A rescue spacecraft has blasted into orbit on a mission to save a NASA telescope from crashing back to Earth. The three-armed robot, named Link, launched from the Marshall Islands on Friday and is set to take about a month to reach its target: the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. This telescope has been circling our planet since 2004, but it’s now facing a serious situation; it’s been losing altitude faster than anyone anticipated. Recent solar activity has really cranked up the heat, causing Earth’s most explosive events, like gamma-ray bursts and those mind-blowing exploding stars, to stretch and expand.
Now, Link made it to orbit after a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket—on its very last flight—dropped from a modified aircraft and ignited high above the Pacific Ocean. If everything goes according to plan, Swift could be back in action by September. But right now? Observations are on hold to slow its descent. The Swift telescope is currently circling at 360 kilometers above Earth, but it needs to be lifted up by 240 kilometers to reach a safe orbit. And here’s a twist: Link’s buddy, the Hubble Space Telescope, might face a similar fate in the coming years, also losing altitude as the sun heats up.
“This is a high-risk, high-reward mission,” said Ghonhee Lee, the chief executive of Katalyst. “The biggest danger was always we don’t know how the telescope will react…” Can you believe that? They’re taking some serious chances to save this piece of scientific marvel. The stakes are high, folks!
So, for now, everyone’s holding their breath, waiting to see if Link can pull off this daring rescue. Just imagine the scientists back at NASA; they must be glued to their screens, praying for success. Will they manage to save Swift, or will it join the ranks of lost satellites? We’re all eyes and ears on this one. The countdown has begun, and the clock is ticking…
Kaynak: Orijinal Haber
