Sleep Well Philae

By Thomas Grattoni-May, aged 12

My ten-year journey is almost at an end. All the planning and the anticipation of the team rests on my shoulders. I feel a huge sense of responsibility, going where no man-made object has ever been before. My mission, ground breaking in every sense, never before accomplished. Floating through the inky fingers of darkness, I wait for the final call.

“It’s time” a voice whispers through the eerie silence. At last, computer lights twinkle and burst into life, resembling distance galaxies. Nervous excitement envelopes me. I sense the adrenalin racing through mission control.

With billions of miles behind me, the time has come to break free from my mothership, Rosetta. Cutting the umbilical cord at last. Nervous excitement and anxiety erupt like a volcano inside me. Taking a giant leap into the unknown, suddenly I am alone. Rosetta, my trusted companion and friend, now fading from view, her lights becoming dimmer and smaller as we drift further apart. In the distance my destination looms, the comet 67P. A menacing giant, spinning through the void of darkness that is space.

Shark-finned ridges and towering peaks emerge into view, with huge pointed black teeth waiting to crush me in its silent screaming mouth. My new home awaits, spinning so fast I wonder where I will land. Nothing is certain. Dust jets spurt from the surface like volcanic geysers. Will I be able to touch down?

With an almighty crash, I hit its surface, the jolt knocks out my landing gear. Desperately, I reach out to hold on, but in vain. I bounce back into space, flying higher, before stopping briefly and again tumbling into free fall. I slam into the surface once more, sending a cloud of dust into the heavens. Again, I rebound, this time not so high, before the final thud brings me to a halt. Every instrument battling to help me cling on, my landing gear extending as far as it will go. I am exhausted, battered and bruised.

I can no longer see Rosetta. I think I have landed in a cave. Menacing cliffs tower all around me. Desperate to be heard, I signal home. My strength is fading fast. I must send a signal before being swallowed by the darkness. I muster all my remaining power to send a final picture of this strange new world I have discovered. I desperately want the team to know where I am, they need to know more.

Suddenly, a faint glimmer of sunlight creeps through the gloom. With every last breath, the hopes and dreams of the team weigh heavily on my mind. I know I have given all I can, but an irresistible urge to sleep overwhelms my will to carry on. I long for the dawn to paint a palette of orange and red, in this world of black and grey. A dawn that would bring new hope and opportunities of further discoveries for future generations. But for now, I am falling asleep, will I ever awake?