Philae Spacecraft

The craft had been programmed for a "controlled impact", at a human walking pace of about 90cm per second.

US space agency NASA is poised on Thursday to launch its groundbreaking first mission to a near-Earth asteroid to collect samples that could shed light on the dawn of the solar system.

The agency released a photo of the washing machine-sized robot lab on the comet's rough surface.

Europe's Rosetta spacecraft has finally spotted its tiny lander Philae, thought to be lost forever, stuck in a ditch on the surface of a comet hurtling through space, ground controllers said Monday.

"The mission is coming to an end as a result of the spacecraft's ever-increasing distance from the Sun and Earth", said a statement by the ESA.

A year ago on Thursday, the world held its collective breath as a European spacecraft dropped a tiny robot lab onto the surface of a comet hurtling towards the Sun.

A comet hosting the Philae robot and orbited by the Rosetta spacecraft zipped by past the Sun on Thursday with all systems go, The European Space Agency said.

Europe's comet-riding robot lab Philae has fallen "silent", said ground controllers today who feared it may have shifted on the rough, alien surface, out of radio range.

The comet landed on by the European spacecraft Philae could be teeming with alien microbial life, according to two leading UK astronomers.

Scientists hope samples drilled from the comet will unlock details about how the planets - and possibly even life - evolved.

"I'm awake! How long have I been asleep?" This message was tweeted on Sunday by the European Space Agency's spacecraft Philae. The probe tumbled into a dark ditch on a comet last November after problems landing on the icy surface. Deprived of sunlight, Philae's solar panels were unable to supply power, and the craft was feared lost. But Philae's re...

The lack of a magnetic field on 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko could sweep away a key theory on the formation of comets and other solar system bodies.

"There is unlikely to be another opportunity for a dedicated lander search until later in the mission, possibly next year."

Scientists are considering sending the orbiting Rosetta spacecraft to swoop down just six kilometres over the patch where the lander is thought to be.

The study helps scientists better understand how comets form in the first place, how their surfaces evolve over time and how to potentially predict their lifespans.

The craft had been programmed for a "controlled impact", at a human walking pace of about 90cm per second.

US space agency NASA is poised on Thursday to launch its groundbreaking first mission to a near-Earth asteroid to collect samples that could shed light on the dawn of the solar system.

The agency released a photo of the washing machine-sized robot lab on the comet's rough surface.

Europe's Rosetta spacecraft has finally spotted its tiny lander Philae, thought to be lost forever, stuck in a ditch on the surface of a comet hurtling through space, ground controllers said Monday.

"The mission is coming to an end as a result of the spacecraft's ever-increasing distance from the Sun and Earth", said a statement by the ESA.

A year ago on Thursday, the world held its collective breath as a European spacecraft dropped a tiny robot lab onto the surface of a comet hurtling towards the Sun.

A comet hosting the Philae robot and orbited by the Rosetta spacecraft zipped by past the Sun on Thursday with all systems go, The European Space Agency said.

Europe's comet-riding robot lab Philae has fallen "silent", said ground controllers today who feared it may have shifted on the rough, alien surface, out of radio range.

The comet landed on by the European spacecraft Philae could be teeming with alien microbial life, according to two leading UK astronomers.

Scientists hope samples drilled from the comet will unlock details about how the planets - and possibly even life - evolved.

"I'm awake! How long have I been asleep?" This message was tweeted on Sunday by the European Space Agency's spacecraft Philae. The probe tumbled into a dark ditch on a comet last November after problems landing on the icy surface. Deprived of sunlight, Philae's solar panels were unable to supply power, and the craft was feared lost. But Philae's re...

The lack of a magnetic field on 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko could sweep away a key theory on the formation of comets and other solar system bodies.

"There is unlikely to be another opportunity for a dedicated lander search until later in the mission, possibly next year."

Scientists are considering sending the orbiting Rosetta spacecraft to swoop down just six kilometres over the patch where the lander is thought to be.

The study helps scientists better understand how comets form in the first place, how their surfaces evolve over time and how to potentially predict their lifespans.