Video Credit: ESA

Data from both the Philae lander and Rosetta orbiter experiments have been used along with simulations based on Philae’s mechanical design to reconstruct the lander’s attitude and motion during its descent and multiple touchdowns on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on 12 November, 2014.

Video Credit: ESA

Video Credit: ESA

This mosaic was assembled from a series of images captured by Rosetta’s OSIRIS camera taken over the half-hour spanning the first touchdown of the Philae lander Comet 67P/CG. The time of each of image is marked on the corresponding insets and is in UTC. A comparison of the touchdown area shortly before and after first contact with the surface is shown at the top.

The images were taken with the OSIRIS narrow-angle camera when the spacecraft was 17.5 km from the comet centre, or roughly 15.5 km from the surface. The enlarged insets cover a 17 x 17 m area.

From left to right, the images show Philae descending towards and across the comet before touchdown. The image taken after touchdown, at 15:43 GMT, confirms that the lander was moving east at a speed of about 0.5 m/s as it bounced across the surface of the comet.

Philae‘s actual final landing spot still hasn’t been found. After touching down and bouncing again at 17:25 UTC, it finally landed at 17:32. The mission imaging team believes that by combining the CONSERT ranging data with OSIRIS and navcam images from the orbiter and images from near the surface with data from Philae’s ROLIS and CIVA cameras they will be able to determine the lander’s whereabouts.

Image Credit: ESA

Watch your step! Next stop the comet.

This picture shows comet 67P/CG as seen by the ROLIS instrument on the Philae lander during descent at 14:38:41 UTC from a distance of about 3 km.

Image Credit: ESA

The Rosetta spacecraft will deployed its Philae lander today at around 0900 UTC. The lander should touch down on the comet around 1600 UTC. ESA is providing live coverage here. The picture above shows the designated landing area.

Image Credit: ESA

Video Credit: ESA

Video Credit: NASA