The spacecraft is in perfect operational order but engineers from the European Space Agency (ESA) have confirmed that it is 'almost vertical' with 'one foot in the open air'.
'This has an impact on our energy budget,' said one scientist. 'The lander is relying on solar energy [and] we're getting one and half hours of sunlight when we expected six or seven.'
Philae has enough power in its batteries to last for around sixty hours of operation, but scientists are hoping they might be able to move the craft to a more favourable position using the landing gear.
However, there's a danger than any movements will only dislodge the lander from the surface or even tip it onto its back. A decision on what to do will be made tomorrow.
Comet lander @Philae2014 probably on its side, only two feet on ground pic.twitter.com/OiU3H0Ih66 - David Shukman (@davidshukmanbbc) November 13, 2014
The problems started when Philae's harpoons failed to secure it to the comet's surface after touching down, and the craft bounced - scientists think as high one kilometre - floating for an hour and fifty minutes before landing, with a second bounce lasting for a further six minutes.
The ESA team are not sure of the craft's exact location. 'We haven't entirely located it,' said project manager Stefan Ulamech. 'It's not very close to the landing site we wanted but it's not very far away.'
The image below shows the position where Philae first landed. It taken back in September when the orbiter was circling the comet at a distance of around 30km.
Post By http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/philae-lander-on-its-side-and-in-the-shade--but-scientists-say-the-craft-is-perfectly-operational-9858872.html
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