The European scientists fear has moved again to its destination for millions of kilometers from Earth.
BERLIN The probe Philae has been silent on a comet, European scientists said on Monday, raising fears that moved again to its destination for millions of kilometers from Earth.
The robotic laboratory, which landed in 67P / Churyumov-Gerasimenko in November last contacted on July 9 and efforts to communicate with the probe have failed so far, they said experts working on the project of the European Space Agency (ESA).
The probe mission-the first landing on a comet originally bounced and landed a position with plenty of shade so it could not feed its solar panels and entered a period of hibernation.
He returned to work in June as the comet approached the sun. But the latest information suggests that something, possibly a gas emission, would have moved back, the scientists said.
The antenna Philae might have been obstructed and one of its transmitters seem to have stopped working, the team said.
There was no response to an order sent to activate ROMAP Philae instrument to determine the plasma environment of the comet and its magnetic field.
The communication between Philae and its mother ship have also been complicated because the increasing amounts of dust shed by the comet as it approaches the sun difficult to stay close to the comet Rosetta, they said.
Scientists are now telling Philae sent an order to use only one of the transmitters and began to move to a safer Rosetta comet distance at 170-190 km.
Until July 24 Rosetta will orbit a journey that will allow you to contact the probe and then fly over the southern hemisphere of the comet to observe with 11 instruments.
“Philae still obviously works, because it sends us information, even if it does at irregular intervals and at times surprising, “said Stephan Ulamec, Philae project manager at the German Aerospace Center DLR.
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