The Little Satellite That Could
Highlights of the EO-1 mission, which was decommissioned after using all of its fuel for science operations. Launched in 2000, the spacecraft was powered down on March 30, 2017, and will slowly de-orbit until 2056 when it is expected to burn up in the atmosphere.
Music: A Happy Birthday Gathering by Raul Bonilla Vendrell [SGAE]
Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.
The satellite was tiny, the size of a small refrigerator, only supposed to last one year and constructed and operated on a shoestring budget — yet it persisted for a total of 17 years on orbit.
On March 30, 2017, the satellite was powered off due to a lack of fuel, and will slowly spiral down to Earth. It is expected to burn up in the atmosphere in 2056.
“The Earth Observing-1 satellite is like ‘The Little Engine That Could’,” said Betsy Middleton, project scientist for the satellite at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. With more than 1,500 research papers generated and 180,000 images captured, the Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite has exceeded expectations in both its technology and research goals, as well as longevity.
Credits
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
-
Producer
- Matthew R. Radcliff (USRA)
-
Writer
- Kasha Patel (Wyle Information Systems)
-
Editor
- Matthew R. Radcliff (USRA)
Release date
This page was originally published on Thursday, March 30, 2017.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 1:47 PM EDT.