First Evaluation of Data From Philea's Experiments Expected on Monday

Nov 17, 2014 06:22 AM EST | Matt Mercuro

The first evaluation of the data that comet lander Philae sent to the European Space Center before its depleted batteries caused it to go silent will be unveiled on Monday.

The scientists are gathering together to discuss their data analyses Monday morning and following that meeting, the center will publish the scientists' findings, spokesman Andreas Schuetz said to The Associated Press.

Philae landed on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko last Wednesday, which is some 311 million miles away, and since then the lander has performed a series of scientific tests and sent "reams" of data back to Earth.

The lander was lifted about 1.5 inches and rotated about 35 degrees on Friday to pull out of shadow so that solar panels could recharge the depleted batteries, according to the AP report.

ESA's scientists have been busy assessing the data to find out whether the experiments were successful or not, especially a complex operation that took place on Friday which involved the lander drilling a 10-inch hole into the comet and pulling out a sample for analysis.

"What really nails this experience for me are the images," Daniel Brown, an expert in astronomy at Nottingham Trent University, said in a statement. "Especially exciting will be getting the results of the samples recovered from below the surface and seeing their chemical composition."

Material under the surface of the comet has been almost unchanged for 4.5 billion years, so the samples would be a cosmic time capsule that scientists are excited to examine.

One of the things scientists are most thrilled about is the chance that the mission might help confirm that comets brought the building blocks of life, like organic matter and water, to our planet.

The 220-pound lander, which is basically weightless on the comet's surface, touched down at 11 a.m. on Nov. 19 after a seven-hour descent from its orbiting mothership Rosetta, which is now located 300 million miles from Earth.

The mission, which took 10 years, five months and four days, cost close to 1.4 billion euros ($1.8 billion.) 

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