Philae back alive and makes a call to Earth

One European's spacecraft last year landed on a comet and then undergo hibernation, suddenly back alive and transmit voice signals to the Earth, as reported by Space.com.

The European Space Agency (ESA) comet lander named Philae, which crash landed to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko from the Rosetta spacecraft last November and sends the message for 85 seconds to the Earth through Rosetta on June 13, 2014, says ESA.

An artist illustration of ESA's Philae lander on the Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko surface. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/1L1iw3h)

It was the first signal of Philae in the seven months since the spacecraft was silent on Novermber 15 last year after the historic landing on the comet.

"Philae works very well," said Philae project manager Stephan Ulamec of the German Aerospace Center/Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR). "Lander was ready for fully operation."

Philae comet lander is seen by the Rosetta spacecraft in this image captured on Nov. 12, 2014 as Philae headed for its landing on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The probe went silent 60 hours later and reawakened on June 13, 2015. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/1dFcTdK)

According to Ulamec, Philae is currently at a temperature of minus 35 degrees Celsius and has 24 watts of power reserve.

During sending data to Earth, Philae has emitted up to 300 packets of data and the most active before the first signal reached Earth on Saturday, said ESA officials..

These images from the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft show the approach of the Philae comet lander (insets) to Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko on Nov. 12, 2015, including views of the probe's bounces on the surface. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/1dFcTdK)

"We also have received historical data, so far, although the lander was not able to contact us," said Ulamec.

This European Space Agency image of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko show the five most likely candidates for the final landing spot of the Philae lander after it separated from the Rosetta spacecraft on Nov. 12, 2015. The top left candidate may be the most likely site for Philae. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/1dFcTdK)

Philae is solar-powered spacecraft and a half sized washing machine which landed at Comet 67P on November 12, 2014 after the separation from the Rosetta. This spacecraft was shaken two times when its harpoon-shaped anchors system failed avoid the comet's surface.

This spacecraft squashed on the comet's surface. After about 60 hours of battery ran out and undergo hibernation on November 15 of that year.

According to Space.com, over the past seven months the scientists of the Rosetta and Philae mission in Europe expect when the Comet 67P approaches the sun, Philae will be able to receive sunlight so that the system back alive. It seems these expectations come true. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | SPACE.COM]

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