Thursday, November 13, 2014

ESA Rosetta mission: Philae Lander is safe on Comet 67/P - image

A brand new image shows the view from the Philae lander of the surface of the comet

The robot probe Philae that made a historic comet landing is now stable after initially failing to attach to the surface, and is sending pictures.

Efforts are now being made to locate the precise position of the European Space Agency probe on the comet.

Engineers say it may have bounced hundreds of metres back off the surface after first touching down.

Scientists hope the probe will analyse the comet's surface to yield insights into the origins of our Solar System.

The first pictures indicate that the lander is sitting at an angle - perhaps on a slope, or maybe even on its side. But the team is continuing to receive "great data" from Philae.

Esa's Rosetta satellite carried Philae on a 6.4 billion-km (4bn-mile) journey to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

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