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by netcan 4229 days ago
Does the comet have enough gravity to hold on to dust? How do these small space objects even stay together?
1 comments

> Does the comet have enough gravity to hold on to dust?

Yes. Philae's weight on the comet is roughly equivalent to a few ounces/100g* on Earth. It's why there's so much concern about it not being anchored correctly; deploy the wrong instrument and you might push it away from the surface and out into space. So there is a significant gravitational attraction from the comet, just not very much!

* I've seen a few different estimates for this, but it's of this order.

> I've seen a few different estimates for this

Considering the comet's irregular shape, it probably depends a lot on exactly where the lander is.