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Ulysses Spacecraft on its Last Legs

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the at-the-end-of-the-tour-when-the-road-disappears dept.

doconnor writes "JPL announced that Ulysses' mission will be ending after 17 years. The power generated by the decay of a radioactive isotope has been slowly decreasing. To conserve power its main transmitter was shut off. Unfortunately due to a fault in its power supply it cannot be turned back on. The team plans to continue operating the spacecraft in its reduced capacity, using the alternate S-band transmitter, for as long as they can over the next few weeks." Congratulations to all the geniuses involved in this one.

7 of 121 comments (clear)

  1. 17 years is a long time, Ulysses by Sodki · · Score: 4, Funny

    Penelope's gonna be mad when you return to Ithaca. According to the prophecy, you should have returned from Troy seven years ago!

  2. 5 year mission by tomhudson · · Score: 4, Funny

    you would know that this originally was intended to be a five year mission

    Don't look at me - I'm still p*ssed off that the Enterprise's original 5-year mission got cancelled after 3 years, you ignorant clod!

    17 years ... I can just see it now. Imagine how fat Shatner would have been by the series end? Oh, we don't have to imagine ... but he'd still be getting all the green chicks ...

    And Dr. McCoy could have actually said "I'm dead, Jim!"

  3. Radioactivity lasts forever by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I've been reading "People" magazine and USA Today and the main point they say is that we cannot build more nuclear plants because radioactivity lasts forever. So this 17 years thing is just baloney.
    Probably another excuse so the US can shoot it down

  4. Re:Geniuses by simcop2387 · · Score: 2, Funny

    If it moves, oil it. If it doesn't move, hit it with a hammer 'til it does move, then oil it. that should be if its supposed to move, otherwise you stick on as much duct tape as possible until it doesn't move.

  5. Re:D'oh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    No, no. It's more like buying a$ 71M car with the expectation of driving it for 5 years, then driving it for 20. Use a pre-established analogy!

  6. Re:D'oh by Idiomatick · · Score: 2, Funny

    No, Its more like saying it canny be done capn i'll need at least 3months at dock to repair the damage to the front ... *insert mumbo jumbo*. Then doing it in 3hours while piss drunk.

  7. Look at me still talking when there's science todo by tm2b · · Score: 3, Funny

    This was a triumph.
    I'm making a note here: HUGE SUCCESS!
    It's hard to over state my satisfaction.

    --
    "It is our blasphemy which has made us great, and will sustain us, and which the gods secretly admire in us." - Zelazny