When the Philae spacecraft landed on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko Wednesday, the anchors needed to hold it down in the feeble gravity failed to fire and the lander bounced back into space, soaring ...

Lander has first contact with Earth since November. — -- The Philae comet lander has phoned home for the first time following a seven month hibernation on the comet 67-P, sending valuable data ...

Philae, the first spacecraft to land on a comet, delighted scientists this weekend by waking up and reestablishing contact with Earth, seven months after running out of power. It “spoke” for more than ...

Scientists have discovered the second site at which ESA’s ill-fated Philae lander touched down on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, and in so doing revealed that the ancient ice hidden under the ...

I recall it as clearly as if it were yesterday. I was standing on a small island in the middle of a huge and absolutely still lake. The sunrise over the desert and the silence add to the beauty of the ...

This image shows Queen Arsinoë II in the Philae temple, Aswan, Egypt. Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing ...

After a bumpy landing, mission control pinpoints location. — -- Mission control reestablished contact with the Philae lander today after several tense hours in which the European Space Agency had ...

During Wednesday’s historic landing on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the European Space Agency (ESA) Philae lander suffered a setback that may cut its mission short. Due to equipment malfunctions, ...

Less than two days after its historic landing, Rosetta's probe may be reaching its final hours, and the scientific team is racing to collect as much data as possible before Philae's batteries run out.

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Eric Mack is a reporter covering science, sustainability and space. This article is more than 10 years old. After a decade-long ...