At
about 7 AM (IST) on 15th
November 2014, European Space Agency's comet lander Philae, sent the
last round of data to earth and went into hibernation, because of low
batteries. Ever since then, people around the world have been curious
to know, whether Philae did succeed in sending some new information
about the materials- the comet is composed off?
Well!
Luck seems to be on our side, though partially! In spite of it's very
short active life of only 57 hours on 67P comet, it seems that Philae
has managed to spend some crucial information back to earth that
should add to our knowledge of comets.
The
most important observation made so far relates to what Philae has
found out about the atmosphere over the comet. According to the DLR
German Aerospace Center, the Cometary Sampling and Composition
(COSAC) gas analysing instrument on Philae was able to 'sniff' the
atmosphere above the comet and has detected after landing, organic
molecules containing carbon elements. Organic molecules form the
basis of life on Earth. This observation by Philae is important from
point of view of many scientists, who believe that life evolved on
our planet only after organic molecules were passed on to earth by
comets that impacted with earth.
Philae
has also successfully carried out another experiment before it's
hibernation, in which a penetrator was hammered in comet's surface
and related temperature rise in the penetrator was measured with
sensors. This penetrator was equipped with multi purpose Sensors for
Surface and Subsurface Science (MUPUS) tool to measure the density
and thermal and mechanical properties of the comet's surface.
The
penetrator was expected to go to depth of 40 Cm after hammering.
However, it did not go that far deep in spite of the hammer setting
being cranked up to its highest level. According to DLR, after
passing through a 10-20 cm thick layer of dust, the sensor hit a
layer of material estimated to be as hard as ice. Scientists were
expecting the comet's surface to be much softer. Tilman Spohn, who
leads the MUPUS team at the DLR, says in a statement issued on 18th
November 2014; "It's a surprise. We didn't expect such hard ice
on the ground.”
It was
also reported that during dying hours of the battery, Philae had
drilled into the comet's surface in its hunt for organic molecules.
However so far no word has come, whether any sample of drilled
materials was submitted to COSAC for analysis.
The
two observations made by Philae; finding of hard ice on the surface
and presence of organic molecules in the atmosphere; appear to be of
great significance to us and could lead to better understanding of
comets in future.
Comet
67P would be going nearer and nearer to the sun for next 6 months.
There is a possibility that Philae's solar batteries might get
charged again if sunlight falls on the solar panels. In that case
Philae can come back to life and could complete the tasks left
unfinished.
20th
November 2014
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