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| Comet landing: Organic molecules detected by Philae | Comet landing: Organic molecules detected by Philae |
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| The Philae lander has detected organic molecules on the surface of its comet, scientists have confirmed. | The Philae lander has detected organic molecules on the surface of its comet, scientists have confirmed. |
| Carbon-containing "organics" are the basis of life on Earth and may give clues to chemical ingredients delivered to our planet early in its history. | |
| The compounds were picked up by a German-built instrument designed to "sniff" the comet's thin atmosphere. | The compounds were picked up by a German-built instrument designed to "sniff" the comet's thin atmosphere. |
| Other analyses suggest the comet's surface is largely water-ice covered with a thin dust layer. | |
| Philae touched down on the Comet 67P on 12 November after a 10-year journey. | Philae touched down on the Comet 67P on 12 November after a 10-year journey. |
| Dr Fred Goessmann, principal investigator on the Cosac instrument, which made the organics detection, confirmed the find to BBC News. But he added that the team was still trying to interpret the results. | |
| It has not been disclosed which molecules have been found, or how complex they are. | |
| But the results are likely to provide insights into the possible role of comets in contributing some of the chemical building blocks to the primordial mix from which life evolved on the early Earth. | |
| Preliminary results from the MUPUS instrument, which deployed a hammer to the comet after Philae's landing, suggest there is a layer of dust 10-20cm thick on the surface with very strong water-ice underneath. | |
| The ice would be frozen solid at temperatures encountered in the outer Solar System - MUPUS data suggest this layer has a tensile strength similar to sandstone. | |
| Scientists had to race to perform as many key tests as they could before Philae's battery life ran out at the weekend. | |
| A key objective was to drill a sample of "soil" and analyse it in COSAC's oven. But, disappointingly, the latest information suggest no soil was delivered to the instrument. | |
| At Philae's final landing spot, the MUPUS probe recorded a temperature of -153C before the hammer was deployed in an unsuccessful attempt to break up the surface. After increasing the power settings, the hammer eventually broke. | |
| Follow Paul on Twitter. | Follow Paul on Twitter. |