BERLIN (AP) — The German aeronautics and space research center says it will release a first evaluation of the data that comet lander Philae sent down to the European Space Center before its depleted batteries forced it to go silent.
Spokesman Andreas Schuetz says the scientists are getting together to discuss their data analyses Monday morning and following that meeting, the center will publish the scientists’ findings.
Philae landed Wednesday on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko about 311 million miles from Earth. Before its batteries died, it sent data on various experiments it executed on the comet.
One of the things scientists are most excited about is the possibility that the mission might help confirm that comets brought the building blocks of life — organic matter and water — to Earth.
