Hibernating comet lander wakes up
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.028956
Nature : The European Space Agency’s Philae craft, which has been in hibernation mode since landing on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko last November, has now woken up and communicated with researchers on Earth. After a somewhat bumpy landing, the probe went into sleep mode when it touched down in the shade and was unable to charge its solar-powered battery. Over the past seven months, however, the comet’s exposure to the Sun during its gradual approach has apparently revived the craft. Now that Philae is up and running, scientists will start it off on a few simple tasks, such as capturing images and turning on its magnetometer. Because Philae was only able to communicate for a few minutes, researchers may need to alter the Rosetta orbiter’s orientation or trajectory to facilitate communications.