It could be many weeks before scientists understand what the lander data tell them about the formation and composition of 67P, which, like all comets, is a relatively pristine object that dates to the early days of the solar system.
Drawing on theories of grounded associations, shared meaning, and contagion, we theorize that the act of unveiling is associated with revealing a protected and thus pristine object, which is consequently perceived to be valuable.
"To get our first look at a pristine icy object is very exciting.
Tellingly, the only pristine object within sight would appear to be the kettle — as befits a community in which cups of tea are every bit as sacred as the portrait of the Kennedy brothers that hangs, off-kilter, toward the rear of the set.
For decades magazine editors, developers and architects themselves favored a static style of photography that framed buildings as pristine objects.
And, while Mies's pristine objects might be beautiful, Venturi argued, they had little to do with the realities of our difficult and ironic time.
On the evolutionary field, they are pristine objects from the dawn of the Solar System, building blocks of planets, moons and comets that never came to be.
When residents began objecting to the destruction of a pristine wetland in the shadow of a snowcapped volcano, officials reminded them of a disastrous flood in 1958 and said the construction project would prevent a recurrence.
And they happened to have the object of every red-blooded mid-60's suburban teenager's dream -- a pristine red 1966 GTO convertible with white top and interior, console, four-speed and the 360-horsepower 389 Tripower engine.
