Extraordinary first photos of historic Rosetta comet landing released

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  1. truebluefan

    truebluefan Administrator Staff Member Administrator

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    Rosetta's lander Philae safely on the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko - Source: AP

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    The washing machine-sized lander has a close-up camera on its underside and is also mounted with seven high-definition micro-cameras, each weighing just 100 grams.

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    But the flow of images may not last. After bouncing twice, scientists say that Philae appears to have landed in the shadow of a cliff and may not be getting enough sunlight to recharge its solar panels.

    Read more http://tvnz.co.nz/world-news/extrao...storic-rosetta-comet-landing-released-6130036
     
  2. truebluefan

    truebluefan Administrator Staff Member Administrator

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    Comet lander shuts down after sending data

    A pioneering robotic spacecraft shut down on Saturday after radioing results of its first and probably last batch of scientific experiments from the surface of a comet, scientists said.

    Batteries aboard the European Space Agency’s Philae comet lander drained, shutting down the washing machine-sized probe after an adventurous and largely unscripted 57-hour mission.

    Carried aboard the orbiting Rosetta mothership, Philae floated to the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on Thursday, but failed to deploy anchoring harpoons.

    Upon contacting the comet’s unexpectedly hard surface, it bounced back up into space twice then came to rest at a still-unknown location about 1 km (0.6 mile) from its original target.

    Read more http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/15/us-space-comet-idUSKCN0IZ0KN20141115
     

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