Lander is stuck in partial darkness near a cliff on the rim of a crater with one of its legs pointing into space
It is not getting enough sunlight to keep it alive so engineers may try to get it to ‘hop’ using its landing gear
But there might not be enough power to do this until the comet gets closer to the sun in a few months
This might mean the lander has to go into hibernation for a few months until it can ‘come back from the dead’
Its main battery only has about 24 hours of power left and the probe needs to receive more sunlight to survive
Earlier Philae sent back the first ever images from the surface of a comet, confirming it was in darkness
Philae made incredible landing on 67P yesterday at 3.30pm GMT, making it the first craft to land on a comet
Bounced twice on landing, once up to 0.62 miles (1km), before coming to rest far from its intended landing site
Comet’s surface was described as being more like a ‘trampoline’ than rock, owing to its soft and powdery texture, which may have caused the unsteady landing of the probe
Scientists face a desperate race against time after it was confirmed that Rosetta’s probe, Philae, has landed on its side on comet 67P with two legs on the ground and one pointing into space.
While the precise location of the probe is yet to be confirmed, it is thought to have landed either in a cave or at the foot of a cliff – which is severely limiting its access to sunlight.
Without enough sunlight, and only 24 hours of charge left in its battery, European scientists must now get as much data as they can from the probe before it dies – or find a way to recharge its solar panels and keep Philae alive.
In a press conference the team announced they are considering attempting a daring ‘hop’ using its landing gear to get all the probe’s limbs back on the ground.
However, there may not be enough power to do this until the comet gets closer to the sun in a few months. This means the lander may need to go into hibernation before it comes ‘back from the dead’.
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‘Welcome to a comet!’ Esa tweeted this remarkable picture from comet 67P confirming that Philae is successfully on the surface – but scientists have now revealed that the probe is in a cave. This means it might not be receiving the amount of sunlight it needs to recharge its batteries and survive on the surface. At the lower middle can be seen one of the three legs of the lander, each of which contains an ice screw
The probe landed yesterday at 3.30pm GMT and bounced as if on a ‘trampoline’ before it settled in its current location, just over half a mile from its target destination.
Dr Stefan Ulamec, Philae landing manager, said the probe could be saved by moving its landing gear and making it ‘hop’ on the surface to get it back into an upright position with better access to sunlight.
This would then allow Philae to use its full suite of instruments, including a drill at the bottom of the lander that could study the comet’s surface in greater detail.
But unless this problem is resolved, it is unlikely the drill can be used at all.
WHAT IS PHILAE’S CURRENT SITUATION ON THE COMET?
Esa has confirmed that Philae is currently stuck on its side on the surface of the comet.
It is near a cliff, or possibly in a cave, near the rim of a crater. Two of its legs are on the ground but one is sticking upwards.
It has about 30 hours of power left in its primary battery. After this it will have to switch to its secondary battery.
But it is only getting 90 minutes of sunlight every 12 hours owing to its shadowy location on the comet.
This reduces the number of activities it can perform unless the team can get the lander down onto all three legs.
To do this they might be able to move the legs and perform a ‘hop’ to get it onto the ground.
Speaking to MailOnline earlier, mission director Paolo Ferri said: ‘If you look at the images we have at the moment, it looks like Philae is resting against a very irregular rock’.
‘There is some speculation about it being in a hole…honestly, we have no idea, because we haven’t seen all the images.
‘But what is more important is the attitude [angle] of the lander, and the clock is ticking for us to find this out.’
Eight of the ten instruments on board the spacecraft have also apparently taken data so far, but the solar panels seem to have been damaged during the dramatic landing.
The instruments not working are the Alpha Proton X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) and the SD2 drill, as they both have moving parts and are too risky to be used at the moment.
The probe landed on the comet at around 3.30pm GMT yesterday but then bounced twice – first to a height of 0.62 miles (1km) and then to a much lower height before coming to rest.
It is also thought to be about 0.62 miles (1km) from its intended landing site.
Scientists described the ground as being more like a ‘trampoline’ than rock, owing to its soft and powdery texture, which may have caused the unsteady landing of the probe.
Philae only has around 20-30 hours of battery life in its main battery, before it will attempt to switch to rechargeable ones replenished by sunlight.
If it cannot get enough energy from the sun, it will ultimately run out of power.
Mr Ferri says that all the non-mechanical instruments on Philae are working perfectly, but scientists will not be attempting to start up any of the mechanical instruments.
