Comet Lander Philae Awakes From Hibernation

The European Space Agency said Sunday that the comet lander Philae has awoken from a seven-month hibernation and was able to communicate with Earth for more than a minute. The probe became the first spacecraft to land on a comet when it touched down on the icy surface of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in November. After its historic landing, Philae managed to conduct experiments and send data to Earth for about 60 hours. Then, its batteries were depleted and it was forced to shut down its systems. Stephan Ulamec, project manager at the German Aerospace Center, said he wasn't really surprised it happened. However, he said, "If you wait for several months and then suddenly in the middle of the night you get a call saying 'we have a signal from Philae,' it's exciting."