Philae reached comet 67P at the planned Agilkia site, failed to anchor, and rebounded into an unplanned flight. Rosetta relayed Philae’s first science data while the team reconstructed its path and searched for its resting place. The first touchdown is well established; a possible later cliff contact and later positions remain model-dependent or approximate. Philae’s final resting place, Abydos, was confirmed in 2016.
Follow Rosetta’s rendezvous and mapping, the landing-site decision, Philae’s touchdown and measurements, the later intermittent contacts, and the search that finally located the lander. The mission returned measurements and data, not a comet sample.
Chapters:
00:00 Where will it stop?
01:32 A mission to meet a moving world
03:36 The long quiet crossing
06:09 Matching the comet
09:36 Choose a place to land
13:21 The bounce changes the plan
16:37 A short science window
20:54 A faint return
22:25 The comet wakes up
25:06 Find Philae, then follow Rosetta down
27:32 The answer
Sources and further reading:
ESA — The long trek: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Rosetta/The_long_trek
ESA — Comet rendezvous: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Rosetta/Comet_rendezvous
ESA — Touchdown: Philae lands on the comet: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Rosetta/Touchdown%21_Rosetta_s_Philae_probe_lands_on_comet
ESA — Reconstructing Philae’s trajectory: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2015/04/Reconstructing_Philae_s_trajectory
ESA — Rosetta and Philae, one year since landing: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_and_Philae_one_year_since_landing_on_a_comet
ESA — Philae’s intermittent contacts and hibernation: https://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2016/02/12/rosettas-lander-faces-eternal-hibernation/
ESA — Science on the surface of a comet: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Rosetta/Science_on_the_surface_of_a_comet
ESA — Did Philae drill the comet?: https://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/11/19/did-philae-drill-the-comet/
ESA — Philae found: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Rosetta/Philae_found
YouTube release: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A06NQATq6xU
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