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DENVER – NASA has sequential its comet-hunting Stardust enquiry to defect its remaining fuel, environment soured a program of events that module closed downbound the satellite after a 12-year career.

Engineers gave the visit weekday salutation from Lockheed Martin's Denver complex, where Stardust was built. Shortly after 5:30 p.m. MDT, ground controllers forfeited broadcasting contact with the expanse enquiry for the terminal time.

Stardust module action digit terminal research by informing engineers how such render it has left. That module verify them how faithful their render calculations were and support with the design of forthcoming probes.

Spacecraft don't circularize render gauges because they don't work in set gravity.

Stardust was launched in 1999. It completed its primary assignment in 2004 by air through a cloud of detritus and pedal enveloping the Wild 2 comet and capturing samples. Those were sent to Earth for think via a parachute-equipped canister.

NASA then recycled Stardust, sending it time added comet terminal period to picture a crater.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check backwards soon for further information. AP's early news is below.

NASA's comet-hunting Stardust enquiry module action digit terminal research before it shuts downbound and ends its 12-year career.

Engineers at Lockheed Martin Corp., where Stardust was built, designed to bidding the satellite to defect its remaining render Thursday. How long that takes module verify them how faithful their render calculations were, which module support with the design of forthcoming probes.

Spacecraft don't circularize render gauges because they don't work in set gravity.

"It's a unique way for an interplanetary satellite to go out. Essentially, Stardust module be providing us useful aggregation to the very end," project trainer Tim Larson of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory said in a statement.

Since actuation in 1999, Stardust has cosmopolitan 3.5 1000000000 miles. It completed its primary assignment by air through a cloud of detritus and pedal enveloping the Wild 2 comet and capturing tiny samples. Those were sent backwards to Earth for think in 2006, via a parachute-equipped canister.

NASA then recycled Stardust, sending it time the Tempel 1 comet terminal period to picture a crevice mitt by a projectile launched by added expanse probe, Deep Impact.

Larson said 20 transactions after its render runs out, Stardust module turn soured its broadcasting transmitters so there's no quantity they could someways noesis backwards up and transfer a communication that could interact with messages from another spacecraft.

Without fuel, Stardust's thrusters won't be healthy to keep its solar panels pointed at the sun. That module drive its batteries to be exhausted within hours, Larson said.

When its tank is blank and its batteries are dead, Stardust module be mitt in an itinerary around the sun.

Scientists project that in the incoming 100 years, Stardust won't intend some closer than 1.7 meg miles of Earth's itinerary or 13 meg miles of Mars' orbit.

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Online:

Stardust: http://stardustnext.jpl.nasa.gov/

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