Nine minutes after 4pm on 12th November 2014, Rosetta’s flight manager Andrea Accomazzo announced to the world that the Philae probe had landed safely. “We see the lander sitting on the rock,” Dr Accomazzo said.
But although scientists celebrated landing probe Philae on comet, the lander is not securely attached and has already bounced away from its landing site.
“Apparently the anchors didn’t deploy, so there’s a concern about the stability of the lander,” warned an ESA engineer.
Nevertheless, the mission’s main goal of landing a probe softly on the surface of a distant comet appeared to have been a resounding success.
“This is the most difficult landing in space history, like landing a balloon in a city centre on a windy day with your eyes closed,” said Matthew Genge, lecturer in earth and planetary sciences at Imperial College London.
But although scientists celebrated landing probe Philae on comet, the lander is not securely attached and has already bounced away from its landing site.
“Apparently the anchors didn’t deploy, so there’s a concern about the stability of the lander,” warned an ESA engineer.
Nevertheless, the mission’s main goal of landing a probe softly on the surface of a distant comet appeared to have been a resounding success.
“This is the most difficult landing in space history, like landing a balloon in a city centre on a windy day with your eyes closed,” said Matthew Genge, lecturer in earth and planetary sciences at Imperial College London.