Philae Lander spacecraft on comet lost battery power

The Philae Lander spacecraft, the first to actually land on a speeding comet, has gone dark.

Philae's bumpy landing on Thursday left it in the shadow of a cliff. That meant its solar panels couldn't get enough sunlight to power its batteries.

PHOTOS: European spacecraft lands on comet

On Friday, mission scientists made a last-ditch attempt to nudge the spacecraft into a sunnier spot on the comet's surface. That effort apparently worked, but not in time to recharge Philae's batteries.

Philae's best hope might be next year when the comet gets closer to the sun. If there's enough sunlight then, Philae could reboot and power back up.