Lost Philae spacecraft has been found!
- Published
The Philae lander has been found!
The European Space Agency has released a photo of the lost Philae probe, which
Scientists lost contact with it earlier this year, so the team are very happy to be able to see that it is still there.
This was because the probe had a .
It bounced on impact with the comet, and ended up being stuck in a shaded part of the comet.
This meant that its solar powered batteries couldn't charge from the sun properly.
A close-up image of the Philae Lander
The Philae lander was found using the super-powered OSIRIS camera, which snapped the photo on its orbit around the comet.
The Rosetta space mission comes to an end in a month's time, so the scientists are very happy they were able to find it before the end of the mission.
"This remarkable discovery comes at the end of a long, painstaking search," says Patrick Martin, one of the ESA's scientists. "We were beginning to think that Philae would remain lost forever. It is incredible we have captured this at the final hour."
- Published14 February 2016
- Published12 November 2014
- Published14 November 2014
