IMAGE Spacecraft found by Amateur and Radio Astronomer Scott Tilley (VE7TIL)

I read a few articles and unfortunately they never mentioned 'amateur radio', just 'amateur astronomy' or 'radio astronomer'. And I think the media also over-stated the 'lost' part, since I would assume that NORAD/etc. would have still been tracking it, whether or it not is was producing telemetry.

Now what we need to do is develop a means to locate Apollo 10 Snoopy, the sole surviving lunar ascent module. In heliocentric orbit. A harder challenge since it's almost half a century old, battery powered, no solar recharging. I don't even know if it's theoretically possible due to its smallish size and low mass, but E-LEM-E would earn someone a cigar. I suppose you'd deliberately work outside the LUF/MUF, or VHF/UHF, and then hunt for unexpected echoes?

73, KD0KZE / Paul

 

Latest Data From IMAGE Indicates Spacecraft’s Power Functional
New data regarding IMAGE provides some additional — though not yet complete — information on how the spacecraft began to transmit signals again.

On Thanksgiving Day in 2004, the IMAGE spacecraft — at that time still fully functioning — underwent an unexpected power distribution reboot, after which the power returned only on one side — labeled the B side — of the unit. (Satellites are usually built with redundant hardware, often called “A sides” and “B sides.” In the event one half fails, operators can switch to the other with minimal effect to the mission.) Scientists involved in the mission concluded that the A side had failed, and proceeded for the rest of the mission exclusively with the B side.

However, data from today’s telemetry with IMAGE indicate that the spacecraft’s power unit is now operating back on its A side. The ultimate cause of the reboot is still not known, but these recent findings suggest that a reboot in some form has, in fact, occurred.

By Miles Hatfield
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

 

Is this like finding a boat abandoned in the ocean? Does Scott now own a satellite?

 

TES