Science Ticker Planetary Science

Spot on comet chosen for Rosetta mission lander

Philae landing site J on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko

Site J, denoted by the plus sign, marks the spot on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko where Rosetta's lander Philae will attempt to touch down in November 2014.

Rosetta/ESA

By Ashley Yeager

Philae, the Rosetta mission lander, will attempt to touch down on a spot called site J on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. The site selection was announced September 15 during a press briefing in Paris. Site J is on the smaller lobe of the comet, which is shaped like a rubber duck. Philae is slated to land on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko on November 11. 

About Ashley Yeager

Ashley Yeager is the associate news editor at Science News. She has worked at The Scientist, the Simons Foundation, Duke University and the W.M. Keck Observatory, and was the web producer for Science News from 2013 to 2015. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a master’s degree in science writing from MIT.

More Stories from Science News on Planetary Science

  1. Planetary Science

    A first look at rocks from the lunar farside create a volcanic mystery

    By Lisa Grossman
  2. Planetary Science

    Uranus may have looked weird when NASA’s Voyager 2 flew by

    By Lisa Grossman
  3. Planetary Science

    50 years ago, scientists found a new moon orbiting Jupiter

    By Emily Conover
  4. Planetary Science

    The cataclysmic origins of most of Earth’s meteorites have been found

    By Robin George Andrews
  5. Planetary Science

    NASA’s Europa mission is a homecoming for one planetary astronomer

    By Lisa Grossman
  6. Planetary Science

    Saturn’s first Trojan asteroid has finally been discovered

    By Ken Croswell
  7. Planetary Science

    Europa Clipper has launched to solve an alien mystery

    By Lisa Grossman
  8. Planetary Science

    Scientists find a long-sought electric field in Earth’s atmosphere

    By Lisa Grossman