The European Space Agency released the first image taken from the surface of a comet, and said that the Philae lander is still “stable” despite a failure to latch on properly to the rocky terrain.
The lander touched down on comet 67P/Churyumov Gerasimenko after a decade-long, 4 billion-mile journey through space aboard its mothership, Rosetta.
ESA employees distributed an image showing the comet’s terrain Thursday.
“Now that I’m safely on the ground, here is what my new home #67P looks like from where I am,” a post on the Philae Lander’s Twitter account stated.
Now that I’m safely on the ground, here is what my new home #67P looks like from where I am. #CometLanding pic.twitter.com/gFmt8Ldvpa
— Philae Lander (@Philae2014) November 13, 2014
Philae and Rosetta will analyze the comet over the coming months, with scientists hopeful that the project will offer understanding of comets and other celestial objects -- and answer questions about the origins of life on Earth.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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