Discovery of the origin of life on comets
Europe's Philae lander has detected carbon-based organic molecules on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.
The Philae lander landed on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko after a 10-year journey in space. The spacecraft's mission is to shed light on the formation of planets and life.
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| Europe's Philae lander lands on the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. |
The German Aerospace Center (DLR) said the COSAC gas analyzer on the Philae spacecraft 'smelled' the atmosphere and detected the first organic molecules, after landing on the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.
German scientists say the organic molecules they have discovered contain the carbon component that is the basis for life on Earth. However, they are not sure whether the organic molecules contain the complex compounds that make up proteins.
The Philae lander also drilled into the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko to search for organic molecules, but it is not clear whether these samples were transferred to the COSAC instrument for analysis.
Philae also has the MUPUS instrument, which is used to measure the temperature and thickness properties of comet surfaces. This instrument shows that the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko is not as soft as scientists previously thought.
DLR said that after passing through a layer of dust about 10-20cm thick, the MUPUS sensor encountered a layer of hard, ice-like material.
“That was a surprise. We didn't expect the comet's surface to be as hard as ice,” said Tilman Spohn, head of the MUPUS instrument control team.
The Philae lander ended its 57-hour mission on the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko on November 15. It sent data on a series of experiments back to Earth before running out of fuel.
According to Reuters
