
The European space agency has unveiled the full image sequence of Philae's historic descent on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.

The probe made its dramatic touchdown on 12 November while the comet was travelling at an incredible 34,000 mph (55,000 km per hour).

This series of 19 images tracks the probe's seven hour journey as it fell 14 miles (22.5km) towards the comet's icy surface.

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This series of 19 images tracks Philae's seven hour journey as it fell 14 miles (22.5km) towards the comet's icy surface. The probe made its touchdown on 12 November

The latest images were taken from Rosetta’s Osiris camera with the timestamp marked in GMT. Only a few frames of this image series had been made public previously.

When Philae first made contact with the surface it failed to fire harpoons that would have kept it attached to the comet.

This resulted in it bouncing to a height of 0.62 miles (1km) above the comet before again landing on the surface. It then bounced again, but to a much lower altitude.

While its precise location still remains unknown, early images suggest the probe landed with two legs on the ground and one pointing into space, which is severely limiting its access to sunlight.

Since then the search has been on to identify it in higher-resolution images, but now that Rosetta has moved to a different orbit, and is further away from the comet, the chances of observing the lander are less

Previously, only a few frames of this image series had been made public. The latest images were taken from Rosetta’s Osiris camera with the timestamp marked in GMT

While its precise location still remains unknown, early images suggest the probe landed with two legs on the ground and one pointing into space, which is severely limiting its access to sunlight. It is shown here during the fifth stage of its descent

Controllers have now said they will simply wait for Philae to make contact with its mothership.

Rosetta engineers in Darmstadt, Germany, will begin to monitor the feed in a few weeks' time and say there could be a chance the communication will be established in May or June.

During these months, improved lighting conditions at the probe's assumed location could provide enough power to run the onboard radio transmitter.

Radio tests on the probe just before it lost power have narrowed down its location to somewhere in a strip of terrain roughly 350m by 30m.

Rosetta camera's scoured this location in early December, and each of its images were scanned by mission controllers to see if they could spot any pixels that were brighter than the rest. But Philae still couldn't be found.

If Philae gets its power back, it would resume all science observations, which could take place in August, just when the comet is at its most active phase, according to a report by the BBC.

In the meantime, the scientific haul from the comet continues as Rosetta continues its orbit around the icy body - and now illustrations have revealed amazing new details of the comet.

An array of colours and diagrams highlight the gravitational field of the comet, thermal energy trapped between its cliffs and organic compounds on its surface.

Scientists are hoping to answer many questions about this and other comets, including its formation, structure and evolution over time.

Controllers have now said they will wait for Philae to make contact with its mothership. Philae is seen here on its seven-hour descent

When Philae first made contact, a few hours after this image was taken, it failed to fire harpoons causing it to bounce twice before landing

Using data from the Optical, Spectroscopic, and Infrared Remote Imaging System (Osiris) and the Radio Science Investigation instrument, scientists have now been able to calculate the comet’s gravitational field.

They have found that the gravitational force at the ‘lobes’ - the two ends of the comet - is about six times stronger than at the neck - the narrower area connecting the two lobes.

It is still unknown whether the two-lobed shape of the comet is the result of two smaller bodies coming together, or if the neck has been ‘eaten’ away over time - like the core of an apple.

Currently the latter theory is becoming the preferred explanation, as it appears the two lobes have similar structures – indicating they have the same origin.

From this gravitational data scientists also found that comet’s density is about half that of water.

Dr Holger Sierks from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, who was involved in the studies, told MailOnline that they now had a greater understanding of the comet's interior.

Pictured is the current lander search area. Now that Rosetta has moved to a different orbit, and is further away from the comet, the chances of observing the lander are less, Rosetta engineers have said

The blurry image captures the rapid motion in which Philae was launched back out into space. The probe was launched to a height of 0.62 miles (1km) and then to a much lower height of 65ft (20 metres) before coming to rest

COMET SHOWS SIGNS OF WAKING Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is showing signs of waking up early as it streaks towards the Sun at 47,800 mph (76,900 km/h). As it approaches the sun, the rubber duck-shaped lump of ice, dust and rock is expected to heat up and release more gas and water vapour from its interior. Comets are most active when they reach perihelion, the point in their orbit when they are closest to the Sun. But even at a distance of more than 200 million miles (320 million km), comet 67P is beginning to stir in dramatic fashion. Dr Dennis Bodewits, from the University of Maryland, US, who led one of several teams reporting latest findings from the European Space Agency's Rosetta mission in the journal Science, said: 'We are already seeing more activity. 'Jets are sprouting up everywhere. We've been surprised to see how active it is. It already has more jets than many other comets do at perihelion.' Advertisement

He said the interior is now thought to be analogous to 'ash, cigarette ash or super-dry powder snow.'

Data from several instruments, meanwhile, has shown that the comet’s neck is the source of most of the dust and gas it is ejecting.

The reason for this is quite interesting. Based on data, the Rosetta team found that the neck receives less energy than the rest of the comet because it is shaded.

However, the two lobes either side trap radiation, with energy being ‘bounced’ between cliffs, causing the neck to be move active.

The low gravitational pull of the neck also means that less force is needed to blow its dust and gas away than at the lobes.

From the images and data, five basic - but diverse - categories of terrain type have been determined: dust-covered; brittle materials with pits and circular structures; large-scale depressions; smooth terrains; and more ‘rock-like’ surfaces.

Much of the comet also appears to be covered in dust, as a result of dust that is dragged along by the comet falling to the surface over time.

One prominent and intriguing feature is a 1,640ft (500m) long crack seen roughly parallel to the neck of the comet, running between its two larger lobes at either end.

The biggest question remaining about the comet, though, is how it formed.

Two predominant theories remain: either it is the result of two smaller bodies ‘sticking’ together, forming a single comet, or its central neck has been eaten away over time like the core of an apple.

Rosetta is essentially living with the comet as it moves towards the sun along its orbit, learning how its behaviour changes on a daily basis and, over longer timescales, how its activity increases, how its surface may evolve, and how it interacts with the solar wind,’ said Esa Rosetta project scientist Matt Taylor.

‘We have already learned a lot in the few months we have been alongside the comet, but as more and more data are collected and analysed from this close study of the comet we hope to answer many key questions about its origin and evolution.’