• Philae Lander Touches Down on Comet, Harpoons Not Properly Secured to Surface

    A European spacecraft robot named Philae made history today as the 220-pound lander successfully touched down on the surface of a comet, as both hurled through space at 41,000 mph. Philae had separated from Rosetta, the mothership, and researchers spent seven extremely tense hours waiting for a signal indicating that Philae had reached its destination. The European Space Agency's celebration was short-lived, though, as it became apparent that there might be a problem with the landing. The plan was for Philae to gently set itself down on to the comet's uncertain surface and fire two harpoons into it, securing the lander so it could successfully complete a variety of scientific experiments.
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