The lander even managed to communicate with ground control

Jun 15, 2015 06:45 GMT  ·  By

It was back in November 2014 that the European Space Agency's Philae probe landed on the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. 

The thing is that, rather than make a smooth landing, Philae bounced off the surface of its target orb a few times and eventually ended up next to a cliff or some other geological feature hiding it from view and, most importantly, blocking its access to sunlight.

With no way to recharge its batteries, the lander only remained operational for about 60 hours, after which it was forced into hibernation mode.

Over the past few months, European Space Agency mission scientists have on several occasions tried to reestablish contact with the lost comet probe. This past Saturday, June 13, they at long last succeeded. Yup, they talked to Philae and Philae talked back.

In a statement, researchers say that signals delivered by the Rosetta mission's comet lander reached Earth at 22:28 CEST (Central European Summer Time).

This June 13 conversation that European Space Agency scientists had with Philae for the first time in about 7 months only lasted for 85 seconds, and the Rosetta spacecraft, which carried the lander all the way to its target celestial body, acted as an intermediary.

“For 85 seconds Philae ‘spoke’ with its team on ground, via Rosetta, in the first contact since going into hibernation in November,” researchers explain.

Philae appears to have been awake for quite a while

Rosetta mission scientists say that, of the data delivered by the Philae lander over the weekend, some appears to have been recorded not on the day that they established contact with the probe but some time before.

This indicates that, although it was only on June 13 that ground control managed to communicate with the probe, Philae had actually been awake for at least a few days, during which time it studied and documented the particularities of its surroundings.

In order for Philae to have woken up, Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko must have shifted its position in such a way that the European Space Agency's sleeping lander received sunlight for long enough to at least partly recharge its depleted batteries.

At the time when scientists at long last made contact with it, the Philae lander had 24 watts worth of energy available, and its core temperature was one of minus 35 degrees Celsius (minus 31 degrees Fahrenheit).

The comet probe is designed to function at minus 45 degrees Celsius (minus 49 degrees Celsius) and an energy level of just 19 watts, so researchers expect that they will soon hear from it again. “Now scientists are waiting for the next contact,” the team writes in a statement.

Here's what the historic Rosetta mission is all about

As mentioned, the Philae lander was carried all the way to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko by the European Space Agency's Rosetta craft. The space vehicle launched in March 2004 and reached its target orb in August 2014.

While on its way to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, Rosetta performed a flyby of Mars and of two asteroids. On August 6, 2014, when it got close enough to its cometary target to place itself in its orbit, the spacecraft was an astounding 405 million kilometers (251 million miles) from Earth.

These days, the Rosetta spacecraft, Philae and Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko are nearly 304 million kilometers (189 million miles) away from our planet. Together, they are traveling towards the inner region of our Solar System.

Just like Rosetta is the first spacecraft ever to orbit a comet, Philae is the first probe to land on one. Plainly put, this European Space Agency mission is one for the books.

Since comets are basically the remains of the cloud of dust, gas and ice from which our Solar System was born, researchers expect that data delivered by Philae and Rosetta will help them better understand how our Sun and the planets circling it - ours included - came into being.

“Comets are considered to be primitive building blocks of the Solar System and may have helped to ‘seed’ Earth with water, perhaps even the ingredients for life,” mission scientists explain.

“But many fundamental questions about these enigmatic objects remain, and through a comprehensive,in situ study of the comet, Rosetta aims to unlock the secrets within,” they add.

A representation of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
A representation of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

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Artist's depiction of the Philae lander
A representation of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
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