How NASA’s WISE mission adapts after running out of frozen coolant
In short: With its supply of frozen coolant exhausted, the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer is transitioning to a new mission phase. This video explains how the spacecraft is adjusting its focus to survey the solar system.
Following the depletion of its onboard coolant, the NEOWISE Post-Cryogenic Mission shifts the spacecraft's focus toward secondary targets, specifically comets and asteroids that orbit the sun alongside the planets. While the mission can no longer map the entire infrared sky, it will continue its work using two detectors at their shortest wavelengths. Operating at a warmer temperature of approximately -334 degrees Fahrenheit, the survey extension is expected to last between one and four months.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: WISE "Warms Up" for Post-Cryogenic Mission
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