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DARMSTADT, Germany — The European Space Agency's Philae lander sent back its first image Thursday after safely landing on the surface of a comet, marking the high point of a $1.3 billion, 10-year mission. One of the lander's three feet can be seen at lower left in the picture above.
Mark McCaughrean, a scientific expert at the ESA, told NBC News that researchers were still analyzing the photo, but that it appeared to have been taken at a slight angle to the horizon of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. They hope to release a panoramic image later Thursday.
— Andy Eckardt