WASHINGTON, EU., July 30. 2015.- The Philae module which made history last November to successfully land on the comet 67P, found organic compounds considered precursors of life, reported the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
The association today published a series of articles with scientific discoveries made with data Philae has been sending Rosetta from the European Space Agency which broke away to land on 12 November in comet 67P ( 67P / Churyumov-Gerasimenko).
In a study that appears published in the journal Science, the researchers explain that the Cometary Sampling and Composition (COSAC), one of the main instruments of Philae module, determined the existence of organic material in the comet.
Just 25 minutes after landing on the comet, the mass spectrometer of the COSAC took a measurement mode “sniffing”, similar to chemical detectors airports, which revealed the presence of 16 organic compounds, some with none nitrogen and sulfur, according to the study.
Many of these components were detected in the tail of most comets, but methyl isocyanate, acetone, propanal and acetamide compounds that had not been discovered earlier in other comets were also found.
But most important for astrobiology is that some of the materials found in comet dust are considered precursors to life, as involved in the formation of essential amino acids or nucleic bases.
The researchers stressed that comets preserve the pristine material in our solar system in the form of ice, dust, silicates and solid organic matter, which probably formed in interstellar space even before the solar nebula which then became the solar system appear.
The study of the chemical composition of comets also provides crucial information on this in the early solar system matter, whose study is of great importance from the geological point of view because it provides some of the keys to understanding how his training.
In addition, from the point of view of habitability, can help us understand the origin of water on Earth and other planets like Mars and, from the point of view astrobiology, are fundamental to understanding the origin of life on this planet.
Other studies released today describes the time when the robot Philae held its rugged arrival at the surface of the comet 67P, three rebounds and two landings.
After rebounding in the designated landing area, that turned out to have a layer of about 25 soft and grainy centimeters, the module finally stopped in a remote area of rocky consistency, the edge of a crater and on uneven terrain.
The analysis of the two surfaces different consistencies and provided data on the evolution of comets and could serve to improve the design of new missions to others.
The analysis conducted by scientists from the data sent by Philae through Rosetta probe suggest that the landscape of Comet 67P has formed through erosion.
To get a clearer picture of the interior of the comet, scientists counted with measurements obtained from Philae directing electromagnetic signals through comet nucleus to be received by Rosetta on the opposite side.
These measurements suggest that the comet’s head has a fairly homogeneous composition and its interior is even.
To receive information Philae, the Rosetta probe has flown so far in optimal orbit to establish that communication, but on July 24 went to move over the southern hemisphere of the comet’s sunlit, to switch communication with the observation of Philae 67P / Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
ejections of gas and dust in the comet’s surface prevent Rosetta fly very close to the surface and force the probe is kept at a safe distance of between 170 and 190 km.
Els
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