Candidate landing site I
Date: 25 August 2014
Satellite: Rosetta
Depicts: Philae candidate landing site I
Copyright: See below
Five candidate sites were identified on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko during the Landing Site Selection Group meeting held 23-24 August 2014.
This image shows a zoom into candidate site I, which is located on the smaller lobe of the comet. It is a relatively flat area that may contain some fresh material, but higher-resolution imaging is needed to assess the extent of the rough terrain. The illumination conditions would also allow for longer-term science planning.
The image was taken with Rosetta's OSIRIS narrow angle camera on 16 August, from a distance of about 100 km. The frame is about 1 km across and is centred on the mid-point of the landing ellipse. The image resolution is 1.85 m per pixel.
The letter designation does not indicate a ranking; this will be completed on 14 September when a primary and back up site will be selected. Philae's landing is provisionally planned for 11 November; the date will be confirmed in mid-October.
Credits: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
