A pioneering robotic spacecraft shut down on Saturday after radioing
results of its first and probably last batch of scientific experiments
from the surface of a comet, scientists said.
Batteries aboard the European Space Agency's Philae comet lander drained, shutting down the washing machine-sized probe after an adventurous and largely unscripted 57-hour mission.
Racing against the clock, scientists activated a series of automated experiments, the first to be conducted from the surface of a comet.
Before dying, Philae defied the odds and radioed its science results back to Earth for analysis.
Its last task was to reposition itself so that as the comet soars towards the sun, Philae's batteries may recharge enough for a follow-on mission.
Read more: Philae comet lander shuts down as batteries go flat after sending data - The Globe and Mail
Batteries aboard the European Space Agency's Philae comet lander drained, shutting down the washing machine-sized probe after an adventurous and largely unscripted 57-hour mission.
Racing against the clock, scientists activated a series of automated experiments, the first to be conducted from the surface of a comet.
Before dying, Philae defied the odds and radioed its science results back to Earth for analysis.
Its last task was to reposition itself so that as the comet soars towards the sun, Philae's batteries may recharge enough for a follow-on mission.
Read more: Philae comet lander shuts down as batteries go flat after sending data - The Globe and Mail
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