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Philae Comet Lander has been found

Accepted submission by nishi.b at 2016-09-05 15:18:05
Science
The BBC reports [bbc.com] that Philae, the lander of the Rosetta probe on comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko has been located in a high-resolution image from Rosetta.

It was assumed Philae had bounced into a dark ditch on touchdown - an analysis now borne out by the latest pictures, which were acquired from a distance of 2.7km from the icy body.

[...]

Rosetta had previously surveyed this location - dubbed Abydos - without success. "Candidate detections" were made but none were very convincing.

The difference today is a closer-in perspective and a change in the seasons on the comet, which means the hiding place is now better illuminated. The discovery comes just a few weeks before controllers plan to crash-land Rosetta itself on to the comet to formally end its mission.


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