Hibernate in Peace, Philae
When yesterday's assessments of Philae's situation came out, and the ESA was doing everything they could to squeeze every last drop of science out of it, I was thinking that Philae would fall in the hallowed ranks of "successful failure". It wouldn't get everything done, but at least survived what by all accounts should have been a series of mission ending failures and got data back to Earth. Yet, before it went into a power-deprived hibernation state this evening, it had accomplished ~90% of what it set out to do. The only instrument that didn't return data was an X-ray spectrometer with a stubborn lens cap. In that light, it's unfair to think of Philae even as a successful failure. It was a full success, one that overcame its setbacks and long odds. It's been nothing short of amazing. The long-term science was never guaranteed, and it still may be in the cards for Philae. One of the first things ESA had it do in its final communications pass with Rosetta was turn to an orientation that would give it more sunlight. We won't know if that worked for another few passes; Philae was still in the long night of its landing site. If we're lucky, the additional sunlight will give it a second life.
And even if that fails, Philae was built for the long hibernation. By next August its landing site will be getting more sun, and there's a possibility that it will spring back to life then, good as new. After its hard work, I can't yet say "rest in peace, Philae". So I will say, "hibernate in peace" and hope against the long odds that it doesn't disappear into the long night.
