http://www.independent.ie/videos/have-you-seen/watch-sir-richard-branson-dance-in-the-aisles-35000ft-up-with-motown-the-musical-cast-31297498.htmlPhilae space probe starts 'talking' - but scientists hope it's 'not the last croak of a dying cowboy'

* Lander wakes up seven months after contact lost * Philae begins "speaking" after emergency hibernation * Scientists say comet probe seems 'perfectly healthy'

Thomas Atkins

A robotic space lander has surprised scientists by waking up and sending a signal to Earth, seven months after straying into the shadows of a comet where they feared it might be marooned for ever.

The European Space Agency said on Sunday that it had received signals from the lander, named Philae, late on Thursday, when it began "speaking" with its team on the ground for the first time since it went into emergency hibernation following a botched landing on the comet in November.