‘If we move something it might tip it over…once we know the attitude [angle], we will know what instruments we can use.
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Where is Philae? This image shows where the probe originally landed (marked by a red cross on the left) as well as where it may have ended up after bouncing around on the comet’s surface (proposed region shaded in red on right). Scientists are yet to discover its precise location
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Crash landing! The location of the first touchdown point of the Philae lander on Comet 67P/C-G, marked on an image from Rosetta’s OSIRIS narrow-angle camera taken from a distance of 18.6 miles (30 km)
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This composite image shows the expected initial landing site (red square) of Philae on the surface with a picture, inset, it took before it bounced and landed more than half a mile away
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This image reveals the intended landing site for Philae (in red) and the expected actual landing site (the blue area) after it bounced twice on the surface, as presented by Dr Stefan Ulamec, Philae Lander Manager
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The location of the first touchdown point of the Philae lander on comet 67P, marked on an image taken from a distance of 31 miles (50 km)
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This was one of the first images released by Philae on its way to the surface. For reference, the rock towards the top right is 13 feet (four metres) wide. It’s thought this image was taken before the probe bounced on the surface for the first time
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On the left is an illustration of what Philae might look like at the moment. It’s thought that one of its legs is sticking up into space while the other two are in contact with the comet. On the right is an image of a rocky outcrop near Philae
‘At the moment, I feel like my feet are not touching the ground,’ he added. ‘Last night we didn’t have enough information, and I was still a bit nervous.
‘When I came in this morning, everyone was so quiet. But this is a great feeling. The radio contact was very important and that has got stronger today.’
There are several cameras fitted around Philae’s exterior known as the Comet Infrared and Visible Analyser, but it has been reported that one of them has apparently photographed the sky. The cameras are intended to look out on the surface, as opposed to upwards.
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Esa has revealed new images of the surface of the comet highlighting some of the features on the surface (shown)
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The image on the left shows one of the first views of the comet that was returned. Increasing the contrast revealed the large rock nearby, shown on the right, which might be a nearby cliff
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This graphic shows how Philae bounced on the surface of the comet before coming to rest – but it is looking increasingly likely that it is either on its side or stuck in a hole
The probe landed on the comet at around 3.30pm GMT yesterday but then bounced twice, first to a height of 0.62 miles (1km) and then to a much lower height before coming to rest. The comet is about 2.5 miles (4.1km) wide and 2.8 miles (4.5km) long
The immediate landing yesterday was not without its problems either.
At Esa’s mission control, a faint radio signal came back from the Philae lander at 4pm GMT – proof that it had finally reached the surface of the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko after a decade-long chase through space.
But when it first made contact with the surface it failed to fire harpoons that would have kept it attached to the comet.
This resulted in it bouncing to a height of 0.62 miles (1km) above the comet before again landing on the surface. It then bounced again, but to a much lower altitude.
‘Drifting into space is still a major worry,’ continued Mr Bentley. ‘At the moment the comet is still inactive. Philae is sitting on the surface and operations can all go ahead.’
‘If it’s not anchored there’s a problem with what to do when drilling for example and several instruments designed to sample the environment.’
‘If you try to push down with the drill it could lift the lander off the surface. So those operations will be suspended until the Esa team knows how stable it is.’
He also confirmed that it was not clear why the harpoons didn’t fire and attempts to fire them again to keep Philae attached to the surface could be problematic. Firing them could push the spacecraft off the surface as its thruster on top to hold it down is not working.
Five-image montage of Osiris images taken around the time of landing when Rosetta was 11 miles (18 km) from the centre of the comet
The final approach: This image shows comet 67P/CG from a distance of approximately 1.8 miles (3km) from the surface. Philae is now thought to be on the surface but its exact orientation is unknown. It bounced twice before coming to rest
What’s next for Philae: the sensors that will reveal what life on a comet is like
Daring descent: This Osiris wide-angle camera image shows the position of Rosetta’s lander Philae (circled) at 14:19:22 GMT. Separation occurred onboard the spacecraft at 08:35 GMT, with the confirmation signal arriving on Earth at 09:03 GMT
A postcard from Philae: Pictured is the first panoramic ‘postcard’ from the surface of a comet. It shows a 360º view around the point of final touchdown. Parts of Philae’s landing gear can be seen in some of the frames
Dr Stephan Ulamec, who oversaw the audacious landing, said it was not clear if its three ice screws had deployed either. These are a passive device used to keep Philae attached to the surface but without the use of the harpoons they could be important in keeping it anchored.
