod to a series of short animated cartoon released by ESA in the previous months via its official Youtube channel, all of them narrating the events of the Rosetta probe (and his lander Philae) as it were a traditional fable, and all of them theme-titled as "Once upon a time".

Master: For a long time the origins of water and indeed life on Earth where an absolute mystery. So we searched for answers beyond Earth. Where could all this water have come from? In time we turned to comets. One trillion celestial balls of ice, dust, complex molecules, left over from the birth of our solar system. Once thought as messengers of doom and destruction, and yet so enchanting; and we were to catch one, a staggeringly ambitious plan.

Master: And tell me, what was it all for?

Master: Let's begin.