TO THE MOON, MARS, AND BEYOND: Calling Back a Zombie Ship From the Graveyard of Space

ISEE-3 Reboot Project

On the FPSPACE list David R. Woods posted a link to a New York Times article about the ISEE-3 Reboot Project.

It is a nice summary and has some nice images.

Enjoy.

- LRK -

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http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/15/science/space/calling-back-a-zombie-ship-from-the-graveyard-of-space.html?_r=1
Calling Back a Zombie Ship From the Graveyard of Space

By KENNETH CHANGJUNE 14, 2014

For 17 years, it has been drifting on a lonely course through space. Launched during the disco era and shuttered by NASA in 1997, the spacecraft is now returning to the civilization that abandoned it.

It seemed destined to pass without fanfare, except for a slight chance of slamming into the moon, and then loop aimlessly through the inner solar system.

But now, a shoestring group of civilians headquartered in a decommissioned McDonald’s have reached out and made contact with it — a long-distance handshake that was the first step toward snaring it back into Earth’s orbit.

The zombie spaceship is coming home.

...

In 1999, the agency upgraded its Deep Space Network, the system of radio telescopes that communicates with distant space probes. The old transmitters that could talk with ISEE-3 were thrown away.

But ISEE-3 was never turned off, so while Earth lost its ability to talk to it, ISEE-3 was still broadcasting, waiting for its next command.

In 2008, the Deep Space Network listened briefly at the faraway spot where ISEE-3 was and heard the carrier frequency of the spacecraft’s radio — essentially a dial tone.

Two years later, NASA looked into reviving contact for the 2014 flyby, but concluded that the scientific payoff would not be worth the effort and money. Fans of the old spacecraft persisted, arguing that it could be used to train future scientists and engineers. But in February, Leonard N. Garcia, a NASA employee who had set up a Facebook page promoting ISEE-3, conceded that it was not going to happen. New transmitters could be built, he wrote, “but it would be at a price no one is willing to spend.”

That caught Mr. Wingo’s attention. “Not only is it not impossible,” he said, “I think it can work, and I know how to do it.”

...

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Do read the above link for another look at what can be done when you set your mind to it.

It also helps to gather together kindred spirits that complement each other.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Kindred+Spirits

- LRK -

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http://spacecollege.org/isee3/video-the-isee-3-song.html

Video: The ISEE-3 Song

Tim Reyes (ISEE-3 team member): I sought someone to write a song. Local friends pointed to me and I was given a chance to contribute in this way to bring public awareness back to the long-lost spacecraft, ISEE-3.

[Go to the link to hear her sing the song. - LRK - ]

Music by Layla. A. -https://www.facebook.com/pages/Layla-A/135031903238676

Artwork/Painting by Evan Nozaki - http://evnozaki.deviantart.com

Video Recorded by Nicole Morena (Super rad friend)

Lyrics by Tim Reyes (Former NASA employee):

You chose a new path for me and I left them and you behind
Off to see two comets of the Sun, tell us what you find
Send the words out until they reach the Earth to feed our thoughtful minds
A reminder of where we were, what we sought and still to find
ISEE-3 here and you are not far

Send me a command and let's see if I understand
And so you will go back to Arecibo and continue to command
So much has changed since you were not far
Let's go by the Moon, by the Earth, and return to stand above

You are like old but something new, something borrowed and somewhat blue
Closer in, together, made a team to deliver news to you
We were extensions of your fingers, my companions spun and swirled
Spinning at twenty revs per minute I could never see around
But ISEE-3 here and you are not far

Send me a command and let's see if I understand
And so you will go back to Arecibo and continue to command
So much has changed since you were not far
Let's go by the Moon, by the Earth and return to stand above

So much has changed since you were not far
We are not fragmented like continents when you left
Time has stood still for me but my electrics carry on
70s plaid, solar arrays but they keep picking at the sun

Send me a command and let's see if I understand
And so you will go back to Arecibo and command
So much has changed since you were not far
Let's go by the Moon, by the Earth and return to stand above

Yeah let's go by the moon, and return to stand above

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It is interesting when you try to talk to an old, old, spacecraft that has been orbiting the Sun for years.

Know the feeling of expectation and crossed fingers.

I remember when Pioneer six was contacted after 35 years.

- LRK -

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http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/missions/archive/pioneer.html#.U6D8tPldWa8

The Pioneer Missions
March 26, 2007

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Pioneers 6-9 were launched into Solar orbit between 1965 and 1968. Their prime mission completed years ago, the spacecraft were then tracked only occasionally.

Pioneer 6 was launched on 16 December 1965. Some time after 15 December 1995 (almost 30 years after it was launched) the primary transmitter (TWT) failed. During a track on 11 July 1996 the spacecraft was commanded to switch to the backup TWT, and the downlink signal was re-acquired. The spacecraft and a few of the science instruments were again functioning.

Pioneer 6 is the oldest NASA spacecraft extant. There was a successful contact of Pioneer 6 for about two hours on 8 December 2000 to commemorate its 35th anniversary.

Pioneer 7 was launched on 17 August 1966. It was last tracked successfully on 31 March 1995. The spacecraft and one of the science instruments were still functioning.

Pioneer 8 was launched on 13 December 1967. Its primary TWT failed several years ago, but on 22 August 1996 the spacecraft was commanded to switch to the backup TWT, and the downlink signal was re-acquired. The spacecraft and one of the science instruments were again functioning.

Pioneer 9 was launched on 8 November 1968. The spacecraft failed in 1983.

...

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I hope you have a chance to check in on their progress.

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

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http://historicspacecraft.com/Probes_Pioneer.html

Pioneer Program Overview

The Pioneer program was a series of exploration probes launched between 1958 and 1978. Pioneer probes conducted various missions, including some of the first lunar probes, investigations of conditions in interplanetary space, exploration of the planet Venus, as well as the first flybys of Jupiter and Saturn.