NASA Reactivating WISE Spacecraft

This is certainly welcome news!

NASA Spacecraft Reactivated to Hunt for Asteroids

The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) will be revived next month with the goal of discovering and characterizing near-Earth objects (NEOs), space rocks that can be found orbiting within 28 million miles (45 million kilometers) from Earth's path around the sun. NASA anticipates WISE will use its 16-inch (40-centimeter) telescope and infrared cameras to discover about 150 previously unknown NEOs and characterize the size, albedo and thermal properties of about 2,000 others -- including some which could be candidates for the agency's recently announced asteroid initiative.

About time we had our 'Eyes in the Sky" awake again!

reply to post by Dreine


WHO?

get it?

That is pretty cool news! I Do wish we would spend less on war and more on exploration...

reply to post by abeverage


LOL!!!!

I get it... love that commercial!

Well played sir.

Originally posted by Dreine
reply to post by abeverage

 

LOL!!!!

I get it... love that commercial!

Well played sir.

Which commercial? LOL I was trying to be a wise owl.

Anyway do you find it interesting they are re-activating it in it's role as Asteroid hunter? Makes you wonder if the Chelyabinsk meteor had any influence on it.

At risk of being an Ison-tard, I bet this has something to do with the comet, I actually do think they are "concerned" there IS a lot of other debris coming in, it does look like it's in multiple pieces like shoemaker-levy and has the potential to scatter maybe, regardless of reason and with no fiction or theory, it does appear to be a big period for debris, I think they are concerned about it.

I did find the timing interesting, considering the comet that is reportedly going to impact the Sun soon (today?) and all of the talk about Ison. The budgetary restraints notwithstanding, what would be the purpose of ever turning the system off?

That's probably worth looking into as well. Maybe that's a good research project I can take on.

Originally posted by abeverage

Anyway do you find it interesting they are re-activating it in it's role as Asteroid hunter? Makes you wonder if the Chelyabinsk meteor had any influence on it.

I'm sure it "sort of" had a role in the general sense -- meaning that the whole purpose of WISE is to look for asteroids, including dangerous Earth-crossing asteroids.

With WISE, it sounds like a "damned if they do and damned if they don't" situation. One one hand, if NASA left WISE dormant, people would complain that they aren't using the tools they posses to look for potentially dangerous asteroids....

...On the other hand, if the re-activate WISE, some people say "OMG! NASA must be reactivating WISE because they know something that they aren't telling us!" (not that you, abeverage, said anything like this in your post).

Originally posted by Dreine
This is certainly welcome news!

NASA Spacecraft Reactivated to Hunt for Asteroids

The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) will be revived next month with the goal of discovering and characterizing near-Earth objects (NEOs), space rocks that can be found orbiting within 28 million miles (45 million kilometers) from Earth's path around the sun. NASA anticipates WISE will use its 16-inch (40-centimeter) telescope and infrared cameras to discover about 150 previously unknown NEOs and characterize the size, albedo and thermal properties of about 2,000 others -- including some which could be candidates for the agency's recently announced asteroid initiative.

About time we had our 'Eyes in the Sky" awake again!

I think everyone seems to be mistaken as to the significance of this story.

Everyone seems to think that this WISE program was the absolute only key to Earth's salvation...As if it were the only thing scanning space (?) for asteroids...Wtf is wrong with people haha.

Originally posted by Soylent Green Is People

Originally posted by abeverage

Anyway do you find it interesting they are re-activating it in it's role as Asteroid hunter? Makes you wonder if the Chelyabinsk meteor had any influence on it.

I'm sure it "sort of" had a role in the general sense -- meaning that the whole purpose of WISE is to look for asteroids, including dangerous Earth-crossing asteroids.

With WISE, it sounds like a "damned if they do and damned if they don't" situation. One one hand, if NASA left WISE dormant, people would complain that they aren't using the tools they posses to look for potentially dangerous asteroids....

...On the other hand, if the re-activate WISE, some people say "OMG! NASA must be reactivating WISE because they know something that they aren't telling us!" (not that you, abeverage, said anything like this in your post).

Actually I would think it would be a good thing to use the Russian asteroid event as a cause, with little suspicion. I just find it interesting that the shut it down usually they push money around and keep an operating instrument working by reassigning it. Which correct me if I am wrong but even as a 16" scope would be useful.

They opened up MOC (Mars Orbital Camera) for suggested targets why not do the same if they satellite is fully functional?

Of course there would be those that complain they already paid for it in taxes...but

To me if they couldn't find the money, maybe there should be a kickstarter type program for Amateurs like myself to get their grubby mitts on a space based scope! Not all discoveries are made by scientists and specialists...


Oh and I always think NASA is withholding some information from the public, but if they are unlike many I think they should!

They didn't shut it down simply because they ran out of money. They had a couple of observing missions for WISE, which were funded and which were succesfully completed (even with some extension). With the missions complete, they put it in "sleep mode" until the next suitable mission is developed and funded.

So we have this next mission, which I'm very happy to hear about.I think the Russian meteor definitely played a role, in addition to NASA's future plans for asteroid exploration.

"The WISE mission achieved its mission's goals and as NEOWISE extended the science even further in its survey of asteroids. NASA is now extending that record of success, which will enhance our ability to find potentially hazardous asteroids, and support the new asteroid initiative," said John Grunsfeld, NASA's associate administrator for science in Washington. "Reactivating WISE is an excellent example of how we are leveraging existing capabilities across the agency to achieve our goal."

Originally posted by Dreine
This is certainly welcome news!

Good Luck

They might even see the need to protect their satellites, while the air force waits for funding for a new 'space fence' system. The old one which looked after all the local space junk is outdated and about to be switched off, but a new system is yet to be built. NASA nearly lost one of their most expensive satellites last year, and there was also the Iridium collision with a Russian satellite, which compounded the problem with more space debris.
My guess is NASA is killing a few birds with one stone. This new mission is to last a few years, that might cover until the air force gets a new system up and running, and of course the need to continue cataloguing rocky NEO's. Link to the air force story,

rt.com...

Hopefully, this means that we will see and hear more from Amy Mainzer.



Here are some examples of images WISE took during its previous mission. (Images created by me from WISE image data at skyview.gsfc.nasa.gov... )

Zeta Ophiuchi


Dust clouds in Orion