|
 Scientists with the European Space Agency’s Rosetta mission did
not know if the small lander that touched down on the comet on
Wednesday would have enough battery power to phone its findings back
to Earth 500 million km (300 million miles) away.
Rosetta’s lander, called Philae, failed to anchor itself as planned
on the comet’s body, causing it to bounce and reland at about 1 km
(.62 mile) away from its original target.
Photos and other data later relayed by Philae indicate it is trapped
in shadow, suggesting it ended up by a cliff wall or inside a
crater. With battery power dwindling, scientists sent commands for
Philae to attempt to use its drill to obtain samples from the
comet’s body.
Those results were still pending, but on Friday Philae made a
belated radio call via the orbiting Rosetta mothership, reporting
that its drill successfully operated.
 "First comet drilling is a fact!" ESA posted on Twitter Friday
night.
Scientists also decided to attempt to reposition the lander so its
solar panels could recharge.
"Just started lifting myself up a little and will now rotate to try
and optimize the solar power," ESA said on the Philae lander Twitter
feed.
One of the most important tasks for the 100-kg (220-pound) probe was
to obtain samples from inside the comet for chemical analysis.
Comets are believed to be pristine remnants from the formation of
our solar system some 4.6 billion years ago. They contain rock and
ice that have preserved ancient organic molecules like a time
capsule and may provide insight into how the planets and life
evolved.
[to top of second column] |
Philae's drill descended more than 25 centimeters (10 inches) on
Friday, penetrating the comet’s surface.
Previous robotic probes conducted brief fly-bys. After a 10-year
flight, Rosetta arrived at comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in August
for a mission that is expected to run at least through December
2015.
"This mission is fantastic, let's look at what we have achieved, not
at what we would have done differently. This is unique and will be
unique forever," said Andrea Accomazzo, the Rosetta flight director.
(Additional reporting by Irene Klotz in Cape Canaveral, Florida;
Editing by Mark Heinrich and Grant McCool)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
