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- Nevertheless, the ESA has proclaimed Philae's primary mission objectives complete. The suite of instruments onboard were able to drill and analyze a soil sample, take temperature readings, and use radio waves to study the internals of the comet, among other studies. Of course, the lander has taken a series of unbelievable up-close photos of the comet's surface as well.
am_Unition · 3662 days ago · link ·
At least they found some organics before lights out. We've previously found an amino acid in a comet's tail. Neither of these molecules are terribly complex (dunno Philae's specifics yet), but it still helps us to get a sense of their abundance. Another indicator that the idea of "Panspermia" might hold true, at least in part.