Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

NASA is racing to save Swift telescope from falling back to Earth
wfla ^ | 06/28/2026

Posted on 06/28/2026 7:20:59 AM PDT by devane617

NASA is racing to save an aging telescope from falling back to Earth with a daring rescue mission.

The $30 million salvage operation gets underway as soon as this week with the planned launch of a robotic lifesaver.

NASA hired startup Katalyst Space Technologies to boost the Swift Observatory to a higher orbit where it can continue hunting for some of the universe’s biggest explosions. A three-armed spacecraft built by Katalyst will chase after Swift once it takes off from an atoll in the Pacific’s Marshall Islands aboard an airplane-launched Pegasus rocket. Liftoff could occur as early as Tuesday.

Scanning the cosmos since its launch in 2004, Swift has been sinking faster and faster because of recent intense solar activity. It needs to get to a higher, more stable orbit as soon as possible to survive.

(Excerpt) Read more at wfla.com ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Science; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: katalyst; nasa; pegasus; space; swift
Message from Jim Robinson:

Dear FRiends,

We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.

If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:

Click here: to donate by Credit Card

Or here: to donate by PayPal

Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794

Thank you very much and God bless you,

Jim

Cool stuff.
1 posted on 06/28/2026 7:20:59 AM PDT by devane617
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: devane617

“Swift has been sinking faster and faster because of recent intense solar activity.”

This is clearly the fault of people driving SUVs and not separating their recycling. The only viable solution is to elect leftists and to increase taxes.


2 posted on 06/28/2026 7:23:52 AM PDT by coloradan (They're not the mainstream media, they're the gaslight media. It's what they do. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: devane617
> Swift has been sinking faster and faster because of recent intense solar activity. <

That line really caught my eye. But I’m too lazy to read the whole thing.

Are we talking about the singer, or about something else?


3 posted on 06/28/2026 7:30:11 AM PDT by Leaning Right
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: coloradan

or the people on the Sun driving Super SUVs ,LOL


4 posted on 06/28/2026 7:30:27 AM PDT by butlerweave (Fateh)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: devane617
The $30 million salvage operation

Hell, I thought she made that much from just one concert.

5 posted on 06/28/2026 7:40:42 AM PDT by libertylover (The HBM (Has Been Media) is almost all AGENDA-DRIVEN and HATE-DRIVEN, not-truth driven)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: devane617

A startup using a Pegasus rocket ,Hmmm


6 posted on 06/28/2026 7:43:15 AM PDT by butlerweave (Fateh)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: devane617

This calls for a swift response.


7 posted on 06/28/2026 7:43:57 AM PDT by Hyman Roth
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv

“recent intense solar activity” ping


8 posted on 06/28/2026 7:52:53 AM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is opinion or satire. Or both.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: devane617

I would think the telescope is obsolete for looking into space.

Does it look at China or the mullah’s house in Iran?


9 posted on 06/28/2026 7:56:31 AM PDT by bert ( (KE. NP. +12) Quid Quid Nominatur Fabricatur)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Hyman Roth
This calls for a swift response.

With a Taylored solution.

10 posted on 06/28/2026 8:06:36 AM PDT by pgyanke (Republicans get in trouble when not living up to their principles. Democrats... when they do.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: bert

Yep, probably.


11 posted on 06/28/2026 8:45:57 AM PDT by devane617 (Discipline Is Reliable, Motivation Is Fleeting..)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: devane617

Pales in comparison to NASA’s upcoming manned “Solstice” solar mission to land a manned launch vehicle on the surface of the Sun. AI supercomputers conjured the daring but brilliantly inspired mission. Multiple AI data centers localized with ultra highspeed networks connecting the data centers into a 99-series and 66-parallel chain have done the previously inconceivable feat. The entire mission centers on one novel concept. It will be done at night!


12 posted on 06/28/2026 11:05:37 AM PDT by know.your.why
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: know.your.why

Even if the heat didn’t kill you the Sun is so noisy that alone would kill you. Not that you’d notice much, you’d weigh 200 times more than you do on Earth.


13 posted on 06/28/2026 11:26:42 AM PDT by Nateman (Democrats did not strive for fraud friendly voting merely to continue honest elections.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson