Most computer glitch can be resolve with a bare question , “ Have you tried turn it off and on again ? ” It seems this simple instruction also applies to reckoner on plank ballistic capsule orbiting grand of knot away .
NASA ’s Interstellar Boundary Explorer ( IBEX ) is finally up and run again after spending three week in contingency mode , also known as safe mood , the space agencyannouncedin a blog mail service on Monday . The team behind the mission performed an external reset of IBEX on March 2 when the spacecraft was at its faithful point to Earth .
On February 18 , the spacecraft , which is about the sizing of a bus tire , stopped responding to commands following a flight computer reset . “ While fight computing machine reset have happen before , this time the squad fall back the ability to control the space vehicle during the subsequent reset recovery , ” NASAwroteat the time . “ Uplink signal are reaching the ballistic capsule , commands are not processing . ”
An artist’s depiction of the IBEX spacecraft.Illustration: NASA
The squad try out readjust the mission ’s hardware and software from the ground , but IBEX remained unresponsive . The space vehicle , ferment in a high Earth orbit , was scheduled for an sovereign reset and power wheel on March 4 , but the squad exit onwards with a firecode reset , another condition for an international reset , two days prior to take reward of “ a lucky communication environs around IBEX ’s perigee , ” according to NASA .
The mission launched in 2008 with a unique task to map the boundary of the Solar System , observing the fundamental interaction between the solar malarkey emitted by the Sun and interplanetary space . Data accumulate by IBEX has help scientists quantify changes in the heliosphere , the house of cards generated by the Sun ’s magnetised field of operations , over the mavin ’s 11 - year - cycle . Now that IBEX has been reset and all is back to normal , we can keep learning about our host star and how it tempt its surrounding surroundings .
MORE : Why Do Sun - Gazing Spacecraft Get muddy Vision ?
HeliosphereOuter spacePhysical sciencesSolar windSpace plasmasSpaceflight
Daily Newsletter
Get the full tech , science , and culture news in your inbox day by day .
tidings from the future , delivered to your present .
Please select your desired newssheet and relegate your electronic mail to upgrade your inbox .
You May Also Like
