Lander manager says Philae is doing well but battery life is low

Paolo Ferri, head of mission operations, describes the moment of relief when engineers confirmed the Philae comet lander separated from its Rosetta mothership. But anxiety is building over touchdown after telemetry data raised questions about the status of an important cold gas thruster designed to keep the lander from bouncing off the comet.

Research teams across Europe spent the last half-year meticulously going through a wish list of experiments for the Philae comet lander without knowing whether they would ever get a chance to execute the tasks.

Rosetta flight director Andrea Accomazzo says the Philae lander is ready for a daring descent and touchdown Wednesday on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The European craft is making the world’s first attempt to land on a comet.