Philae’s First Photos; Update On Its Troubled Landing

Universe Today ^ | 12 November 2014 | Bob King

[zeestephen]

We reported earlier that both the harpoons and top thrusters failed to fire and anchor the lander to the comet...Philae, without its anchors, may have touched the surface and then lifted off again...Telemetry from the probe has been sporadic. Data streams come in strong and then suddenly cut out only to return later...

[zeestephen]

Taken by Philae during its descent. The view is just 1.8 miles above the comet. Credit: ESA

Image from the Philae lander as it approached the surface. Credit: ESA

[goldstategop]

Confirmed what scientists have always suspects: comets are meteors surround by ice that when warmed by the sun, gives them their characteristic appearance.

[Gene Eric]

Congratulations to ESA!

Too bad NASA is preoccupied with its mission to Mecca.

[driftdiver]

I expected it to look more Armageddonish, something Bruce Willis could blow up.

[Steely Tom]

Gravity of 67P is estimated to be less than one one-hundred-thousandth that of Earth (< 1E-5 g), so one might expect a landing to be troubled.

[mcshot]

This outreach should have us impacting on a stone age camel chip soon.

[zeestephen]

The harpoon and opposing thrusters were supposed to solve the gravity issue, but they failed.

The lander was actually within 50 meters of the planned landing sight.

The most recent photos indicate the lander’s cameras can't see the horizon, which means it is badly tilted, and possibly hovering slightly above the surface.

The lander also had a stabilizing flywheel for the descent.

That may still be spinning and rotating the lander’s antennae because their communications are intermittent.

[Don W]

Addition for apod?

[SunkenCiv]

Good idea, thanks Don W.