Rosetta orbiter spies possible lander site
Source: Nature
Rosetta orbiter spies possible lander site
Glinting pixels on comet surface raise hopes of finding hibernating Philae probe.
Elizabeth Gibney
12 June 2015
Philae — the European Space Agency’s lost comet lander — may have been spotted on the surface of the comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.
A comparison of images of the comet surface taken by the Rosetta orbiter before and after the probe landed on 12 November last year show the appearance of a bright spot that is the best candidate yet for the sleeping craft, ESA announced this week.
Philae’s landing was rough. After hitting its target, its harpoons failed and the probe bounced twice before landing in a tilted position in a shady area, and beneath a rugged-looking cliff. Without sufficient sunlight to charge its battery, the probe went into hibernation after just three days.
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Meanwhile, ESA scientists also have been hunting for Philae using a different approach. Researchers have looked through images taken by Rosetta’s camera last December, from around 18 kilometres above the comet's surface, and have identified several possible sightings. Because of Philae's small size and shaded position, any shiny reflections from its solar panels would show up as just a few pixels across. By comparing images taken before and after the landing under the same conditions, scientists have been able to discount spots that had glinted only fleetingly. A few remaining candidates are in the vicinity of Philae's predicted home, and a favourite has now emerged.
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Read more: http://www.nature.com/news/rosetta-orbiter-spies-possible-lander-site-1.17752
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First, the article link: Have We Found Rosetta's Lost Philae Lander?
The pic:
The five candidates, all but the upper left have been eliminated:
The smoking gun (October 22 pic is before Philae landed):
