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Doomed NASA spacecraft beams back stunning cosmic images weeks before fiery plunge to Earth
New York Post • • science
Key Points:
- NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, launched in 2004 to monitor gamma-ray bursts, is set to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere later this year due to rapid orbital decay caused by increased solar activity.
- A summer mission to rescue and boost Swift’s orbit using Katalyst Space’s LINK spacecraft failed because of an attitude-control issue preventing capture of the observatory.
- Currently orbiting about 200 miles above Earth, Swift is expected to mostly burn up upon re-entry, though NASA has not confirmed if any debris will reach the surface.
- Recently, NASA released new cosmic images captured by Swift and the Chandra X-ray Observatory, including views of the Small Magellanic Cloud and the spiral galaxy NGC 1097 with its supermassive black hole.
- After 21 years of scientific operations, Swift’s mission has significantly contributed to understanding cosmic phenomena despite its impending end.
