Philae has been found!
The small robotic spacecraft has been missing in action since November 2014, when it had a rough landing on the surface of the comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. The lander had sent sporadic signals to Rosetta, the probe orbiting the comet, but eventually ran out of battery power due to lack of sunlight.
Scientists had a general idea where Philae had come to rest but had no photographic evidence until now. Less than a month before the end of the mission, Rosetta’s high-resolution camera has revealed the Philae lander wedged into a dark crack on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.
Source & further reading:
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Philae_found
#space #esa #rosetta #philae #science
I wonder if they can reactivate it at all? Though that may involve sending a salvage team (robospacedog - fetch!).
ReplyDeleteI remember when Beagle 2 was launched, lost, then found 12 years later. At least Mars Express is still active.
What a wonky gravitational field that must be.
ReplyDelete