Thursday, November 13, 2014

What A Comet Looks Like Up Close

From the New York Post:

After a 10-year journey aboard the spacecraft Rosetta, the lander Philae touched down on the nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and took a picture of its surface.  Although harpoons intended to anchor Philae to the comet did not deploy, it appears to be in a stable position.  The lander has to deal with a problem not experienced with spacecraft sent to larger celestial objects.
Gravity on the comet is 1/100,000th that of Earth, meaning the lander weighs only 0.04 ounces there.
Read the full story, and of course, look at the picture.

UPDATE:  The Guardian has more.

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