Philae (spacecraft) facts for kids
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Philae is a special robot spacecraft built by the ESA. It was also known as RoLand for a short time. Philae traveled through space with another spacecraft called Rosetta. Its big mission was to land on a comet named 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenkoon. This exciting landing happened on 12 November 2014. Philae's job was to study the comet up close.
Naming the Philae Lander
The name Philae was picked through a special contest held by the ESA. A fifteen-year-old girl from Milan, Italy, named Serena Olga Vismara, won the contest!
Why Philae?
The name Philae is connected to the Rosetta spacecraft, which was named after the famous Rosetta Stone. The Rosetta Stone was a very important stone that helped a smart person named Jean-François Champollion understand ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics (ancient Egyptian writing).
To fully understand the hieroglyphics, Champollion also needed clues from monuments found on an island called Philae. In the same way, the Philae lander was designed to help the Rosetta spacecraft complete its mission of understanding the comet.
Images for kids
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Depiction of Philae on Churyumov-Gerasimenko
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Rosetta signal received at ESOC in Darmstadt, Germany (20 January 2014)
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Philae's intended landing site Agilkia (Site J)
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Comet Churyumov–Gerasimenko in March 2015 as imaged by Rosetta in true colour
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Rosetta and Philae
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Philae's instruments
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See also
In Spanish: Philae (sonda espacial) para niños
