New results from Philae lander offer first close-up of a comet
Ice and dust inside, 67P’s surface marked by mix of sand, hard rock, craters and cliffs
TAKE TWO Philae’s intended landing spot (left, imaged from 40 meters above the comet’s surface) was soft and sandy. A two-hour-long bounce dropped it in a craggy pit (right, with lander leg at bottom) where the ground is as hard as pumice.
DLR/ROLIS/Philae/Rosetta/ESA (left), CIVA/Philae/Rosetta/ESA (right)