A thruster system problem on the European Space Agency’s Philae lander has heightened the drama surrounding what scientists hope will be the first-ever soft touchdown on a comet. There were cheers in the control room as ESA’s Rosetta spacecraft released the boxy lander right on time, at 3:35 a.m. ET Wednesday. “We’ve been living and flying together for 10 years,” Rosetta flight director Andrea Accomazzo said during a webcast. “Now Philae is gone. It’s on its path down to the comet.” The spacecraft separation kicked off what project scientist Claudia Alexander has called “seven hours of terror” — a...
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