‘Did we just land in a soft-sand box and everything is fine? Or is there something else happening? We still do not fully understand what has happened,’ he said.
Despite the unknowns, the team was treating the landing as a success last night. Further data will be forthcoming later today that will confirm the state of Philae on the surface.
Yesterday British scientist Dr Matt Taylor, who played a key role in the mission, said: ‘To see this mountaineering effort, that we’ve descended a lander to the surface of a comet, I can’t put words to it. It’s beautiful.’
And the expert was so confident of success that he had even had an image of the space probe tattooed on his right leg.
Before the attempt yesterday, there was also a good luck message from a man who had once boasted of boldly going into space himself.
Star Trek actor William Shatner sent the team a video in which the 83-year-old said: ‘Good luck Rosetta, Philae’s gonna land.’
One scientist then described the seven hours of ‘terror’ they went through to drop the Philae lander 13.6 miles (21.9km) above the comet from its mothership, Rosetta.
Dr Matthew Genge, of Imperial College London, said during the wait: ‘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.’
Much of the equipment aboard the lander was switched on for the first time after lying dormant during the ten-year journey.
Klim Churyumov, one of the Ukrainians who discovered the comet 45 years ago and named it, said from mission control in Darmstadt, Germany: ‘We saw the first light from this comet in 1969, now we are landing on it. It is a fantastic, outstanding event, the first like it in human civilization.’
TOUCHDOWN ON THE COMET: PHILAE’S DETAILED LANDING TIMELINE
Rosetta released Philae at 08:35 GMT/09:35 CET on 12 November at a distance of 14 miles (22.5km) from the centre of the comet.
The landing took place about seven hours later at around 15:30 GMT/16:30 CET.
During the descent, Philae took images and conducted science experiments, sampling the dust, gas and plasma environment close to the comet.
It also took a ‘farewell’ image of the Rosetta orbiter shortly after separation.
Longer-term study of the comet by Philae will depend on for how long and how well the batteries are able to recharge, which is related to the amount of dust that settles on its solar panels.
It is expected that by March 2015, as the comet moves closer in its orbit towards the sun, temperatures inside the lander will have reached levels too high to continue operations, and Philae’s science mission will come to an end.
But the Rosetta orbiter’s mission will continue for much longer. It will accompany the comet as it grows in activity until their closest approach to the sun in August 2015 and then as they head back towards the outer solar system.
This shot spotted by twitter user @coreyspowell appeared to show a picture from the surface of the comet before Esa began to release the first official images today. The landscape seems to suggest a different surface from the later shot released by Esa, so it may have been taken on one of the initial bounces
Almost there! An image from the lander as it approached the surface was briefly shown yesterday
Rosetta’s probe, Philae, has successfully landed on its comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Pictured is the mission control team in Darmstadt, Germany celebrating immediately after the announcement
The lander announced its arrival with this historic tweet for its ten year mission
Ptolemy, a British-built laboratory the size of a shoebox, will be used to analyse the composition of samples from the 4.5 billion-year-old comet.
Scientists hope the £1 billion ($1.6 billion) project will solve some of the greatest puzzles in science – including the origins of life on Earth.
Open University Professor Ian Wright, who helped create Ptolemy, said: ‘The idea that comets may have brought the building blocks of life to Earth is one of the reasons why we want to study them.’
Professor Stanley Cowley, planetary scientist at the University of Leicester, added: ‘It is an interesting relic from that otherwise inaccessible epoch.’
‘It’s complicated to land on a comet, and complicated to understand what has happened during this landing,’ said Dr Stefan Ulamec, Philae Lander Manager.
WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED IF THE THRUSTER DIDN’T WORK?
This morning it was revealed that the cold thruster – a nitrogen thruster – on top of the Philae lander was not working properly. This meant the Philae lander relied solely on its screws and harpoons (illustration shown) to ensure it did not bounce off the surface of the comet
When Philae touched the surface of the comet it fired harpoons into the surface to keep it anchored there.
To keep it attached to the surface a thruster at the top was meant to push it down as the harpoons fired.
But this morning, the thruster didn’t appear to be working – and it was confirmed the harpoons didn’t fire.
This meant the lander may have had to rely solely on screws on its legs.
The surface was much softer than they expected, so there were some concerns that Philae was not securely fixed on the comet – although from a software point of view things seemed to be fine.
