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IPFS News Link • Space Travel and Exploration

Rosetta #Comet Landing LIVE webcast

• European Space Agency

Successful landing received at 11:04AM EST.  Now trying to determine its orientation and if everything deployed properly and is working.  11:14AM EST: Harpoons confirmed fired & reeled in. Flywheel now be switched off.  11:20AM: ESA Mission Director verbally (still not tweeted) contradicted the earlier report and says the harpoons did not deploy and they are debating whether to try again and if this fails how secure the craft landed on the comet.  He said the sensors reported a much softer landing than expected.  And confirmed a (cold gas lander thruster to push against surface and hold probe against it while ice screws and harpoons burrow into surface to hold it) tank was in fact depleted sometime during the ten year voyage as feared during the 10 year voyage which delayed landing earlier.

Another hour minimally (noon EST) before images sent back. - Powell

LIVE FEED:

12 November 2014

On 12 November, Rosetta's Philae probe is set to make the first-ever landing on a comet when it touches down on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.

Separation of the lander is planned for about 09:03 GMT (10:03 CET), and touch down should follow about seven hours later, at 16:02 GMT (17:02 CET).

Follow this historic event via live updates posted in the following channels:

Webcast live from mission control: http://new.livestream.com/esa/cometlanding

Webcast will begin 19:00 GMT (20:00 CET) 11 November and continue (with pauses) to cover crucial mission milestones overnight on Tuesday and through Wednesday. Check the ESA TV schedule here for detailed times.

Rosetta blog: http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta

Updated with news and information direct from the mission operations and science teams.

Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/ESA_Rosetta
http://www.twitter.com/esaoperations
http://www.twitter.com/philae2014
http://www.twitter.com/esascience


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