It was discovered by William Henry Pickering on March 18 1899 from photographic plates that had been taken starting on 16 August 1898 at the Boyden Station of the Carmen Alto Observatory near Arequipa Peru by DeLisle StewartIt was the first satellite to be discovered. Phoebe ˈ f iː b i FEE-bee is an irregular satellite of Saturn with a mean diameter of 213 km 132 mi. Pin On Craft Ideas Search compare low priced easyJet flights to 100s of destinations Book plane tickets at a great price jet off with easyJet. . Page needed In contrast to an impact probe which makes a hard landing that damages or destroys the probe upon reaching the surface a lander makes a soft landing after which the probe remains functionalFor bodies with atmospheres the landing occurs after atmospheric entry. A lander is a spacecraft that descends towards comes to rest on the surface of an astronomical body.