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People are ecstatic about the momentous awakening of the first space probe to ever land a comet

Jessica Orwig
ROSETTA Philae_touchdown
ROSETTA Philae_touchdown

(ESA/ATG medialab) An artist's rendering of the Philae probe on Comet 67p/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

At 4:28 pm ET, June 13, scientists around the world let out a huge sigh of relief: The Philae lander — the first space probe to ever land on a comet — transmitted its first signal after sitting dormant for over seven months!

Scientists weren't sure if Philae would ever wake up after it powered down last November with the final words on Twitter:

But it looks like the little lander may stand up to its promise after all. Philae is now awake from its slumber and gearing up for some future discoveries on its home, comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

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And people are ecstatic.

Philae's first words after it's long nap have already been retweeted over 30,000 times! Here's what the lander had to say:

Since the news broke, #Philae and #WakeUpPhilae have trended on Twitter. This kind of social media love for Philae is reminiscent of when the lander generated more Twitter attention when it first landed on the comet on November 12, 2014 than Kim Kardashian's nude photos, which were released the same day.

Twitter is already abuzz with the news, generating inspirational, hysterical, and just adorable comments.

The science team in charge of Philae were perhaps the most ecstatic of all. Here's some of the Philae team's response to the news:

And the satellite that transported Philae millions of miles through space, Rosetta, was very happy for the news, as well:

There's even some jesting about who fixed Philae. Of course, the more likely explanation is that Philae is now receiving more direct sunlight that is recharging its solar batteries.

And the closer the Philae-carrying comet gets to the sun, the more sunlight the lander might receive and the more power it will have to make scientific discoveries:

Even NASA astronaut, Scott Kelly, who is spending a year aboard the International Space Station — long than any American before — was happy for some company:

Here's what Philae has in common with an Alaskan tree frog:

A nice sketch to celebrate the event:

And last, but certainly not least: The best tweet of all:

NOW WATCH: Scientists finally figured out how to land on a comet going 35,000 mph



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