The 'Philae' Lander Begins Drilling on a Comet with Unknown Location

The European 'Philae' lander has begun drilling on the surface of a comet with the aim of collecting scientific data. However, mission control officials said on Friday that the issue of battery depletion may make accessing this information impossible, at least in the current situation. The 'Philae' lander is the first spacecraft to land on a comet, having touched down on Wednesday, November 12. After landing, it sent the first images of the surface of the comet named 'Churyumov 67P' back to Earth. According to the Associated Press, two harpoons designed for landing did not function properly upon contact with the comet's surface, causing it to bounce off. After two hours, the lander successfully landed again on the comet's surface. Following another brief bounce, scientists believe 'Philae' is resting on a low rock on the surface of this celestial body. Mission control officials at the European Space Agency still do not know the exact location of the 'Philae' lander on the comet's surface but suspect it has landed near a rock that is blocking sunlight from reaching the lander's solar panels. According to scientists, the lander is currently operating on battery power, which may soon run out. Philippe Goudon, the project manager at the European Space Agency, stated that 'Philae' was able to successfully activate its drill using this energy and has begun sample collection by creating a 25-centimeter hole in the comet's surface. He explained in an online briefing to reporters, 'The mechanisms have worked. Unfortunately, we have lost contact and have no further data.' The Associated Press further reports that scientists hope to study the materials beneath the comet's surface. This comet is moving at a speed of 66,000 kilometers per hour, 500 million kilometers from Earth. These subsurface materials have not changed for 4.5 billion years, making them a cosmic time capsule. However, Stephan Ulamec, head of the 'Philae' operations, stated that it is currently unclear whether the battery's energy is sufficient to re-establish communication with the lander. He added, 'The battery may run out before we can re-establish contact.' Ulamec noted that the lander is currently receiving 'limited energy' from its solar panels, and project engineers are trying to find ways to reposition the panels to capture more sunlight. The signal travel time between Rosetta, the mother spacecraft of 'Philae', and Earth is 28 minutes, making communication with the lander slow. The Rosetta spacecraft is flying above the comet. Holger Sierks, a senior researcher of the Rosetta camera systems, said that based on the shape of the lander as it lifted off from the comet, he believes a film must have been taken from about 500 meters above the comet's surface. He stated, 'We should be able to see the direction of the lander's ascent and descent, which could provide valuable information to the research team.' This information is not yet in the hands of scientists; however, specialists must search an area of one to two square kilometers to locate 'Philae'. Even if 'Philae' exhausts all its battery energy, it will remain in a dormant state on the comet's surface for the coming months. This comet orbits the sun in an elliptical path over six and a half years and is currently moving closer to the sun. Therefore, theoretically, if the comet passes by the sun in a way that allows 'Philae's solar panels to absorb more light, the lander may wake up. Meanwhile, the Rosetta orbiter will analyze the comet's mass using 11 instruments over the next few months. Scientists hope this $16 billion project will help improve understanding of comets and other celestial bodies, and perhaps bring them closer to finding the origins of life on Earth.