ESA picks comet landing site
Posted: Tue, Sep 16, 2014, 8:29 AM ET (1229 GMT)
The European Space Agency announced Monday that it has selected a location on the surface of a comet where it will attempt to land a spacecraft in November. ESA said it has selected a location known as site "J" on the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko where it will land the Philae spacecraft. Philae is a lander that will be deployed from the Rosetta spacecraft, which arrived at the comet last month. Selecting a landing site for Philae proved to be particularly challenging given that the comet's nucleus has an unusual "rubber duckie" shape with two lobes and rough terrain. Site J is on the smaller, or "head," lobe of the comet, near what appears to be active surface features. The spacecraft's landing attempt is scheduled for November 11. ESA estimates a 70-75% chance of a successful landing.
The European Space Agency announced Monday that it has selected a location on the surface of a comet where it will attempt to land a spacecraft in November. ESA said it has selected a location known as site "J" on the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko where it will land the Philae spacecraft. Philae is a lander that will be deployed from the Rosetta spacecraft, which arrived at the comet last month. Selecting a landing site for Philae proved to be particularly challenging given that the comet's nucleus has an unusual "rubber duckie" shape with two lobes and rough terrain. Site J is on the smaller, or "head," lobe of the comet, near what appears to be active surface features. The spacecraft's landing attempt is scheduled for November 11. ESA estimates a 70-75% chance of a successful landing.
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
FAA restricts hours for commercial launches during shutdown
Posted: Sun, Nov 9 9:05 AM ET (1405 GMT) China postpones Shenzhou-20 return on orbital debris concerns
Posted: Sun, Nov 9 8:58 AM ET (1358 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Thursday, November 13
Firefly Aerospace identifies cause of Alpha test anomaly
NasaSpaceFlight.com — 4:12 am ET (0912 GMT) Firefly Plans Alpha Pad Return For Lockheed Martin Demo By Early 2026
Aviation Week — 4:12 am ET (0912 GMT) Alpha launch expectations lift Firefly despite Q3 losses
Austin (TX) American-Statesman — 4:11 am ET (0911 GMT) The Bright Side: Scientists witness supernova's early stages for the first time
France 24 — 4:09 am ET (0909 GMT) France steps into the space race
Defence24 — 4:06 am ET (0906 GMT) |
