The image shows comet 67P/CG acquired by the ROLIS instrument on the Philae lander during descent on Nov 12, 2014 14:38:41 UT from a distance of approximately 3 km from the surface. The landing site is imaged with a resolution of about 3m per pixel.
An image captured by Rosetta's OSIRIS camera shows the Philae lander departing for the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
Tonight, or rather early tomorrow morning (4:03 ET), the Philae lander will separate from the ESA's Rosetta spacecraft currently orbiting Comet 67P/C-G, and will begin its seven hour descent towards the comet. Touchdown should occur around 11 AM ET tomorrow, Nov. 12.
Everything is now being webcast live from ESOC Mission Control Room in Darmstadt, Germany:
http://new.livestream.com/...
Schedule:
06:30-07:30 GMT / 07:30-08:30 CET: Final preparation manoeuvre and Go/No-Go #4 for lander separation
08:30-09:15 GMT / 09:30-10:15 CET: Lander separation scheduled at 09:03 GMT/10:03 CET
11:00-12:15 GMT / 12:00-13:15 CET: Science update and first pictures (NavCam) expected around 12:00 GMT / 13:00 CET
14:00-15:30 GMT/ 15:00-16:30 CET: Rosetta science / Last preparations and then await landing
15:45-16:15 GMT 16:45-17:15 CET: Landing expected at 16:00 GMT / 17:00 CET (+- 15 mn)
17:00 GMT /18:00 CET earliest: Presentation of first panoramic (CIVA) image from comet
The First Science Sequence (FSS) will begin immediately after touchdown. It will run for about 2.5 days, until the on board battery is depleted, after which the lander must recharge its batteries using its solar cells.
The plan is to use each instrument on the lander at least once during the FSS. Results from the FSS will be released as they are obtained.
Update at 5:50 GMT. The next event will be at 6:30 GMT, when there is a pre-delivery thruster burn on the Rosetta spacecraft and then a final Go/No-Go decision for lander separation.
Update at 6:35 GMT. The live coverage of the landing has begun at http://new.livestream.com/...
Update at 6:49 GMT. The pre-delivery manoeuvre is underway. The final Go/No-Go decision for lander separation will be made in about half an hour as the data comes back from the manoeuvre. If the decision is No-Go, it will be another 2-3 weeks before landing can be attempted again.
Update at 7:10 GMT. The manoeuvre was successful and we are Go for lander separation. The instructions for separation have been sent to the spacecraft.
Update at 7:23 GMT. The next event will be lander separation at 9:03 GMT, 1:03 PST (my time). Touchdown should be at 16:00 GMT, which is 8 AM PST. I'm going to get some sleep so that I can be awake for the landing.
Update at 15:15 GMT. The Philae lander successfully separated from the Rosetta orbiter and began its descent; it is now approaching touchdown on the comet. Touchdown is expected at 16:02 GMT.
Update at 15:23 GMT. We've just heard that Philae has deployed its landing gear.
Update at 15:43 GMT. A successful landing very much depends on Philae's harpoons, which created so much interest on Talk Like A Pirate Day (don't ask why). When the lander hits the comet, it will bounce off and the harpoons must deploy to restrain it. Let's hope the surface of the comet is cooperative.
The Rosetta orbiter is now manoeuvring towards a position that will permit the CONSERT (COmet Nucleus Sounding Experiment by Radiowave Transmission) package to image the comet's nucleus. A radar on Rosetta will send a signal through the body of the comet to a receiver on the lander. This will give us a low resolution map of the interior of the comet. The orbiter has to be positioned on the other side of the comet from the lander for the CONSERT experiment and its orbit is being adjusted accordingly.
Update at 15:58 GMT. Touchdown is minutes away.
Update at 16:09 GMT. Touchdown is confirmed.
Update at 16:14 GMT. The lander is anchored on the surface. "We are on the comet."
Update at 16:21 GMT. Now, during all the congratulations and politicians speaking, ÇIVA (Comet Nucleus Infrared and Visible Analyzer) is making a panoramic image of the comet's surface.
Update at 16:38 GMT. So the point of all this is not just the engineering challenge of putting a 220lb refrigerator-sized machine on the surface of a spinning snowball... as hard as that is. It is to find out what the snowball is made of. It is mostly made of water, but there are other compounds mixed in with the water. We have already detected ammonia and sulfur compounds from the orbiter. The surface of the comet is covered with a black "soot" made of complex carbon compounds. We very much want to know what those compounds are, because similar carbon compounds were brought to the early Earth by the comets that made Earth's oceans. We already know that compounds such as glycine -- an amino acid, one of the constituents of proteins -- are present on comets. Finding out what complex carbon molecules are on and just under the surface of 67P/C-G is a major part of this mission.
Update at 16:49 GMT. Apparently there is a problem with the anchors. Although the software on the lander is executing correctly, it is not certain the lander is completely stable on the surface; it may be moving around somewhat.
Update at 17:05 GMT. The cold-gas thruster on top of the lander did not appear to be working prior to the touchdown. This was a system designed to hold the lander down while the harpoons fired. It now looks as if the harpoons may not have anchored when they fired. They have been reeled back and the team is considering whether to attempt to fire them again. If the lander is not completely still on the surface, some of the experiments may not be possible. For example, the ÇIVA panoramic images will not be very good if the cameras are moving.
Update at 17:34 GMT. The latest tweet from ESA Operations:
RT @Philae2014: I’m on the surface but my harpoons did not fire. My team is hard at work now trying to determine why. #CometLanding
Update at 17:58 GMT. The scale of 67P/C-G, explained for nerds and geeks: