Philae bounce on comet landing may cut mission short

During Wednesday’s historic landing on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the European Space Agency's Philae lander suffered a setback that may cut its mission short. Due to equipment malfunctions, the unmanned, washing machine-sized lander failed to secure itself to the surface of the comet. In the 1/100,000 gravity, Philae bounced back into space twice, eventually landing in a hole about a kilometer (0.6 mi) from its designated landing area, where its batteries may not be able to charge properly... Continue Reading Philae bounce on comet landing may cut mission short



Section: Space



Tags: Batteries, Comets, ESA, Philae, Rosetta, Unmanned



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