back to article NASA restarts WISE telescope to spot potential Earth-killers

In these days of budget cuts and sequesters, it's especially important that NASA gets the most for its money, and so the agency will restart using the decommissioned Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) telescope as part of its quest to map the heavens for asteroids. WISE NASA kit is built to last The WISE telescope …

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  1. Flip

    No OMG

    [picture caption} "Oh my god, it's full of stars!"

    I believe Dave Bowman's words were: "My God, it's full of stars!". In a voice filled with wonder, not OMG.

    1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
      Trollface

      Re: No OMG

      The Eye of Japetus had blinked, as if to remove an irritating speck of dust. David Bowman had time for just one broken sentence which the waiting men in Mission Control, nine hundred million miles away and eighty minutes in the future, were never to forget:

      "The thing's hollow – it goes on forever – and – ZOMG LOL – it's full of stars! ROFLMAOOoooooo....!"

    2. smartermind
      Mushroom

      Re: No OMG

      He should have just omitted the meaningless word 'god'. God's got nothing to do with it. Perhaps the phrase should be "Oh my big bang, it's full of stars! ".

  2. Denarius
    Thumb Up

    excellent, most excellent

    Real science again ! Good to see a nation of wasters still has intelligent techs who recycle old kit for a useful purpose. Even more kudos to the management who allowed reason to infect them and fund the work. Probably lost bonuses for that and got HR counselling.

    1. Mr C

      Re: excellent, most excellent

      i second that sentiment, excellent!

      Was about time money was used for something not intended to kill or destroy.

      Now, having said that, if they do actually find a meteor/asteroid that is a threat (which is when this mission pays off) they still don't have any means of doing anything about it.

      Maybe they should also invest some cash in coming up with ways of dealing with such threats that don't involve Bruce Willis going up with a rigging-crew

      1. BrownishMonstr

        Re: excellent, most excellent

        I'm guessing they do have plans, I mean not all Americans are stupid right. As for they money, if they ever find a reasonable danger then I'm guessing money will be pouring in...to an extent of course.

  3. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge

    Budget cuts, huh?

    Ok, the military can have their trillion.

    But why not shift the 1.5 billion annual subsidy for Egypt and 3 billion annual subsidy for Israel to NASA?

    Oh wait, they are using these for buying US military kit.

    1. Armando 123

      Re: Budget cuts, huh?

      Or we could get rid of a few layers of mismanagement in all the bureaucracies.

      1. Robert Helpmann??
        Childcatcher

        Re: Budget cuts, huh?

        Or we could get rid of a few layers of mismanagement in all the bureaucracies.

        The problem is the very people who should be let go are in charge of making the list of workers to get chopped.

  4. Lyle Dietz
    Joke

    "we're going to hit the ground running"

    I see what you did there...

  5. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    Thumb Up

    Keep in mind, this is what it can do *without* LH2 cooled instruments.

    Just astonishing.

  6. carup008

    NASA kit is built to last....

    ...err not always, as the unfortunate demise of the Kepler telescope demostrates.

    1. lglethal Silver badge
      Joke

      Re: NASA kit is built to last....

      Ahhh just blame the foreign made parts.... ;)

    2. Brewster's Angle Grinder Silver badge

      Re: NASA kit is built to last....

      Like WISE, Kepler has completed its primary mission; just as WISE is now too hot to look outside the solar system, so Kepler shakes too much to spot planets. But they are only just starting to evaluate potential secondary missions for Kepler, so don't write it off; new uses may be found for it.

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