ESA: module “Phil” on the comet in sleep mode, its batteries are dead – RIA Novosti

MOSCOW, November 15 – RIA Novosti. Science Module “Phil”, who in Wednesday’s first landing on the surface of the nucleus of comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko, after retransmitting the data to Earth on Saturday afternoon passed in sleep mode, the report said the scientists of the European Space Agency (ESA).

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In the last 10 hours of the module is in sleep mode and stop sending data due to battery discharge. On Saturday afternoon the battery module is able to generate enough power for data transmission experiment with drilling surface of the comet.

“Maybe when the module is on the sunny side, we will have

enough solar illumination to it (module) to wake up and resume broadcast “- quoted by Reuters representative mission” Phil “scientist Stephen Ulameka. According to him, scientists particularly interested to know the chemical composition of any organic molecules from the samples at the drill site of the comet.

It was reported earlier that the module has problems with recharging. Since the module landed in the shadow of education, like a rock, it prevented the unit to recharge the solar panels. Contact was lost with the module at 03.36 MSK and briefly resumed at 13.00 MSK.

The module “Phil” space probe “Rosetta” landed on the three-kilometer comet nucleus Churyumov-Gerasimenko on Wednesday at about 18.35 MSK. With the module, scientists plan to study the chemical composition of the comet’s nucleus.