NASA engineers have finally completed work on the agency's Mars antenna, the satellite dish that acts as NASA's primary communication channel with its exploration rovers and orbiters circling Mars.
The 7 million-pound antenna was taken out of commission earlier this year to give NASA mechanics the opportunity to run basic repairs and upgrade its functionality to support new space exploration. The repairs were completed ahead of schedule, in time for the upcoming flyby of comet Hartley 2, which will take place on November 4.
"We've been testing the antenna since Sept. 28, and we've had no problems in tracking the spacecraft," Softpedia quotes NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) expert Peter Hames as saying. "We are nearing the completion of a very challenging engineering effort that will extend the life of one of the [Deep Space Network's] workhorses, making it more available and reliable in returning critical science data through at least 2025."
With President Obama recently enacting legislation that will put men on Mars by 2035, the data collected by the Mars antenna will prove to be invaluable.
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