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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Sep 22 2008, 12:59 PM
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#2
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Member Group: Members Posts: 214 Joined: 30-December 05 Member No.: 628 |
That should indeed be interesting. I assume the phrase "50-year low" means that prior to the IGY and the orbiting of the first satellites, there were no good measurements of the solar wind, so it could easily be much longer than 50 years since the present levels were reached. I guess if that trend continues for a couple decades it will be a good time for people to go to Mars, as long as no solar sails are involved.
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