A space probe makes history by landing on a moving comet
A space probe makes history by landing on a moving comet
This image was taken from above comet 67p on October 23, 2014. It shows the comet’s landscape and texture.
On November 12, a small probe helped scientists take a big step forward in space exploration. The probe, called the Philae lander, is the first spacecraft to set down on a comet. It will take photos and dig up samples from the comet’s surface.
The Philae lander is about the size of a washing machine. It dropped from the Rosetta spacecraft and landed on the comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko, also known as 67p. This mission could give researchers valuable information about the origins of our solar system and how it evolved.
A Long Journey
Rosetta traveled for 10 years, and across 4 billion miles, to reach its destination. The craft was launched in 2004 by the European Space Agency to observe comets. In 2011, Rosetta was powered down to conserve energy. Early this year, scientists brought it back to life to study 67P.
Philae separated from Rosetta about 14 miles above the comet. At first, the lander failed to fire anchoring harpoons into the surface. It bounced three times before coming to a stop, said Stephan Ulamec, the lander project manager.
The Philae lander will travel the surface of 67p and conduct a variety of scientific experiments. It could reveal secrets about the makeup of comets, the formation of our solar system, and even the origins of life. Researchers consider comets the remains of the ancient solar system. Their contents are preserved in a deep freeze because they spend much of their time far away from the sun. “What we believe is that we will study the most primitive material in the solar system,” says scientist Gerhard Schwehm. He served as Rosetta’s mission manager at the ESA from 2011 until his retirement earlier this year.
In the Dark
Scientists have not yet been able to determine exactly where Philae landed. Based on the first images the lander has sent back, they believe it is partially in a shadow of a cliff. That could be a problem, because it would prevent the lander from using its solar panels to collect energy from the sun. Currently, the scientists are updating their plans to get Philae out of the darkness.
Despite any initial concerns, the team is in good spirits—and so is Philae. On the night of its arrival, the lander tweeted a photo to its mother ship @ESA_Rosetta. “The view is absolutely breathtaking ESA_Rosetta! Unlike anything I've ever seen #CometLanding,” the tweet read.
Though it took a decade to get to 67p, Philae’s stay on the comet will be a short one. As soon as it landed, a 64-hour countdown began. When it ends, Philae’s on-board battery will run down. But Rosetta will continue to travel with 67p, sending information about the comet back to Earth for as long as it can.