ISEE...Astro-Geek Hackers Take Control of old NASA Spacecraft!

:coolstory:

[link to www.youtube.com]

It's really pretty amazing considering the craft's convoluted orbit, not to mention the antiquated software. Now if we could only hack into an old NRO spy-sat to keep an eye on those Bilderbergers, hehe.



[link to www.youtube.com]

After Decades Of Silent Wandering, NASA Probe Phones Home
by SCOTT NEUMAN
May 29, 2014 8:39 PM ET

Whatever name it sailed under — International Sun-Earth Explorer 3, and International Cometary Explorer, among others — this spacecraft has scored a number of firsts over the years, including the first comet flyby.

You might call it the ultimate long shot — a group of space enthusiasts trying to re-establish contact with a wayward satellite launched in 1978. Figuratively speaking, it's been off the radar for decades.

No more.

[link to www.npr.org]

THIS JUST IN.......NASA STATEMENT-

NASA Statement: Citizen Scientists Successfully Communicate with Spacecraft
By Keith Cowing on May 30, 2014 7:34 PM

A group of citizen scientists has successfully established communication with an inactive NASA spacecraft in an attempt to breathe new scientific life into a more than 35-year-old agency mission.

NASA signed a Non-Reimbursable Space Act Agreement (NRSAA) with Skycorp, Inc., in Los Gatos, California, on May 21 that allows the company to contact, and possibly command and control, NASA's International Sun-Earth Explorer-3 (ISEE-3) spacecraft as part of the company's ISEE-3 Reboot Project. On May 29, the project team established two-way communication with the ISEE-3 spacecraft and began commanding it to perform specific functions.

Cool, I heard about this satellite one the radio a while back, and thought it would be the case that some hackers would be able to contact it. It's always sad when old but functional technology becomes unusable because someone threw out the manual, or the people who built it retired/died.

I just found out about this a few hours ago and felt it was exceptionally newsworthy. I hope they find a good use for it. Evidently, the dozen or so instruments are all still usable. The challenge now is to fire the thrusters to put it in a stable orbit.

that thing went all the way around the sun? lol how many miles has it went since its launch?

Quite a few I imagine, it's been flying nearly as long as Voyager! I just realized how historic this spacecraft is- it was THE FIRST probe ever to assume an L1 orbit (like SOHO and ACE) and the FIRST to ever sail through a comet's tail. The ISEE-3 was renamed ICE (International Cometary Explorer).

"ISEE-3 was the first spacecraft to be placed in a halo orbit at one of Earth-Sun Lagrangian points (L1). Renamed ICE, it became the first spacecraft to visit a comet, passing through the tail of Comet Giacobini-Zinner within about 7,800 km of the nucleus."

[link to en.wikipedia.org (secure)]

ISEE NASA Mission page:

[link to heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov]

Last Edited by Hugh M Eye on 05/30/2014 08:28 PM

nerds- what can't they do?