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European Space Agency may have caught a glimpse of missing comet lander Philae

The European Space Agency says it may have caught a glimpse of its missing comet lander. Philae b...
Newstalk
Newstalk

20.39 11 Jun 2015


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European Space Agency may have...

European Space Agency may have caught a glimpse of missing comet lander Philae

Newstalk
Newstalk

20.39 11 Jun 2015


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The European Space Agency says it may have caught a glimpse of its missing comet lander.

Philae became the first spacecraft to land on a comet last year - but its exact location on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko has been a mystery since it touched down in November.

Images from mother ship Rosetta have included one bright spot described as "a good candidate".

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In a detailed blog post, the agency says it is 'impossible to be sure' they have rediscovered the lander, and a definitive identification will require high resolution images which will not be possible to capture in the near term.

However scientists say the 'bright spot' is not a "detector artefact or moving foreground dust speck," and therefore a clear feature on the comet's surface.

Last November the Philae lander fell into "idle mode" shortly after landing, when its batteries were depleted and not enough sunlight was available for recharging - leading to a potentially 'long silence' before it can start operating again.

Lander Project Manager Stephan Ulamec says, "the conditions for Philae's wake-up are becoming more and more favourable as the comet approaches the Sun. The team at DLR's Lander Control Center has continued to prepare long term operations for Philae and its instruments in the hope that it does wake up soon."

Earlier today three crew members of the International Space Station returned to Earth after spending six months on the station, including Samantha Cristoforetti of the ESA.

Their Soyuz capsule landed on schedule in the steppes of Kazakhstan.


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