
NASA confirms amateur astronomer has discovered a lost satellite - ColinWright
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/01/amateur-astronomer-discovers-revived-nasa-satellite
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laken
Most recent updates are here, on NASA's blog dedicated to IMAGE recovery:
[https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2018/nasa-image-
confirm...](https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2018/nasa-image-confirmed)

This is quite an outdated post, as NASA has updated as recently as last month.
This article that's posted was updated in January. A lot has changed.

~~~
laken
Also, this a really good read if you have the time:
[https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2018/a-detailed-
timelin...](https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2018/a-detailed-timeline-of-
the-image-mission-recovery)

It reads as if it's from Andy Weir's "The Martian"

Favorite quote from that article: `Burley adds a closing question: “Does
anyone happen to have a 4 mm tape cartridge reader that will work on a modern
Linux workstation and a 16-year-old data tape and not disintegrate it?”`

~~~
drittich
Agreed - it's the personal touches that make the story.

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bluGill
This is why someplace where I work there is a computer in a closet that has
Windows XP service pack 1, and all the software required to build the code we
were working on then. I work in embedded systems, there is always the
possibility that we will decide to fix a bug in some old controller that we
last sold 12 years ago. I don't think anybody who knows the code is left, but
the computers sit, just in case.

NASA should take that to heart and make sure they keep a few old computers in
a closed until the last satellite is confirmed de-orbited. Note that this
advice only applies to believed dead satellites, satellites that are still in
use presumably have a team porting software to something more modern as
needed.

Better yet NASA should do what we are attempting: repeatable builds in a
container. If I can install a Ubuntu 10 container on whatever the latest linux
is and build, I can throw away the Ubuntu 10 computer. This test can be
automated with reasonable confidence and low cost.

~~~
ajford
Look up the crazy stuff that happened with ICE/ISEE-3. NASA had disposed of
the high power transmitter that was originally used for communication with it
(and other satellites of that era). When it came back around, it fell to
civilians to try and reach out to it. The initial contact was made with
Arecibo Observatory and a high power amplifier built out of repurposed
cellular tower equipment. Fun times :)

~~~
parliament32
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Cometary_Explore...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Cometary_Explorer#Reboot_effort)

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dzdt
Nasa is receiving a signal intermittently from the satellite, and has
attempted to send commands, but it is not responding to all of those commands.
[https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2018/nasa-image-
confirm...](https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2018/nasa-image-confirmed)

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omk
According to the astronomer's later blog dated 27th Feb 2018, IMAGE went
silent again.

[https://skyriddles.wordpress.com/2018/02/27/space-strikes-
ba...](https://skyriddles.wordpress.com/2018/02/27/space-strikes-back-image-
returns-to-silence/)

~~~
laken
[https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2018/nasa-image-
confirm...](https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2018/nasa-image-confirmed)
Communication has been re-established, however they are having difficulty
sending commands.

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danielvf
This news is from a few months ago?

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cdubzzz
> Update, 31 January, 11:20 a.m: [...] Efforts to command IMAGE will likely
> take another week or two, as the satellite’s old control software is adapted
> to modern systems.

An update to that update _would_ be interesting!

~~~
Semaphor
In case you didn't see it, this blog was posted further up and has more
updates: [https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2018/nasa-image-
confirm...](https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2018/nasa-image-confirmed)

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posterboy
What's the news here: astro trash, big-org responging? Amateur going a long
way? Everybody loves a success story.

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beezle
What would be the cost of launching a micro-sat into an orbit that could
perhaps act as an intermediate link?

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helpme420
The growing level of amateurism in this field is astounding!

~~~
Max_aaa
You can say they are reaching for the stars.

