Switzerland's Contemporary Contributions to Science and Technology Founded on August 1, 1291, the Swiss Confederation is a small country with an enormous impact on the world of scientific innovations and technological. Commonly known for cheese, chocolate, mountain chalets, army knives, precision watch movements and financial prowess, its national curriculum also includes a commitment to higher education, scientific research and development and technological advances, all with a reputation for pushing the boundaries. This article will explore Switzerland's cutting-edge contributions to science and technology in the contemporary era. Some Facts About Switzerland Founded as the Swiss Confederation on August 1, 1291, Switzerland has a land mass of 15,940 square miles (less than half the size of South Carolina) and is bordered by Germany to the north, Austria to the east, and Liechtenstein, to the south with Italy and to the west with France. Switzerland is divided into 26 cantons (equivalent to states) with “one-third of its population living in the five largest cities: Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Bern and Lucerne” (SwissWorld.org). According to the Central Intelligence Agency (2014), Switzerland has a population of 8.06 million inhabitants, of which approximately 65% ​​are German, 18% French, 10% Italian, 1% Romansh, while the remaining 6% is made up of other ethnicities. Likewise, Switzerland has four official languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh. Although Switzerland is not part of the European Union, it has adopted many of the EU's policies to remain competitive in the international market. Switzerland remains politically neutral and hosts many international organizations. Geneva is the headquarters of one of two United Nations... middle of paper......inistration (NASA) organizations in the United States. There's a groundbreaking mission underway and a Swiss astronaut key to many NASA missions. The Rosetta mission, named in honor of the Rosetta Stone, is the Swiss experiment on board the ESA Philae lander, launched on 2 March 2004, and will be the first comet landing in history. According to ESA, Philae entered deep-space hibernation on 8 June 2011 and emerged from hibernation on 20 January 2014. It will attempt an encounter with comet 67P in May 2014 and arrive at 67P in August 2014, when mapping will begin. the surface of the comet. Philae will land in November 2014 and then Rosetta will begin its work from 14 August 2014 until 13 August 2015 (European Space Agency). The results of the Rosetta mission, in part, aim to discover the origin of comets and their relationship to the origins of the universe.