Philae lander discovers carbon-based molecules
Continuing to produce incredible scientific results, researchers part of the Rosetta mission have confirmed that the Philae lander detected organic molecules on the surface of Comet 67P. Though not very much is known about the molecules, Rosetta has revealed that the molecules are carbon-based.
The molecules were discovered using Philae’s Cometary Sampling and Composition Experiment (COSAC) instrument – one of two gas analyzers on board the lander.
Despite Philae’s current inactivity, the lander was able to drill into Comet 67P in order to collect and deliver samples to its various onboard instruments. Sample data was sent back to Earth before Philae’s batteries went cold.
Further study and calculations are necessary in order to confirm more details, especially those regarding the exact composition of the molecules.
For biologists studying the origins of life on Earth, the question of what triggered life’s initial development remains a mystery. Owing to the fact that the early Earth’s atmosphere and surface were not conducive to the development of life, a popular theory today suggests that comets crashing into the surface of the planet were able to trigger the development of the basic molecules necessary to developing life.
Amino acids are organic compounds composed of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and a selection of certain other elements. Alongside water, amino acids in the form of protein are the second largest component of human muscles, cells, and other tissue. Alongside carbohydrates and nucleic acid, proteins form the three necessary building blocks for life.
The popular comet-life theory suggests that the rapid heating and cooling that resulted from comets crashing into Earth’s atmosphere was enough to trigger the development of amino acids that would eventually form into proteins and early single-celled organisms.
“There’s a possibility that the production or delivery of prebiotic molecules came from extraterrestrial sources,” explained Nir Goldman, a chemist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, in a statement released earlier this year.
“On early Earth, we know that there was a heavy bombardment of comets and asteroids delivering up to several orders of magnitude greater mass of organics than what likely was already here.”
The future of Philae is uncertain, as the Rosetta mission is still waiting for an opportunity to recharge the lander’s onboard solar batteries, but the Rosetta comet orbiter is still active. Rosetta is expected to orbit Comet 67P at a height of 20 km for approximately 10 days starting on Dec. 3, before returning back to its current orbiting height of 30 km.
“The desire is to place the spacecraft as close as feasible to the comet before the activity becomes too high to maintain closed orbits,” said Laurence O’Rourke, at the Rosetta Space Operations Centre near Madrid, Spain.
“This 20 km orbit will be used by the science teams to map large parts of the [comet] nucleus at high resolution and to collect gas, dust, and plasma at increasing activity.”
While the Philae lander’s discovery is not yet conclusive, nor do we have absolute certainty that comets really did trigger life on Earth, the Rosetta mission’s success proves that continuing to study space is necessary for understanding our planet.