Philae comet lander 'wakes up' from hibernation to resume Rosetta mission

Spacecraft makes contact with scientists for first time in seven months after losing power following touchdown on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

From aliens bursting forth from crew members' chests to onboard computers developing a psychopathic mind of their own, waking from space hibernation rarely results in a happy ending. But a real-life space voyage has bucked the trend of science-fiction counterparts such as Alien and 2001: A Space Odyssey, as one of humankind's greatest achievements "woke up" to the great relief of its earthbound masters.

Philae, the first spacecraft to land on a comet, phoned home and made contact with the European Space Agency (ESA) for the first time in seven months on Saturday. In a series of whimsical messages, ESA scientists revealed contact had been re-established with the probe through the Philae lander and Rosetta mission's Twitter accounts.