{"id":7886,"date":"2014-05-22T19:34:44","date_gmt":"2014-05-22T23:34:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=7886"},"modified":"2014-05-22T19:34:44","modified_gmt":"2014-05-22T23:34:44","slug":"nasa-green-lights-citizen-science-groups-effort-to-contact-redirect-isee-3-spacecraft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=7886","title":{"rendered":"NASA green-lights citizen science group’s effort to contact & redirect ISEE-3 spacecraft"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’ve written about<\/a> the\u00a0ISEE-3 Reboot Project<\/a>\u00a0effort by a private non-profit group to reconnect with NASA’s\u00a035\u00a0year old International Sun-Earth Explorers (ISSE)<\/a>\u00a0spacecraft and direct it back to its original solar science mission. The group recently carried out a successful crowd-funding\u00a0campaign<\/a>\u00a0to pay for the initial phase of the project. NASA has now given them the green-light to communicate with and take control of the spacecraft:<\/p>\n

NASA Signs Agreement with Citizen Scientists Attempting
\nto Communicate with Old Spacecraft<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

NASA has given a green light to a group of citizen scientists attempting to breathe new scientific life into a more than 35-year old agency spacecraft.<\/p>\n

The agency has signed a Non-Reimbursable Space Act Agreement (NRSAA) with Skycorp, Inc., in Los Gatos, California, allowing the company to attempt to contact, and possibly command and control, NASA\u2019s International Sun-Earth Explorer-3 (ISEE-3) spacecraft as part of the company\u2019s ISEE-3 Reboot Project. This is the first time NASA has worked such an agreement for use of a spacecraft the agency is no longer using or ever planned to use again.<\/p>\n

\"international_cometary_explorer_isee3_art[1]\"<\/a>International Sun-Earth Explorer-3 (ISEE-3)<\/em><\/p>\n

The NRSAA details the technical, safety, legal and proprietary issues that will be addressed before any attempts are made to communicate with or control the 1970\u2019s-era spacecraft as it nears the Earth in August.<\/p>\n

“The intrepid ISEE-3 spacecraft was sent away from its primary mission to study the physics of the solar wind extending its mission of discovery to study two comets.” said John Grunsfeld, astronaut and associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA headquarters in Washington. “We have a chance to engage a new generation of citizen scientists through this creative effort to recapture the ISEE-3 spacecraft as it zips by the Earth this summer.”<\/p>\n

Launched in 1978 to study the constant flow of solar wind streaming toward Earth, ISEE-3 successfully completed its prime mission in 1981. With remaining fuel and functioning instruments, it then was redirected to observe two comets. Following the completion of that mission, the spacecraft continued in orbit around the sun. It is now making its closest approach to Earth in more than 30 years.<\/p>\n

The goal of the ISEE-3 Reboot Project is to put the spacecraft into an orbit at\u00a0\u00a0 a gravitationally stable point between Earth and the sun known as Lagrangian 1 (L1). Once safely back in orbit, the next step would be to return the spacecraft to operations and use its instruments as they were originally designed. ISEE-3’s close approach in the coming weeks provides optimal conditions to attempt communication. If communications are unsuccessful, the spacecraft will swing by the moon and continue to orbit the sun.<\/p>\n

NASA has shared technical data with these citizen scientists to help them communicate with and return data from ISEE-3. The contributions of any citizen science provided by the spacecraft, if it is successfully recovered, depend on the current condition of its instruments. New data resulting from the project will be shared with the science community and the public, providing a unique tool for teaching students and the public about spacecraft operations and data gathering. The data also will provide valuable information about the effects of the space environment on the 36-year old spacecraft.<\/p>\n

The ISEE-3 mission opened new pathways for scientific exploration, helping scientists better understand the sun-Earth system, which at its most turbulent can affect satellites around Earth and disrupt our technological infrastructure.<\/p>\n

To learn more about the ISEE-3 Reboot Project, visit:\u00a0http:\/\/spacecollege.org\/isee3<\/a><\/p>\n

