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Deep Space One Mission Comes To An End

Posted by Hemos on from the playing-taps dept.

jfoust writes "NASA's Deep Space One mission will officially end this week, according to published reports. The spacecraft was launched over three years ago to test advanced technologies like ion drives and, despite the failure of its star tracker, was able to make a successful flyby of the comet Borrelly in September. The project tried to extend the mission by several months to fly by an asteroid, but could not coax the funding needed for the mission extension out of NASA. There's a short summary about the mission's end at spacetoday.net, and more details from the AP and the JPL Universe employee newspaper."

2 of 160 comments (clear)

  1. The question every Slashdotter is asking by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Redundant

    When will we launch Deep Space Nine?

  2. Funding? by base2op · · Score: 0, Redundant

    If the thing's already built and deployed how much more funding can be required? The cash to employ a team to monitor/operate it? I think it'd be foolish to let it go to waste.