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posted by chromas on Saturday October 13 2018, @02:41PM   Printer-friendly
from the https://xkcd.com/695/ dept.

NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory Enters Safe Mode; Investigation Underway:

At approximately 9:55 a.m. EDT on Oct. 10, 2018, NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory entered safe mode, in which the observatory is put into a safe configuration, critical hardware is swapped to back-up units, the spacecraft points so that the solar panels get maximum sunlight, and the mirrors point away from the Sun. Analysis of available data indicates the transition to safe mode was normal behavior for such an event. All systems functioned as expected and the scientific instruments are safe. The cause of the safe mode transition (possibly involving a gyroscope) is under investigation, and we will post more information when it becomes available.

Chandra is 19 years old, which is well beyond the original design lifetime of 5 years. In 2001, NASA extended its lifetime to 10 years. It is now well into its extended mission and is expected to continue carrying out forefront science for many years to come.

Has anyone heard from Opportunity lately?

But seriously, it's amazing how many probes keep running so far beyond their designed life span. Take a look, for instance, at the Mars Rovers. And then consider the two Voyager spacecraft, launched in 1977 which are still in operation!


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  • (Score: 5, Interesting) by bzipitidoo on Saturday October 13 2018, @07:19PM

    by bzipitidoo (4388) on Saturday October 13 2018, @07:19PM (#748373) Journal

    Voyager 2's expenses were deliberately understated, to keep it safer from budget cutting in Congress. The plan they gave the bureaucrats called for only a look at Jupiter and Saturn, so that they would not have to include another 8 years of expenses that the journey to Uranus and Neptune would take. Of course they privately planned for a look at all 4 from the beginning, for one thing because the alignment of the planets for such a "Grand Tour" occurs only once every 175 years, and the late 1970s was the time. Another thing they were doing was hedging against failure and disappointment, didn't want to claim that the spacecraft would function long enough to finish the tour, in case it didn't.

    NASA does that for most missions. When a mission continues onward, and is poised for yet more great discoveries, it's a lot harder for the bureaucrats and Congress to say no at that point. They'd be roasted for blowing a big opportunity, grilled over a slow fire for such waste and idiocy, and they know it. The bureaucrats themselves feel easier about the spending, because they can be pretty sure they will have all kinds of photos and other data they can show off to justify the spending to those among the public who wanted the money spent elsewhere. Getting a look at 4 giant planets with one spacecraft is one heck of a bargain, but bureaucrats tend to lack proper appreciation of such facts.

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