Three hours to save Integral

On 22 September, around midday, ESA's Integral spacecraft went into emergency Safe Mode. One of the spacecraft's three active 'reaction wheels' had turned off without warning and stopped spinning, causing a ripple effect ...

Kepler proves it can still find planets

To paraphrase Mark Twain, the report of the Kepler spacecraft's death was greatly exaggerated. Despite a malfunction that ended its primary mission in May 2013, Kepler is still alive and working. The evidence comes from the ...

Engineering mechanical parts for space activity

For more than four decades, an unremarkable building in an industrial estate on the edge of Warrington, UK, has played a crucial role in the success of most European space missions with moving parts – which means nearly ...

Test of spare wheel puts Orbiter on path to recovery

(Phys.org) -- In a step toward returning NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter to full service, mission controllers have tested a spare reaction wheel on the spacecraft for potential use with two other reaction wheels in adjusting ...

Dellingr: the little CubeSat that could

Zipping through the sky 250 miles up is a shoebox-sized bundle of detectors and electronics named Dellingr. The namesake of the mythological Norse god of the dawn, Dellingr is among a new breed of spacecraft known as a CubeSat. ...

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