By: Brianna Diaz
The European Space Agency's Philae lander bounced 2 to 3 times before settling on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on November 13th, 2014. Scientists are unsure about the Philae probes exact location. Philae, European Space Agency's probe, bounced two to three times on November 13th before finally settling on comet 67P, scientists are not sure about Philae's exact location. The probe made history for being the first probe to actually land on a comet, on Wednesday. Wednesday marked the last day of the probe's 10 year journey to meet with comet 67P.
ESA scientists soon reported that Philae may have landed twice. Comet 67P, which is about 2.5 miles wide, which can travel at speeds up to 84,000 miles per hour. The probe's first bounce lasted 2 hours and took the craft to a distance of up to more than half a mile. The second bounce was "a very small jump" of just over an inch per second for seven minutes. The bounces that the probe made made it hard for the scientists to know where the exact location of Philae is. The ESA scientists have, however, identified an area Philae may be on the comet.
The officials at ESA showed images from the landing site, revealing that their probe eventually landed on rock-like material, apparently on the rim of a crater. The photos also show that one of the landers three "feet" isn't resting on 67 P's surface. which means it could be above a hole or depression. There are fears that the proximity of a cliff of some sort may affect Philae's ability to recharge using solar panels, the lander's battery has only a lifespan of about 60 hours.
This achievement can affect jobs in the future as our century is becoming more advanced. We are coming up with new things, and we are increasingly evolving and becoming more advanced in our technology. What other things can we achieve based off of us landing our first probe on a comet? What else are we capable of, just we have not figured it out?
The European Space Agency's Philae lander bounced 2 to 3 times before settling on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on November 13th, 2014. Scientists are unsure about the Philae probes exact location. Philae, European Space Agency's probe, bounced two to three times on November 13th before finally settling on comet 67P, scientists are not sure about Philae's exact location. The probe made history for being the first probe to actually land on a comet, on Wednesday. Wednesday marked the last day of the probe's 10 year journey to meet with comet 67P.
ESA scientists soon reported that Philae may have landed twice. Comet 67P, which is about 2.5 miles wide, which can travel at speeds up to 84,000 miles per hour. The probe's first bounce lasted 2 hours and took the craft to a distance of up to more than half a mile. The second bounce was "a very small jump" of just over an inch per second for seven minutes. The bounces that the probe made made it hard for the scientists to know where the exact location of Philae is. The ESA scientists have, however, identified an area Philae may be on the comet.
The officials at ESA showed images from the landing site, revealing that their probe eventually landed on rock-like material, apparently on the rim of a crater. The photos also show that one of the landers three "feet" isn't resting on 67 P's surface. which means it could be above a hole or depression. There are fears that the proximity of a cliff of some sort may affect Philae's ability to recharge using solar panels, the lander's battery has only a lifespan of about 60 hours.
This achievement can affect jobs in the future as our century is becoming more advanced. We are coming up with new things, and we are increasingly evolving and becoming more advanced in our technology. What other things can we achieve based off of us landing our first probe on a comet? What else are we capable of, just we have not figured it out?