Philae's descent and science on the surface
Date: 16 September 2014
Copyright: ESA/ATG medialab
Annotated version of the Philae's mission at comet 67P animation.
The animation begins with the deployment of Philae from Rosetta at comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in November 2014. It will take several hours for Philae to reach the surface. Because of the comet's extremely low gravity, landing gear will absorb the small forces of landing while ice screws in the probe's feet and a harpoon system will lock the probe to the surface. At the same time a thruster on top of the lander will push it down to counteract the impulse of the harpoon imparted in the opposite direction. Once it is anchored to the comet, the lander will begin its primary science mission, based on its 64-hour initial battery lifetime. The animation shows a number of the science instruments in action on the surface.
Rosetta's Philae lander is provided by a consortium led by DLR, MPS, CNES and ASI.