comet probe uploads lastminute data from alien world
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today
Arab Today, arab today
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today

Comet probe uploads last-minute data from 'alien world'

Arab Today, arab today

Arab Today, arab today Comet probe uploads last-minute data from 'alien world'

European Space Agency
Paris - AFP

Robot probe Philae uploaded a slew of data to Earth Friday from a deep-space comet that it drilled into long after its onboard battery was feared to have died.
Data started streaming in as soon as late-night contact was reestablished between Europe's robot lab and its orbiting mothership Rosetta -- ending an anxious wait by mission controllers worried they might never hear from it again.
Philae's data collection from a comet travelling at 18 kilometres (11 miles) per second, currently at a distance of 510 million kilometres (320 million miles) from Earth, crowns a 10-year mission to study the origins of Solar System some 4.6 billion years ago, and maybe even life on Earth.
"Science from an alien world" said an official tweet from ESA (European Space Agency) Operations around 2300 GMT. "Info now flowing from ."
In the latest in a series of jaw-dropping achievements, the robot lab which landed in a dark ditch after a bouncy touchdown Wednesday, also managed to lift itself four centimetres (1.5 inches) and rotate its solar panels to absorb as much energy as possible to be stored for a possible wakeup later.
It was too late to recharge Philae's batteries sufficiently for an immediate life extension, and the lander was expected to go into hibernation very soon.
"So much hard work...getting tired... my battery voltage is approaching the limit soon now," said a tweet around midnight GMT.
But mission engineers hope they may be able to revive the lander for renewed contact in the coming months as the comet, with Philae still perched on its surface, moves closer to the Sun.
Philae landed Wednesday after a nail-biting seven-hour, 20-km descent from Rosetta, which had travelled more than a decade and 6.5 billion kilometres (four billion miles) to meet up with comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in August this year.
The touchdown did not go entirely as planned, when Philae's duo of anchoring harpoons failed to deploy and it lifted off again twice.
The lander finally settled in a crevice in a location that remains a mystery, but data revealed it was shadowed from battery-boosting sunlight that could have extended its 60-hour core mission.
- 'First comet drilling' -
Among the most anticipated data from Philae is chemical analysis of a sub-surface drill sample which scientists hope will shed light on the origins of the Solar System 4.6 billion years ago, and maybe even life on Earth.
The ESA confirmed that Philae had drilled into the comet Friday, though it did not specify whether a sample had been obtained
"I confirm that my (drill) went all the way DOWN and UP again!!" said a tweet in the robot's name. "First comet drilling is a fact!"
The lander and its mothership, which relays Philae's messages to Earth, have only two communications windows per day -- the last opened around 2130 GMT Friday.
Mission managers on Earth had to wait hours after the morning window closed to see whether the probe would have enough power from its fading 60-hour onboard battery to check in one last time.
The Rosetta-Philae team said Friday they were ecstatic with the results.
All 10 instruments on board the 100-kilogramme (22-pound) lab kicked into action, enabling Philae to send back the first-ever photos taken on a comet, and probed its surface density, temperature and composition.
The 1.3-billion-euro ($1.6-billion) mission aims to unlock the secrets of comets, which some astrophysicists believe may have "seeded" Earth with some of the ingredients for life.
Rosetta, with Philae riding piggyback, was hoisted into space in 2004, and reached its target in August this year, having used the gravitational pull of Earth and Mars as slingshots to build up speed.

 

arabstoday
arabstoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

comet probe uploads lastminute data from alien world comet probe uploads lastminute data from alien world

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

comet probe uploads lastminute data from alien world comet probe uploads lastminute data from alien world

 



GMT 18:57 2016 Wednesday ,05 October

Hollywood icon Robert De Niro arrives this weekend

GMT 08:49 2017 Friday ,28 April

Press cooperation protocol signed

GMT 04:01 2017 Friday ,24 November

Lebanon's Hezbollah hails 'positive' Hariri moves

GMT 16:39 2017 Wednesday ,06 September

Dolphins-Buccaneers NFL game called off as Hurricane Irma

GMT 12:55 2017 Sunday ,19 February

Day 1 Asian Winter Games medal table

GMT 10:01 2016 Tuesday ,16 August

Bayer could launch hostile bid for Monsanto

GMT 02:09 2017 Wednesday ,18 October

December22nd-January20th

GMT 12:53 2017 Tuesday ,22 August

Mahmoud informed on AAAID performance

GMT 11:45 2017 Thursday ,20 April

Expo Turkey by Qatar begins

GMT 09:59 2017 Tuesday ,25 April

A chaotic discovery of power

GMT 20:52 2017 Thursday ,27 April

Iraqi forces liberate Mutaibaija area from IS
Arab Today, arab today
 
 Arab Today Facebook,arab today facebook  Arab Today Twitter,arab today twitter Arab Today Rss,arab today rss  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©

arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
arabstoday, Arabstoday, Arabstoday