No sign of life, yet, from Philae probe
Print Edition
A long-awaited communications window between Earth and robot lab Philae, zipping through space perched on a comet, opened yesterday without immediate signs of life, the European Space Agency (ESA) said.
The systems for comet orbiter Rosetta to talk to the probe were switched on at 1am GMT, but the first optimum slot for signal transmission came and went without word.
鈥淣o signal has been received yet鈥, said an ESA spokesman.
The communications line will remain open until March 20, with 11 optimum slots for signal transmission in total 鈥 roughly two periods per day when the orbiter, lander and Sun are best aligned for contact.
The 100-kilogram probe Philae landed on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on November 12 after a 10-year trek piggybacking on its mother ship, Rosetta.
But the landing did not go smoothly. Philae bounced twice off the comet鈥檚 hard surface before settling at an angle in the shadow of a cliff.
Philae had enough stored power in a battery for 60 hours of experiments. It sent home reams of precious data before going into standby mode.
As comet 鈥67P鈥 draws closer to the Sun, it is hoped better light conditions will recharge Philae鈥檚 solar-powered batteries and it will wake up. But the probe鈥檚 exact position is not known, nor whether it can be reached by the Sun鈥檚 rays.
This week, 鈥渢he idea is to see if we can receive a signal from the lander,鈥 said Rosetta Mission Manager Patric Martin.
鈥淏ut the difficulty is whether it has enough energy first to wake up and then to communicate with Rosetta. We are just trying, and we will try again if it doesn鈥檛 work this week.
鈥淲e will have more opportunities in the coming weeks and months,鈥 Martin said.
The comet is set to reach its closest point to the Sun, at a distance of about 186 million kilometers, on August 13.
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