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DART Succumbs to Fuel Problems

Posted by timothy on from the well-there-went-my-tax-payment dept.

qw0ntum writes "The AP reports that NASA's experimental DART (Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology) spacecraft mission ended early when the craft's onboard computers detected a fuel-system problem. The craft, which was entirely computer-controlled, came within 300 feet of its target rendezvous target, a Pentagon satelite, before detecting the problem. Despite the failure, mission leaders 'called the mission a partial success because it demonstrated that an entirely computer-controlled craft could find a satellite in space.'"

1 of 137 comments (clear)

  1. They should do this mission again by TheKidWho · · Score: 5, Insightful

    They really should, in space rendevous is going to be a very important technology in the future, especially when the CEV needs to be assembled in orbit for a trip to the moon or mars, much easier to have it autonomously done.

    And this time, launch the thing off of a Falcon 1, not a $30million pegasus.