10 Incredible Facts About The Philae Comet Landing

3. Philae Bounced A Kilometre Off The Surface

After its decade-long journey had finally come to an end, scientists at the European Space Agency were initially terrified to learn that the Philae lander wasn't going to be able to anchor itself properly to the comet. After a seven-hour descent, the lander struck the comet at 15:33 UTC, then bounced over a kilometre back into space. It then floated down to the comet again, taking two hours to reach the surface once more. It bounced again, then finally landed at 17:26. A combination of careful planning in the placement and blind luck meant that the lander was able to stay on the comet's surface even without the functionality of the harpoon. It may not have landed in the best place with regards to hitting the sun's rays, but it's a lot better than floating aimlessly through space.