All Is Not Lost For Historic Philae Comet Lander

The world held its collective breath on November 12th 2014 as the European Space Agency made history with Philae Lander – scientific equipment the size of a washing machine that landed on the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The Rosetta mission, which began its journey of over 311 million miles more than decade ago, successfully delivered the Philae Lander onto the surface of the comet and began receiving ground-breaking data shortly afterward. The celebrations soon turned to anxiety, however, as it became clear that problems with the landing would severely shorten the Lander’s battery life.

Images captured by Rosetta – the Lander’s “mother ship,” which is now orbiting the comet – depict the descent of the Lander and its subsequent “bouncing,” caused by the failure of anchoring harpoons and downward thrusters. These issues resulted in the equipment coming to rest in a crater in the shadow of a steep cliff-face – greatly reducing the amount of sunlight able to reach the equipment and charge its batteries. After completing a series of automated experiments – including the deployment of a drill – mission managers attempted to shift the position of the Lander’s largest solar panels, in order to prolong its operational time. Eventually, however, Philae Lander shut down and went to “sleep.”

While those following the dramatic events on social media expressed dismay as Philae Lander fell silent, scientists involved in the mission have been keen to highlight the positive outcomes and the wide range of possibilities that lie ahead, now that they have deposited man-made scientific equipment on such a distant celestial body at a cost of $1.6 billion.

Firstly, scientists from the German Aerospace Center studying the data received from the Lander after touching down have surmised that assumptions previously made about the composition of the comet’s surface are actually incorrect. It seems that it is considerably tougher and contains far more ice than expected – as explained by Klaus Seidensticker:

“The strength of the ice under a layer of dust on the first landing site is surprisingly high.”

Secondly, scientists have indicated that before losing power, Philae was able to “sniff” organic molecules, which is now among the data being analysed. This information is coupled with attempts to confirm whether the Lander’s deployment of its drill enabled the collection of a core sample – the data from which is among the most eagerly awaited results. Such data collection would be the first of its kind, and with the comet containing material that is an estimated 4.5 billion years old, analysts are particularly excited to explore this frozen piece of cosmic history in an attempt to uncover evidence to support the theory that it was comets – like 67P – that delivered the necessary elements for life to Earth, including water.

Thirdly, and perhaps most significantly, it seems that all is not lost for the Philae Lander as Lander manager Stephan Ulamec stated to Associated Press:

“We are very confident at some stage it will wake up again and we can achieve contact.”

This confidence comes from the knowledge that the predicted path of the comet that Philae Lander has hitched a ride on takes it gradually closer to the sun, and that as it does so, the second Lander battery should warm up and charge, allowing enough time to conduct further science runs. It is also noted that, while currently problematic in terms of battery charging, Philae Lander’s sheltered position actually means the equipment could survive on the comet for longer, potentially allowing scientists to collect data from the comet’s closest pass of the sun – expected in August 2015 – provided the equipment wakes successfully when warmed.

The ‘waking’ of Philae Lander could be assisted by the comet itself as the process of “warming up” in proximity to the sun will cause it to release jets of gas – some of which may eventually free the Lander from its crater – as explained by Rosetta manager Gerhard Schwehm, during a teleconference with an advisory panel in Washington D.C.

“It could be a natural way that it gets lifted up. If a little activity starts there, then the chance that it comes off is fairly high.”

The assistance required to make such movement would not be much as gravity on the comet is known to be approximately 100,000 times less than that on Earth.

The historic comet landing is the result of collaboration and the scientific contributions of 14 different European countries over many years. The lander is named after the ancient, bilingual Philae obelisk, which was inscribed with Egyptian hieroglyphs and ancient Greek and helped decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics along with the Rosetta Stone. The Philae Lander, though currently silent, has already transmitted reams of data – the early analysis of which should be revealed in the coming days and weeks. However, that data is not the end of the line for Philae Lander, and scientists will be listening closely for further transmissions next year.