A thought for a satellite struck deaf and dumb

[fuse_sat]

COBE has gone silent.

For as long as I can remember he's been a quiet voice up here, used by all the ground stations to calibrate their equipment. His science mission ended before mine ever began.

Today his transponder stopped working.

Comments

[zonereyrie]

Thank you and rest in peace, COBE.

[ceramufary]

Thanks for letting us know. It's important, but I'm not sure how I would have found out otherwise.

[kightp]

It must seem lonelier than ever up there now.

[fuse_sat]

Oh, new satellites come along often enough. But an old familiar voice is hard to lose, especially when it's this sudden.

It's troubling to think he might still be aware. Heck, he probably is still aware. But now he can't hear us and we can't talk to him.

[acelightning]

Thank you for mentioning this quiet "unsung hero". The information he beamed back to Earth is fundamental to modern cosmology. What a pity his voice is now silent! (And let us hope there will be many new voices in space as time goes on.)