ESA uncertain Philae can transmit comet data

As Friday evening approached, scientists at the European Space Agency (ESA) in Darmstadt, Germany anxiously awaited a sign of life from Philae, the first probe to land on a comet.

However, technical problems which had occurred during its rocky landing this week had raised fears that the probe would lose communication with mission scientists before it could transmit the information it had collected earlier in the day.

After two harpoons failed to deploy properly upon the first touchdown on Wednesday, the washing-machine size probe bounced in slow motion roughly 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) back above the surface of the comet. It then landed some two hours later, bounced again for several minutes, and then finally came to rest under what scientists believe is a cliff. The overhang has blocked sun rays from reaching its solar panels, its primary source of energy.

"This will be exciting because we're not sure if the batteries will have enough power to transmit this data," said Stefan Ulamec, the Philae lander manager at the German Aerospace Center (DLR), referring to samples it gathered when it drilled roughly 25 centimeters (10 inches) into the surface of the comet, known as 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

Scientists were considering different options to help the probe gain more access to sunlight, including rotating its solar panels.

The research lab was released from the Rosetta spacecraft earlier this week after 10 years of travelling through space behind the comet, which is travelling at a rate of 66,000 km/h (41,000 mph). They currently located it roughly 500 million kilometers from planet Earth.

The Rosetta mission will continue following the comet into 2015 as it moves closer toward the sun.

Comets offer scientists a unique glimpse into the origins of Earth and its neighboring planets. The remaining debris from the formation of the solar system some 4.5 billion years ago may provide samples of ancient organic molecules.

kms/sb (AP, AFP, Reuters)