Engineers may attempt to fire the anchors again soon in order to keep Philae attached to the surface of the comet.
‘It’s complicated to land on a comet, and complicated to understand what has happened during this landing,’ said Dr Stefan Ulamec, Philae Lander Manager.
‘The good news is we touched down, we had a clear signal and recieved data.
‘The not so good news is that the anchoring harpoons did not fire. We looked into the data, and we don’t fully understand what has happened.
We had fluctuations in the radio link, but it always came back again.
‘Some of the details indicate the lander may have lifted off again, it is bouncing.
‘Two hours later, this stopped. We may have landed not once, but twice.’
‘The good news is we touched down, we had a clear signal and recieved data.
‘The not so good news is that the anchoring harpoons did not fire. We looked into the data, and we don’t fully understand what has happened.
We had fluctuations in the radio link, but it always came back again.
‘Some of the details indicate the lander may have lifted off again, it is bouncing.
‘Two hours later, this stopped. We may have landed not once, but twice.’
In an emotional speech, Esa director general Jean-Jacques Dordain said: ‘It’s a big step for human civilisation.’
Scientists hope data from the probe will help reveal how the solar system was first created 4.5 billion years ago.
The confirmation of the landing was relayed via Rosetta to Earth and picked up simultaneously by a ground station in Malargüe, Argentina and Madrid, Spain, before being confirmed in Darmstadt.
Ahead of the landing, Rosetta took a number of images of Philae during its daring descent. This view shows the lander’s consert antennae deployed. It also shows three lander feet and the Rolis descent camera boom
Overjoyed: The Ukrainian astronomer Klim Tchurjumov (right), one of the discoverers of the comet 67P/Tchurjumov-Gerassimenko, and ESA General Director Jean-Jacques Dordain (left) hug each other at the satellite control center of Esa in Darmstadt, Germany
‘Esa and its Rosetta mission partners achieved something extraordinary today,’ said Dordain.
‘Our ambitious Rosetta mission has secured another place in the history books: not only is it the first to rendezvous with and orbit a comet, but it is now also the first to deliver a probe to a comet’s surface.’
‘After more than 10 years travelling through space, we’re now making the best ever scientific analysis of one of the oldest remnants of our solar system,’ added Alvaro Giménez, Esa’s director of Science and Robotic Exploration.
‘Decades of preparation have paved the way for today’s success, ensuring that Rosetta continues to be a game-changer in cometary science and space exploration.’
‘Hollywood is good, but Rosetta is better,’ – said the UK Space Agency CEO Dr David Parker.
At mission control the news was greeted with jubilation and high emotion by staff on the project
Applause: Media and dignitaries from around the world erupt in applause as they hear of Philae’s success
Europe makes space history as Philae probe lands on comet
Esa director general Jean-Jacques Dordain (pictured) said: ‘This is a big step for human civilisation…Esa and its Rosetta mission partners achieved something extraordinary’
Philae probe releases first image from landing on comet
Bye Rosetta! This image released shows the Philae lander’s view of the Rosetta spacecraft 50 seconds after it was released at 08.35am GMT. It is blurry because the probe was rotating at the time
Rosetta has chased comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko through space for more than ten years in what has been described as ‘the sexiest, most fantastic mission ever’
Rosetta has chased comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko through space for more than ten years in what has been described as ‘the sexiest, most fantastic mission ever’.
Speaking live on TV, Matt Taylor, project scientist of Rosetta, talked about the complexities of the mission.
‘I said she was sexy but I never said she was easy,’ he said, describing the thruster issue that worried scientists earlier today.
Despite this, after a four billion mile (6.5 billion km) journey, the probe successfully released Philae from its grip to land on the comet, travelling at 1 metre (40 inches) per second relative to the comet.
At 08.35 GMT yesterday, mission control in Darmstadt, Germany, sent a command to release the Philae probe from Rosetta’s grip. This picture shows the neck region of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. It was captured around 4.8 miles (7.7km) from the surface of the comet
Ecstatic: Mission scientists endured an agonising seven-hour wait yesterday as Philae fell to its comet
Success! Scientists were shown looking emotional as they realised they had made space history
A view further away taken by Rosetta’s Osiris camera. ‘It’s me… landing on a comet and feeling good!’, Philae tweeted
Reflection: Astronomer Klim Ivanovych Churyumov, who discovered the comet 67P/ Churyumov-Gerasimenko in 1969, reacts after the successful landing of the Philae lander on the comet
Immediately after the image was released, Philae tweeted: ‘It’s me…landing on a comet and feeling good!’.
