Goodnight, Sweet Philae: Bid to Reawaken Rosetta's Lander Near Impossible

By Emily Carney, on February 14th, 2016

From ESA, “Welcome to a Comet”: “Philae’s view of the cliffs at Abydos. One of the lander’s three feet can be seen in the foreground.” Image Credit: ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA

It would have been a heroic coda to an already ambitious, historic mission, but alas, it was not meant to be. For the past few […]

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Rosetta Mission and Philae Lander Celebrate One Year Since Historic Touchdown on a Comet

By Emily Carney, on November 15th, 2015

Artist’s concept of Philae on the surface of Comet 67P, with the Rosetta spacecraft orbiting overhead. Image Credit: CNES/DUCROS David/ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM

The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Rosetta mission continues to capture the world’s imagination one year following the historic touchdown(s) of its Philae lander. On Nov. 12, Philae surpassed its […]

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Rosetta Detects Molecular Oxygen at Comet 67P, Adding to Year of Firsts

By Emily Carney, on October 29th, 2015

From ESA: “This single frame Rosetta navigation camera image of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko was taken on 18 October 2015 from a distance of 433 km from the comet centre. The image has a resolution of 36.9 m/pixel and measures 37.8 km across.” Image Credit: ESA/Rosetta/NavCam (Note: This image has been cropped.)

The European Space […]

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ESA's Historic Rosetta Mission Extended Through September 2016

By Emily Carney, on June 24th, 2015

Rosetta and Philae at comet 67P. Credit: ESA–C. Carreau/ATG medialab

The European Space Agency (ESA) announced that the Rosetta mission, which saw the spacecraft successfully orbit a comet and set a lander down upon its surface in a series of historic firsts, has been extended. Just days after it was revealed Philae, Rosetta’s […]

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Philae Is Alive! ESA Comet Lander Feared Dead, Phones Home After 7 Months of Silence

By Emily Carney, on June 14th, 2015

ESA Philae lander approaches comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko on 12 November 2014 as imaged from Rosetta orbiter after deployment and during seven-hour-long approach for first ever touchdown on a comet’s surface. Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA – Composition by Marco Di Lorenzo/Ken Kremer

The European Space Agency (ESA) made history last fall with the […]

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