Philae lander sends more data

At the eleventh hour, just before it finally went into standby mode, the Philiae lander has sent another stream of data 500 million kms back to earth,

Philae has already tweeted several times and sent data since it landed on the comet last Wednesday, but it is now doubtful whether there will be any more communication because the probe may not be able to recharge its batteries.

It is currently positioned near a cliff, and scientists say that even having repositioned the robot, its solar panels will only receive around 90 minutes of sunlight per day, which may not be enough to recharge its systems.

But researchers say they are thrilled with the amount of data already sent back to earth. Stephan Ulamec, the lander manager, said: “Prior to falling silent, the lander was able to transmit all science data gathered during the First Science Sequence.”