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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.

3 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. 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!