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 The European Space Agency’s Philae lander wrapped up an
unprecedented 57-hour mission on the surface of Comet
67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko on Saturday. The washing machine-sized
spacecraft, which was released by its orbiting Rosetta mother ship
on Thursday, ended up in a ditch after bouncing off the comet’s
surface.
A camera aboard Rosetta, which flew less than 10 miles above the
comet’s surface, captured the final minutes of Philae’s descent,
bounce and drift across the comet’s face, pictures released by the
European Space Agency on Monday showed.
The unintended bounce, a result of Philae’s harpooning ice screws
failing to anchor into the surface, left the lander in a ditch,
shielded from the sun needed to charge its battery for an extended
mission.
Scientists anxiously waited as Philae hustled through an automated
series of experiments – including drilling in the comet’s body --
and, against the odds, survived long enough to radio results back to
Earth.
Before shutting down, Philae shifted its position to try to catch
more light on one of its solar-powered panels. The comet, nicknamed
67P, is heading toward the sun, accompanied by the orbiting Rosetta
satellite.
The increasing amount of sunlight may serve another purpose besides
charging Philae’s dead battery. As the comet warms, it releases jets
of gas, which could potentially hoist Philae out of its ditch.
"It could be a natural way that it gets lifted up,” former Rosetta
manager Gerhard Schwehm said at a teleconferenced NASA science
advisory panel meeting in Washington, D.C. "If a little activity
starts there, then the chance that it comes off is fairly high."
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Gravity on the comet’s small body is about 100,000 times less than
Earth’s, giving Philae the relative weight of a piece of paper.
The comet’s surface was harder than scientists originally thought,
which is partly why its harpooning landing system failed. Schwehm
however said that may have been a blessing in disguise.
“Perhaps it was good that (Philae) didn’t fire the harpoons because
if they would not have penetrated you might have had a much bigger
problem," he said.
Early results from the ongoing Rosetta mission are expected to be
released next month at the American Geophysical Union conference in
San Francisco.
(Reporting by Irene Klotz in Cape Canaveral, Fla.; Editing by Steve
Orlofsky)
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