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Philae probe - big problems (UPD - some problems were solved)



Only recently we were all happy about the fact of landing of the Philae probe on the comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko. And today we have to worry. This is because the landing was not as successful as previously thought, and after a couple of days, the probe may stop working altogether due to lack of energy.

Philae now has two major problems that threaten the entire mission.
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The first problem is that the harpoons did not work, and the probe just lies on the surface of the comet. Any actions, for example, the use of drilling tools, can lead to the separation of the probe from the surface, and the loss of the apparatus for science.

The second problem - Philae lies in the shadow of the rocks, and the solar panels get energy for just 90 minutes every 12 hours. This is clearly not enough for the normal operation of the apparatus, and in a couple of days, if nothing changes, the energy will simply end, and the apparatus will be lost to science, as in the previous case.

It is the rock that deprives the probe of energy (or rather, which closes the panels of the probe from the sun's rays), the probe photographed when it was commented. There is hope, in principle, there are now scientists working on several possible ways to change the position of the probe when using the instruments onboard.

From these tools, including a drill, you can create something like a manipulator, or a “crutch”, and move the device literally a few degrees, which is enough to save the device and replenish energy reserves. On board the probe there are four tools that can be used for this purpose. This, besides the harpoons and the drill, is a small hammer of a tool for surface research. If the hammer is directed correctly, then the probe can be given the acceleration necessary for repositioning.

What is now known about the probe?

1. As far as can be judged, Philae did not land where it was planned.



Instead of the red square, the planned landing zone, the probe sat in the blue rhombus zone.

It is known that the probe landed twice: after the first landing, it rose again, and then sat down a second time, no longer where it was planned.

2. The location of the probe is still unknown. From the photos that the Rosetta makes, the probe cannot be seen (in the photo its dimensions are 3 * 3 pixels). The probe is simply lost among the details of the surface of the comet;

3. The harpoons did not work, and the probe is now not in an upright position. As far as can be judged, one of the supports does not rest on anything, but is simply suspended in space. It may lie on the edge of the crater;



4. Some scientific experiments have already begun, but it is impossible to use the entire toolkit of the probe. As mentioned above - one extra movement, and Phil is flying into space.

MUPUS (a multifunctional tool for studying the surface and near subsurface layers), as well as CONSERT (a tool for studying the structure of the nucleus using radio waves) are now activated.

UPD. Hooray! Penetrator was able to use, driving it into the soil of the comet. Now you can carry out work on the release of the probe from the dark. And yes - earned a spectrometer APXS.

UPD 2. Fearing that the probe would not be able to be taken out of the shadows, and the batteries would sit down, the scientists decided to use the entire scientific arsenal of the Philae probe. This decision can be called quite risky, because it is still not completely clear in what condition the probe itself. But if everything works out - most of the experiments will succeed, and the mission can be considered complete.



UPD 3. Right now, the surface of the comet is being drilled, more details later.



Via theguardian

Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/362975/

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