Uh oh, one of Lucy’s Solar Arrays Hasn’t Latched Properly – Universe Today
[ad_1]
As we’re fond of saying here at UT, space exploration is hard. Many things can go wrong when launching thousands of kgs of highly engineered equipment that took years to develop into space. Now, something seems to have gone wrong with NASA’s latest Discovery mission. Lucy, launched successfully by a ULA rocket on October 16th, seems to have a solar panel that didn’t quite “latch.”
The mission to explore Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids seems to be functional, with almost optimal power outputs from its two solar arrays. However, engineers noticed that they hadn’t received a “latched” signal from one of them, making them think the array did not fully deploy. Despite that, it is generating enough power to operate the spacecraft normally.
Those operations include firing test thrusters, though the probe itself is still operating in a “safe mode.” Despite the hiccup with the solar panel, the mission team decided to go ahead with a transition to “cruise” mode today, which will begin the craft’s journey towards Jupiter’s orbit.
On the way, they will continue attempting to understand what went wrong and even troubleshoot the issue. Another attempt to fully deploy the sail is expected “no earlier than late next week,” according to a NASA Press release on October 19th. But for now, the mission continues apace, with a major maneuver called the Trajectory Correction Maneuver-2 (TCM-2) planned in early December. TCM-1 wasn’t needed as the ULA rocket the craft had hitched a ride in release Lucy exactly where it needed to go.
Credit – Southwest Research Institute
With luck, the project’s engineers will find a way to fix the panel during Lucy’s lonely voyage out to the Trojans. Alternatively, if the spacecraft is still operating within parameters despite not having a fully deployed panel, that could work too. The other thing about engineering probes for space exploration is there’s a lot of redundancy and over-specification, so even if it doesn’t work perfectly, scientists should still get the data they’ve been waiting for in a few years.
Learn More:
NASA – Lucy Spacecraft Healthy; Solar Arrays Being Analyzed
NASA – NASA Team Remains Focused on Lucy’s Solar Arrays
Space.com – NASA eyes solar array glitch on new Lucy asteroid spacecraft
Ars Technica – Lucy’s solar panel hasn’t latched—a problem for a mission powered by the Sun
Lead Image:
Lucy with its solar panels completely deployed on the ground.
Credit – Lockheed Martin
[ad_2]
Original Post
F*ckin’ tremendous things here. I’m very glad to look your article. Thank you so much and i’m having a look forward to touch you. Will you kindly drop me a e-mail?
Thank you for another fantastic article. Where else could anyone get that kind of info in such an ideal way of writing? I’ve a presentation next week, and I am on the look for such info.
It is best to participate in a contest for probably the greatest blogs on the web. I will recommend this website!
Hey! Would you mind if I share your blog with my twitter group? There’s a lot of people that I think would really enjoy your content. Please let me know. Thank you
Yesterday, while I was at work, my cousin stole my iPad and tested to see if it can survive a 25 foot drop, just so she can be a youtube sensation. My iPad is now destroyed and she has 83 views. I know this is entirely off topic but I had to share it with someone!
Way cool, some valid points! I appreciate you making this article available, the rest of the site is also high quality. Have a fun.
I?¦m now not certain the place you’re getting your information, however good topic. I must spend a while finding out more or understanding more. Thank you for wonderful information I used to be in search of this information for my mission.
Good day! I simply wish to give a huge thumbs up for the good data you’ve got here on this post. I shall be coming again to your weblog for more soon.
Lovely website! I am loving it!! Will come back again. I am bookmarking your feeds also.
What’s Happening i am new to this, I stumbled upon this I’ve found It absolutely helpful and it has helped me out loads. I hope to contribute & aid other users like its helped me. Great job.
Everything is very open and very clear explanation of issues. was truly information. Your website is very useful. Thanks for sharing.
My developer is trying to persuade me to move to .net from PHP. I have always disliked the idea because of the costs. But he’s tryiong none the less. I’ve been using WordPress on a variety of websites for about a year and am nervous about switching to another platform. I have heard very good things about blogengine.net. Is there a way I can transfer all my wordpress content into it? Any kind of help would be really appreciated!
I have been checking out a few of your articles and i must say pretty clever stuff. I will make sure to bookmark your blog.
Hey! This is kind of off topic but I need some guidance from an established blog. Is it tough to set up your own blog? I’m not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty quick. I’m thinking about making my own but I’m not sure where to begin. Do you have any points or suggestions? Thank you
You are a very intelligent person!
Keep functioning ,remarkable job!
Thanks for sharing superb informations. Your web-site is so cool. I’m impressed by the details that you have on this blog. It reveals how nicely you perceive this subject. Bookmarked this website page, will come back for more articles. You, my pal, ROCK! I found just the information I already searched everywhere and just couldn’t come across. What a great site.
That is really interesting, You are a very professional blogger. I have joined your rss feed and look forward to in the hunt for extra of your great post. Additionally, I have shared your web site in my social networks!
An fascinating dialogue is worth comment. I think that you need to write more on this matter, it might not be a taboo topic but generally people are not sufficient to talk on such topics. To the next. Cheers
Hello! I could have sworn I’ve been to this blog before but after browsing through some of the post I realized it’s new to me. Anyways, I’m definitely happy I found it and I’ll be book-marking and checking back frequently!
What is Alpha Tonic? Alpha Tonic stands as a natural health supplement designed to comprehensively address men’s overall well-being.
Hello very nice web site!! Man .. Beautiful .. Amazing .. I’ll bookmark your web site and take the feeds alsoKI’m glad to seek out numerous helpful info here in the publish, we need work out extra techniques in this regard, thanks for sharing. . . . . .
What Is Puravive? Puravive is a natural weight loss supplement that is known to boost the metabolic processes of the body.
I visited a lot of website but I conceive this one has something special in it in it
Hey there! Do you know if they make any plugins to help with SEO? I’m trying to get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but I’m not seeing very good results. If you know of any please share. Many thanks!
Keep up the superb work, I read few posts on this web site and I conceive that your blog is real interesting and holds lots of good info .
I think this is among the most vital info for me. And i am glad reading your article. But wanna remark on few general things, The site style is perfect, the articles is really nice : D. Good job, cheers
As I web site possessor I believe the content matter here is rattling magnificent , appreciate it for your hard work. You should keep it up forever! Good Luck.
Thanks for some other great article. Where else could anybody get that kind of information in such a perfect way of writing? I’ve a presentation next week, and I am on the search for such info.
Hi this is kind of of off topic but I was wanting to know if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or if you have to manually code with HTML. I’m starting a blog soon but have no coding skills so I wanted to get guidance from someone with experience. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
After study a few of the blog posts on your website now, and I truly like your way of blogging. I bookmarked it to my bookmark website list and will be checking back soon. Pls check out my web site as well and let me know what you think.
I have recently started a site, the info you offer on this website has helped me greatly. Thanks for all of your time & work.
Sweet blog! I found it while browsing on Yahoo News. Do you have any tips on how to get listed in Yahoo News? I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there! Cheers
Lottery Defeater Software is a digital tool designed to assist individuals in improving their chances of winning in various lotteries.
I think other site proprietors should take this website as an model, very clean and magnificent user friendly style and design, as well as the content. You are an expert in this topic!