By 
February 15th, 2016
Philae was the first human-made object to make a landing on a comet.
Credit: ESA/ATG Medialab
European scientists are in mourning regarding the passing of Philae, the little lander that could…and did.
On November 12, 2014, Philae made a spectacular comet landing, coming to rest on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. It was ejected from the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Rosetta orbiter following a 10-year journey through space to reach the target.
Mums the word
“Unfortunately, the probability of Philae re-establishing contact with our team at the DLR Lander Control Center (LCC) is almost zero, and we will no longer be sending any commands…it would be very surprising if we received a signal now,” said Stephan Ulamec Philae Project Manager of the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR).
The last prolonged silence had already indicated that contact with the Philae lander will be increasingly unlikely, and the conditions on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko have become more hostile.
This series of 19 images, acquired by the Rosetta orbiter’s Optical, Spectroscopic, and Infrared Remote Imaging System (OSIRIS) on November 12, 2014, shows the Philae lander during its descent towards Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
Meanwhile, ESA’s Rosetta spacecraft will continue to orbit the comet and carry out measurements with its scientific instruments until September 2016.
Last images
Despite the glum news about Philae, the communication unit onboard Rosetta will not be switched off yet. It will continue to listen for signals from the lander in the coming months until it will be switched off due to power constraints.
Scientists carried out over 60 hours of research with Philae’s instruments, acquiring images, sensing molecules and attempting to hammer the unexpectedly hard surface of the comet.
Two-part image taken by Philae comet lander.
Photo shows Philae on the surface – with one of its landing legs visible.
Credit: ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA
The last images of Philae sitting on the comet will probably be acquired in the summer of 2016, when the Rosetta spacecraft photographs the lander during ultra-close fly-bys.
The Rosetta orbiter itself will be “landed” on the comet in September 2016, closing out its mission.
For an informative video on Philae’s landing, go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YIFlHqGqh4
Posted in Space News
