14 DAY TRIAL // Some time ago, towards the end of last year, astronomers with the European Space Agency accomplished a world first. In a nutshell, these guys and gals successfully landed a probe on the surface of a comet racing through the cosmos.
This historic landing took the world by storm and folks all across the globe kept talking about it for a few good days. The thing is that, like all other celebrities, the European Space Agency’s lander soon ran out of its 15 minutes of fame and glory.
Well, just in case some of you happen to be in the mood to learn what this probe that was insanely popular a few months ago has been up to lately, here’s a brief account of what life is like for the comet lander now that its moment of glory is long gone.
First things first, here’s how Philae ended up on its target comet
The European Space Agency’s Philae lander made it on the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov – Gerasimenko on November 12, 2014. The signal confirming the landing reached Earth at 16:03 GMT (17:03 CET), about half an hour after touchdown.
The lander left our planet on March 2, 2004, together with the Rosetta spacecraft, which carried it all the way to its target. At the time Philae landed on its surface, Comet 67P/Churyumov – Gerasimenko was traveling through space at 18 kilometers per second (11 miles per second).
Besides, the celestial body found itself at a distance of about 510 million kilometers (317 million miles) from Earth. Otherwise put, having Philae make it on its surface was without a doubt the absolute coolest landing in history.
The thing is that, shortly after reaching Comet 67P/Churyomov – Gerasimenko’s surface, the lander ran out of battery. Scientists believe that this happened because the probe landed next to a cliff or some other structure that blocked its access to sunlight and kept it from recharging itself.
Not all hope is lost, scientists say
True, the European Space Agency is now hidden in some place where it cannot access enough sunlight to recharge its batteries and get back online. Otherwise put, the lander is taking a rather long and not exactly comfy nap.
Still, scientists say that not all hope is lost. They explain that, as the comet moves around the Sun, light is sure to reach other regions of its surface than the ones that are now facing our parent star. What this means is that the lander could soon get the sunlight it needs to wake up.
It is believed that, with a little bit of luck, Philae will once again be operational sometime this coming May, maybe June. When this happens, the lander is expected to send a signal revealing its exact position on the surface of the comet and get to work studying its target.
As mentioned, the Philae lander left Earth together with the Rosetta spacecraft. This probe is still operational and is now orbiting Comet 67P/Churyumov – Gerasimenko and snapping photos of it. Hence, some might be wondering why the spacecraft isn’t looking for the lander.
The thing is that the European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft isn’t doing all that great either. On the contrary, it does not have all that much fuel left. Should it approach the comet in search of the lander, it would burn quite a lot of it. This would surely compromise its mission.
Otherwise put, the reason Rosetta was not made to search for the lost lander is that this spacecraft has more important things to do. Things like map the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov – Gerasimenko in unprecedented detail and report back to Earth.
One can only hope that, in the months to come, the lander will manage to wake up on its own. Then again, even if this does not happen, Philae will forever be the first probe ever to land on a comet, and that’s pretty badass, right?
