Robot lab Philae falls 'silent', says anxious ground control

Europe's robot lab Philae has fallen "silent" on the surface of a comet zipping towards the Sun, said ground controllers on Monday who are afraid that it may have shifted out of radio contact.
"The lander could have moved," the German Aerospace Center (DLR) said in a statement, adding: "even a slight change in its position could mean that its antennas are now obstructed".
"It is also possible that one of the landers' two radio receiver units is damaged and that one of the transmitter units is not fully functional."
Philae, which touched down on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on November 12 last year, went into hibernation three days later, and woke up again on June 13 for intermittent communications with Earth via its orbiting mothership Rosetta.
The washing machine-sized lander has since called home eight times, the last on July 9, when it uploaded critical data obtained from Philae's prodding and probing of its alien world.
Since then, the robot probe has gone "back to 'silent mode'," said the statement.
The DLR Lander Control Center "team has been working hard to get back in contact with the lander and operate it to conduct scientific measurements," it added.
But from some of the data received, "we have observed signs that Philae could have moved and that its antennas are thus perhaps more concealed or their orientation may have changed," said project leader Stephan Ulamec.
"At the moment we have some concerns about this," DLR spokesperson Manuela Braun told AFP. "We are trying to understand."
-
Magnitude 6.1 earthquake strikes Philippine islands region: Report
An earthquake of magnitude 6.1 struck the Moro Gulf, Mindanao region in the Philippines on Saturday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre said. The quake was at a depth of 10 km ( 6.21 miles), EMSC said.
-
Tropical storm Meari strikes Japan, thousands affected | 10 points
A tropical storm - 'Meari' - unleashed itself onto Japan, bringing heavy rains on the main Honshu island Saturday, as it headed further northward towards capital city Tokyo, Japanese weather officials announced. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, Tropical Storm Meari made a landfall in Shizuoka Prefecture, southwest of Tokyo, on Saturday afternoon, causing sudden downpour with blasting winds, prompting warnings about mudslides and flooding. Here's what we know so far: 1.
-
Praise, worry in Iran after Salman Rushdie attack; government maintains silence
Iranians reacted with praise and worry Saturday over the attack on novelist Salman Rushdie, the target of a decades-old fatwa by the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini calling for his death. It remains unclear why Rushdie's attacker, identified by police as Hadi Matar of Fairview, New Jersey, stabbed the author as he prepared to speak at an event Friday in western New York.
-
Fatwa, fatal attacks, book ban: How Salman Rushdie's novel triggered outrage
The attack on Booker-winning novelist Salman Rushdie has sent shockwaves to the world, especially those who champion freedom of speech and expression. A bounty of over USD 3 million has been offered till date for anyone who kills Rushdie. In 1998, a hardline Iranian student group announced one billion rial (then $333,000) bounty for Rushdie's head. Rushdie into hiding Rushdie went into hiding with round-the-clock police protection after he started receiving death threats.
-
Europe-Russia gas standoff threatens future of world's oldest glassware company
Maximilian Riedel's family has kept the furnaces running at their glass-making business for 11 generations. He's worried that Europe's gas standoff with Russia might break that legacy. Companies across Europe are preparing for the worst as governments make contingency plans for gas shortages this winter if Russian President Vladimir Putin continues cutting supplies. An emergency gas plan drawn up by the German government includes state control over distribution under a worst-case scenario.