What's Up With Ulysses?, alive? dead? cancelled soon? |
What's Up With Ulysses?, alive? dead? cancelled soon? |
Sep 27 2005, 04:05 AM
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Member Group: Members Posts: 356 Joined: 12-March 05 Member No.: 190 |
What is up with the tiny Ulysses spacecraft that was launched in 1990 to study the solar whatever at high lattitudes? Last I heard it was in danger of dying because the RTG power was running low and at aphelion there was a risk of the hydrazine freezing/exploding in its propulsion system. Well that was like a year ago and I haven't heard anything since. It looks like it should've passed aphelion by now and should be out of danger.....
Its been going up there for over a full solar cycle, is it one of the missions on the chopping block because of the new humans on moon/mars thing? |
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Feb 27 2008, 06:48 PM
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#2
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Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 55 Joined: 1-May 06 From: Cincinnati, Ohio Member No.: 758 |
This paper from 2004 tells us that the "freezing" of Ulysses was understood long ago.
It explains various techniques during the extended mission, including shutting off the X-band transmitter, to save power to keep going UNTIL MARCH 2008. www.vega-group.com/assets/documents/10000207ExtendingtheUlyssesMissionto2008.PDF Here is a tiny url! http://tinyurl.com/26kaan So Ulysses has reached the end of her odyssey, as planned long ago. Rob |
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