A US$1 billion sun-observing satellite may be lost permanently after communications between the craft and European and US space controllers went dead last Thursday.
Scientists with the Solar and Heliosopheric Observatory had been performing routine maintenance on the 2-year-old satellite when it lost its orientation with the sun. The craft is now spinning, and scientists have so far failed in their attempts at stabilization. They are hoping that solar panels on the craft will generate sufficient power to recharge the battery, re-establish communications, and allow engineers to transmit stabilizing commands.
A joint project of the European Space Agency and NASA, the SOHO satellite was launched in December 1995 aboard an Atlas II rocket. The mission has had several successes including recent data in which scientists found flares capable of generating seismic waves in the sun's interior that mimic those created by earthquakes. SOHO was intended to last for only two years, but scientists were pleased with the condition of the craft, and decided to extend the mission for another two years.