To learn more about ISEE-3, visit:\u00a0http:\/\/go.nasa.gov\/1mSskQs<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’ve written about the\u00a0ISEE-3 Reboot Project\u00a0effort by a private non-profit group to reconnect with NASA’s\u00a035\u00a0year old International Sun-Earth Explorers (ISSE)\u00a0spacecraft and direct it back to its original solar science mission. The group recently carried out a successful crowd-funding\u00a0campaign\u00a0to pay for the initial phase of the project. NASA has now given them the green-light to communicate … Continue reading NASA green-lights citizen science group’s effort to contact & redirect ISEE-3 spacecraft<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[31,14,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-solar-science","category-space-participation","category-space-systems"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p34aWK-23c","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7537,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=7537","url_meta":{"origin":7886,"position":0},"title":"ISEE-3 Reboot Project – Help restart a sun-earth explorer","author":"TopSpacer","date":"April 27, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I've written about an effort to reconnect with the 36 year old\u00a0International Sun-Earth Explorers (ISSE)\u00a0spacecraft and direct it back to its original solar science mission: Reawakening and returning a 36 year old spacecraft to its original mission ICE\/ISEE-3 spacecraft signals picked up by amateur space radio buffs Dennis Wingo (Skycorp)\u00a0gives\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Solar Science"","block_context":{"text":"Solar Science","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=31"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/TJw3XsmJIUs\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8510,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=8510","url_meta":{"origin":7886,"position":1},"title":"ISEE-3 citizen science mission","author":"TopSpacer","date":"August 7, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Since my\u00a0last post on\u00a0the\u00a0ISEE-3 Reboot Project, the team determined that it was impossible to restart the propulsion system\u00a0due to the absence of the nitrogen pressurant gas needed to force fuel into the thrusters. They spacecraft therefore cannot be put into an orbit in the Earth-Moon system and will instead continue\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Solar Science"","block_context":{"text":"Solar Science","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=31"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7969,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=7969","url_meta":{"origin":7886,"position":2},"title":"ISEE-3 Reboot Project takes command of the spacecraft","author":"TopSpacer","date":"May 29, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"The\u00a0ISEE-3 Reboot Project\u00a0(see earlier post)\u00a0is now talking with the spacecraft : We Are Now In Command of the ISEE-3 Spacecraft The ISEE-3 Reboot Project is pleased to announce that our team has established two-way communication with the ISEE-3 spacecraft and has begun commanding it to perform specific functions. Over the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "DIY space"","block_context":{"text":"DIY space","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=35"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8058,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=8058","url_meta":{"origin":7886,"position":3},"title":"ISEE-3 Reboot Project update","author":"TopSpacer","date":"June 8, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"The\u00a0ISEE-3 Reboot Project\u00a0(see the recent\u00a0post\u00a0ISEE-3 Reboot Project takes command of the spacecraft) continues to make progress in the effort to resurrect and re-target NASA's\u00a0International Sun-Earth Explorer (ISEE-3) spacecraft, launched in 1978 to study the earth's magnetosphere but re-targeted to study two comets. \u00a0the Reboot Project will try to return the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "DIY space"","block_context":{"text":"DIY space","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=35"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/CLPG15HXkv8\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8978,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=8978","url_meta":{"origin":7886,"position":4},"title":"Misc: ISEE-3 Reboot Project review + Leland Melvin and Spaceship Earth Grants + Mars One sim shows big challenges","author":"TopSpacer","date":"October 8, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Here's a set of links that have been sitting in my queue. --- Here is an\u00a0article\u00a0that tells the story of the\u00a0ISEE-3 Reboot Project's successful effort to contact and gain control of the\u00a0International Sun-Earth Explorer 3 unmanned probe (ISEE-3), which was launched by NASA in 1978 and subsequently redirected to follow\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "DIY space"","block_context":{"text":"DIY space","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=35"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8690,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=8690","url_meta":{"origin":7886,"position":5},"title":"ISEE-3 project update and plans","author":"TopSpacer","date":"August 29, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Dennis Wingo gives an update on the ISEE-3 reboot satellite\u00a0\u00a0project, including what it accomplished and what they hope to do next\u00a0:\u00a0ISEE-3 Post Lunar Flyby Status and Modification of Mission Goals - \u00a0denniswingo Mission Status Communication with the ISEE-3 satellite was successfully re-established with the goal of commanding the satellite to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "DIY space"","block_context":{"text":"DIY space","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=35"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7886","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7886"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7886\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7887,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7886\/revisions\/7887"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7886"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7886"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7886"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}