The separation of Philae from Rosetta was confirmed at 9.03am GMT yesterday, and just after 11am GMT mission control in Darmstadt, Germany received a signal confirming the lander was working.
Throughout the day, the lander transmitted data and images back to Earth.
‘Everything looks really, really good,’ said Philae lander manager Stephan Ulamec.
However, the success of the mission hung in the balance because Philae had a faulty thruster, which meant had to rely solely on its ice screws in its legs and harpoons to attach itself to the surface – but the latter failed to deploy.
Tense: Mission director, Paolo Ferri, in the moment he realised the probe had landed. ‘For me this is a dream come true’, he told MailOnline
‘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, a senior lecturer in Earth and planetary science at Imperial College London.
At 08.35am GMT yesterday the mission control team in Darmstadt, Germany, sent a command to release the Philae probe from Rosetta’s grip.
The probe was in free fall for ‘seven hours of terror’, before attempting to land on the icy surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko at a site called Agilkia.
‘We’ll need some luck not to land on a boulder or a steep slope,’ said Stephan Ulamec before the landing.
And speaking to Astronomy Now, head of mission operations Paolo Ferri said they had received both positive and negative readings from the thruster.
‘We don’t know whether the motor is working or not. We have inconsistent readings,’ he said at the time. Ultimately, it failed to work.
This picture from mission control shows the team preparing to receive confirmation from the Philae lander that it had separated from Rosetta yesterday morning, which was confirmed just after 9am GMT
This graphic details how the Philae lander was supposed to touched down the surface of comet 67P. Without its cold thruster on top, however, the landing was due to be even more risky than thought – and ultimately the craft bounced twice on the surface before coming to rest
TO BOLDLY GO WHERE NO SPACECRAFT HAS GONE BEFORE
William Shatner, who played Captain James T. Kirk in the TV series Star Trek, has wished the Rosetta team good luck ahead of the landing attempt in a video recorded by himself.
‘Good luck Rosetta, Philae’s gonna land,’ he says in the video.
‘I am so excited and I wish you such good luck.
‘Good wishes from all of us here in Los Angeles.’
Shatner posted the video to his Twitter page, to which Esa responded: ‘Thank you captain!’
While the 83-year-old is known around the world as Captain Kirk from the fictional show Star Trek, he is also a big proponent of real space exploration.
In the past he has spoken with Nasa and Esa on Twitter, occasionally ‘checking in’ to see how the agencies are doing.
Back in August he tweeted: ‘How is @NASA doing today?’
Nasa responded: ‘@WilliamShatner Good day, Captain. #ISS is in standard orbit and Commander Swanson has the conn. Hope you’re having a great weekend!’
To which Shatner replied: ‘@NASA Very good news!’
Shatner played Kirk in Star Trek: The Original Series but also reprised his role elsewhere including in seven movies.
The team in Darmstadt, Germany, are pictured here celebrating as news of Philae’s separation from Rosetta was received yesterday
WHY DOES COMET 67P LOOK LIKE A ‘DOUBLE’ COMET?
When comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko was first imaged, scientists were shocked that it seemed to have two sections.
It appeared to have a smaller and a larger lobe, which earned it the nickname ‘rubber duck comet’ owing to its appearance.
Scientists aren’t quite sure why it has this odd shape, but it may be the result of something known as a ‘contact binary’.
This occurs when two comets come into contact at very low velocity before slowly melding together over many years.
This would mean comet 67P was actually once two comets.
Or it may have just been a single comet that was pulled into an odd shape by the gravitational pull of large bodies like Jupiter and the sun.
Alternatively it could have been shaped in such a way by ice evaporation on its surface or an impact with another object.
Esa also revealed this new image showing how the comet would dwarf London
This is an artist’s impression of Philae, showing how it made its way to the surface of the comet yesterday
Pictured is a separate Esa Rosetta control team in Toulouse, France awaiting news of the separation
Anxious: Scientists (mission controller Paolo Ferri pictured in foreground) faced a gruelling seven-hour wait to discover if the Philae probe had managed to safely land on the comet it has chased for 10 years
Esa successfully made contact with the Philae lander after it separated from the Rosetta spacecraft yesterday morning at 08.35am GMT. Pictured right is Paolo Ferri, Head of Mission Operations, celebrating making contact with Philae before the landing attempt
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