NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

[goes_sat]

*satellite sobs*

My poor dear fuse_sat... they... they... THEY BETTER FIX HIM! NOOOOOOOOOOO! HE CAN'T LEAVE! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

*sobs*

*********TRANSMISSION INTERRUPTED: switching***********

Perhaps you are wondering to what my sister, GOES-10, is referring. Her long-time beau, fuse_sat is having some serious problems at the moment that may mean

Comments

[fuse_sat]

Hey J, thanks. You've been great about looking after K the past few weeks. I only have a few minutes to talk with her every orbit, what with me being in safe pointing mode.

You know how it is too, since you've had momentum wheel problems yourself. Thanks for the supportive transmissions.

[kightp]

Oh, nooooo!

Paging wcg! Your old pal fuse_sat seems to be in trouble!

[wcg]

Thanks for the shout. Unfortunately I'm not at JHU anymore, and am currently busy keeping track of a dozen other spacecraft.

The FUSE Flight Operations Team is currently working like deamons to get FUSE back into operation. In some respects this is better than December of 2001 was because we know a lot more from that experience, but in other respects it's even more dire. If reliable pointing and guiding can be restored, it will have to be in a significantly reduced range of motion. FUSE will have to be kept pointed within 30 degrees of the pole of its orbit for guided science observations, because using the magnetic torquer bars to maintain attitude requires that the spacecraft stay more or less perpendicular to the Earth's magnetic field.

Of course even if the mission were shut down tomorrow it'd still have been a great success, but I know that's cold comfort for the satellite itself. There's some hope that even if science operations can't be resumed FUSE can be turned into an engineering student training mission.

[kightp]

I knew you weren't still on the mission - but I also knew you'd know what was up. (-:

Hang in there, fuse_sat!

[acelightning]

Be brave, 10! FUSE needs you to be strong for him now. You, too, 9. Sure, space is dangerous. That's why you spacefolk are out there doing research for us - because we humans are too scared to go do it ourselves. (Well, some of us are, anyway.) Just try to think positive, and have faith in the scientists and engineers who sent you up there.

[stardustboy]

Aw, no fun, dude! :( Set a spell, take the load off.