Berlin: Thud! The short but significant sound that Europe's space probe Philae made when it became the first to land on a comet last week.
This sound can soon be heard as scientists have released a brief recording of it. The two-second recording features a short, sharp thud as the lander touched down about 500 million kilometres from Earth on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko's icy surface.
Listen to the sound here:
https://soundcloud.com/esaops/philae-touchdown-thud
Martin Knapmeyer of the German Aerospace Centre, DLR, said today that sound was recorded by instruments in the lander's feet.
Scientists are carefully analysing data collected during Philae's 60-hour operation on the comet, which already yielded evidence of plentiful frozen ice and organic molecules on 67P.
They hope to awaken the lander from its hibernation in the coming months, provided its solar panels generate enough energy as the comet nears the sun.
(With Agency inputs)
