Scientists 'confident' comet lander will wake up
Source: AP
By FRANK JORDANS
Nov. 17, 2014 5:46 PM EST
BERLIN (AP) — A burst of sunshine in the spring could be just the wakeup call for Europe's comet lander.
Scientists raised hopes Monday that as the Philae lander nears the sun its solar panel-powered battery will recharge, and the first spacecraft to touch down on a comet will send a second round of scientific data back to Earth.
Since landing with a bounce on the comet Wednesday, Philae has already sent back reams of data that scientists are eagerly examining. But there were fears its mission would be cut short because it came to rest in the shadow of a cliff. Its signal went silent Saturday after its primary battery ran out.
Shortly before that happened, the European Space Agency decided to attempt to tilt the lander's biggest solar panel toward the sun — a last-ditch maneuver that scientists believe may have paid off.
"We are very confident at some stage it will wake up again and we can achieve contact," Stephan Ulamec, the lander manager, told The Associated Press.
Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/cb36c392a2454f14a8c80b05c6245147/results-comet-landers-experiments-expected
So, this $100 million probe is basically a bear, now.
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