Space: Philae awakens, potra ‘”drill” the comet – AGI – Agenzia Journalistic Italy

Foreign

22:41 June 14, 2015

(AGI) – Frankfurt, 14 June – An unexpected sign of life from 500 million kilometers: the Philae lander, the interplanetary probe landed last November on the nucleus of a comet, and ‘awakened and could soon return to pierce the comet with its drill “Made in Italy” . The Rosetta lander mission has sent the first data from the comet 67P / Churyumov-Gerasimenko, they have announced the European Space Agency (ASE) and the Italian (ASI).
Philae was “asleep” on Nov. 14 falling in a state of hibernation after finishing in a sort of crevice and did not work any more ‘signs of life. In the night between Saturday and Sunday sent a message to the first probe Rosetta, that is 200 km, probably thanks to the temperature more ‘high on the comet and the increased sunlight. With the robot, he is expected to return operating SD2, the instrument that includes both the drill designed by the Italian Politecnico di Milano and built by Selex Es (Finmeccanica group), the ‘laboratory’ of analysis of samples handled by ASI with the space agencies of Germany (DLR) and the French (CNES).

For the exploration remains a window of four months, just the time when the comet will be ‘close to the Sun providing a temperature and lighting suitable for the operation of Philae, even more’ in November last year when She should operate. For now the power on board is good because it reaches 23 Watt, four more than are needed to turn on and receive data. Philae is the first lander ever landed on a comet, in a mission approached significance for the landing on the moon and that was begun in 2004, with a trip of 6.000 million kilometers in the solar system. For this and ‘a source of pride for the European Space Agency (Esa), which also contributes Italy which has two researchers at the head of the operation, Paolo Ferri and Andrea Accomazzo. Its mission is to send information about comets. “The lander is now ready for operation,” he assured the project manager Stephan Ulamec probe in a statement released on the website of the ESA.