|'Chury' (Photo by ESA/Rosetts/NAVCAM)|
Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (aka “Chury”) could possibly reveal secrets about the origin of life within our solar system and beyond.
The AFP reports that the European Space Agency’s probe Philae, which is hiding out on Chury’s rocky surface, has found “several organic molecules… important building blocks of life” there.
The 16 compounds that Philae has thus far found “have been identified from six classes of organic molecules, including alcohols and amino acids.” Although Philae has not been heard from for almost a month, all is not lost. It may simply be in survival mode for a while.
Since Chury has remained in relatively stable condition for the past 4.6 billion years, it can serve as a “time capsule” for those who wish to retrace the evolutionary chain of organic components.
The fact that Philae has even managed to land on Chury’s surface seems miraculous. The information gleaned from this landing stands to be even more miraculous yet.
Copyright August 1, 2015 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved