for-all-mankind: Philae wakes up! Europe’s Philae lander, the climax of the Rosetta mission, s
for-all-mankind:Philae wakes up!Europe’s Philae lander, the climax of the Rosetta mission, sent a signal to ground controllers earlier today, marking the first time the vehicle had been heard of after its batteries died. Following its historic landing on a comet - humanity’s first - the lander was discovered to have landed on its side in a crevice, without enough sunlight for extended surface operations. Philae lasted just under a day and a half on the surface of comet 67P before its batteries died. Ground controllers were hoping the lander would wake up some time in 2015 as the comet moved closer to the sun, spewing material and causing more light to reach Philae’s solar panels. While full status reports on the lander’s heath, location and instruments will be acquired in next few days,Initial data indicates Philae survived its seven-month sleep very well. -- source link
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