The European Space Agency's Philae lander performed not one, not two but three historic landings yesterday. That's according to data downloaded overnight from the spacecraft that confirms Philae bounced twice as it settled down on to comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
ESA has just released Philae's first photo from the surface, later than expected due to landing complications. Readings from the probe suggest Philae initially touched down at 1533 GMT yesterday, with mission managers at the European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany, receiving the confirmation signal on Earth around half an hour later. But data from the probe's magnetometer shows Philae also landed at 1726 GMT and 1733 GMT, bouncing off the surface due to the comet's weak gravity, around 10,000th that of Earth's.
That initial bounce, almost 2 hours long, could have sent Philae flying as high as 1 kilometre above the comet's surface. It has also left the probe in a precarious position. Although Philae is now stable and sitting on the surface, a fault with its harpoons means it is not firmly attached to the comet. It may also be angled in a way that reduces the amount of sunlight that can reach its solar panels.
These problems mean ESA managers have ruled out today's planned drilling into the surface, as it could disrupt the probe since it doesn't have a proper anchor. But the data connection issues they were experiencing yesterday have now been solved, allowing them to grab images from the probe.
The just-released image is actually two pictures from Philae's CIVA camera. ESA has downloaded seven images, giving a full panorama, but these won't be released until later. From the image released now, it isn't yet clear if Philae is flat on the surface of 67P. "It could be angled, it could be on the ground," says ESA senior scientist Mark McCaughrean. "It will become more apparent over time."
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