Hi All,
The title of this post paints an inaccurate picture of this joint ESA/NASA mission. Ulysses power supply (RTG) is not producing enough power anymore to run its instruments and heaters to keep its propellant from freezing. Ulysses was due to be retired last year, but controllers devised a clever method of firing its thrusters every 2 hours to keep things warm. The tanks are virtually empty now. Also its X-band transmitter failed leaving only it S-band transmitter running at 512 bps.
Ulysses is currently 5 AU from earth with a 45 min. 1-way light time..to far away to act as an amateur communication satellite in its decommissioned after live, but it's an interesting mental exercise.
See the follow for more:
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMWHF1P0WF_index_0.html
Date: Wed, 1 Jul 2009 09:00:01 -0700 From: Clint Bradford clintbrad4d@earthlink.net Subject: [amsat-bb] NASA Kills Ulysses To: amsat-bb@amsat.org Message-ID: B95E6E7F-69B9-49F0-B639-ACD8527B1D87@earthlink.net Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes
After 18 years of operation, NASA has switched off Ulysses, the space probe designed to study the properties of solar wind, the heliosphere magnetic field, and the solar radio bursts that can greatly affect our gadgets, telecommunications, and every electronic system here on planet Earth. It was the first object to see and study our Sun's poles.
Read Ulysses Mission Operations Manager Nigel's email message to the Ulysses community ...
Clint Bradford, K6LCS 909-241-7666