NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) spacecraft recently experienced an anomaly that put it into a "contingency mode." The team tried to regain command capability by resetting ground systems hardware and software, but all efforts were unsuccessful. That's when engineers decided to perform a firecode reset, which is an external reset of the spacecraft that involves turning it off and then turning it back on again. This procedure is commonly used to fix problems with computers, and it worked perfectly with the IBEX spacecraft.
The Interstellar Boundary Explorer. Credit: NASA
The firecode reset was
executed preemptively on March 2, before the spacecraft performed an autonomous
reset and power cycle scheduled for March 4. The team took advantage of a
favorable communications environment around IBEX's perigee, which is the point
in the spacecraft's orbit where it is closest to Earth. The command
successfully restored IBEX's functionality, and it is now operating normally
again.
IBEX is a small
spacecraft, about the size of a bus tire, that has been operating nearly
flawlessly since it launched in 2008. Its mission is to map the boundary where
winds from the Sun interact with winds from other stars. IBEX collects
particles instead of light with its "telescopes" that look out toward
the edge of the solar system. From IBEX, scientists have obtained the first
all-sky map of the heliosphere, which revealed a surprise: the maps are
bisected by a bright, winding ribbon of unknown origin.
The bright ribbon of
emission seen in the IBEX map may be explained by the galactic magnetic field
that shapes the heliosphere as it drapes over it. The ribbon appears to trace
the area where the magnetic field is most parallel to the surface of the
heliosphere (the heliopause). However, scientists are still working with IBEX
data to fully understand this phenomenon.
In summary, NASA's use
of the 'turn off, turn on again' method to fix the malfunctioning IBEX
spacecraft highlights the effectiveness of this time-honored procedure in the
field of space exploration. It also demonstrates the importance of continuous
monitoring and maintenance of spacecraft to ensure their optimal performance
and successful completion of their missions.