ICE / ISEE-3, First comet encounter September 1985 Options

[bobik]

Garcia, L., R. Farquhar, and T. Eastman (2012), New Opportunities for a Historic Spacecraft, Space Weather, 10, S08008, doi:10.1029/2012SW000832. (15 August 2012)

New Opportunities for a Historic Spacecraft ... Much of the documentation from the initial mission programming was lost, but members of the original team are now working on rebuilding the commands necessary for spacecraft control and data acquisition. Once these commands are rebuilt, the Deep Space Network will be used to communicate with the spacecraft and determine instrument health. Demonstrating that we can communicate with the spacecraft and that it is sufficiently healthy is a crucial step toward a new mission in 2014. On what new adventures do we send our venerable explorer? One option is that it could return to the L1 halo orbit. Much more is known about space weather now than was known 30 years ago. Even so, multipoint space weather monitoring and research are more important than ever, and this spacecraft is an exceptional candidate to serve as a space weather monitor providing complementary and cost-effective measurements of the solar wind. However, ISEE 3/ICE can serve many more purposes. Controlling this comparatively simple spacecraft, now well beyond warranty, would be an ideal training opportunity for young scientists and engineers. A single PC, for example, could support the entire ground system, a prime example of NASA's ability to do "more with less."

[elakdawalla]

I actually talked with Farquhar about this a couple of months ago. I got no news from the conversation though. They're still working on it; there's no update on specific future plans. I can ask around but don't think there'd be much point right now. If I haven't heard anything new before August 2013, I'll begin pestering people then.

[Paolo]

I stumbled upon this conference at the BIS by Robert Farquhar: http://www.bis-space.com/2012/11/29/7813/b...raft-new-tricks

In 2018, it will use another lunar gravity-assist manoeuvre to fly through the tail of comet Wirtanen in December 2018. ISEE-3/ICE will be NASA’s contribution to a proposed joint Chinese-American two-spacecraft exploration of comet Wirtanen.

any info on this?

[Paolo]

watch out for this paper to be presented at this year's IAF congress in September

a unique multi-comet mission opportunity for china in 2018

[brellis]

Emily is the pesterer-in-chief!