Philae lander: Rosetta scientist hails achievement, says comet surface could be light and fluffy
This article originally appeared on Culture24.
Professor Stan Cowley, who was part of the early planning stages of the Rosetta mission, gives his verdict on the probe's progress so far
Professor Stan Cowley says data from landing debris from the Philae probe could provide vital information on the creation of the solar system© University of LeicesterThe lander is down on the surface, which is a marvellous achievement, though it is not clear whether the harpoons actually fired into the surface to hold it there – but if they did not, it is unclear why Philae didn’t just bounce off again into space.
Possibly the surface material is light and fluffy and stuck into this material – and there is indication that it buried itself several centimetres into the surface, which suggests that it is not very hard.
On the other hand, the screws appear to have worked, which is good, but it is still not very clear how tightly it is gripping onto the surface. We will have to wait for further data to see.
One early result that we are now waiting for is the measurements on the analysis of the debris cloud that was kicked up by the landing.
One key result concerns the oxygen isotope ratios in the comet water – are they the same as at Earth, and the sun, or different?
If they are different, it would put a big question mark over the idea that a large fraction of Earth’s water came from comet bombardment early in the solar system’s formation, as in the ‘late heavy bombardment’ picture we have of 3.8 billion years ago.
We will have to wait and see.”
What do you think? Leave a comment below.
More from Culture24's coverage of the Philae probe:
Archaeologists and astronomers in Philae Rosetta mission to comet 261 million miles away
A weak comet and a sandblasted spacecraft: NASA expert on the Philae Rosetta mission
In Pictures: European Space Agency's Philae Rosetta comet probe thrills scientists
